The Indiana General Assembly this week passed legislation that will enable the state’s notaries to participate in online notarizations across the country.
The Indiana Remote Notarization Bill (SB-372), which passed 95-0, will now go to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk for his signature.
Indiana joins Virginia, Texas and Nevada in allowing state-registered notaries to perform online notarizations for signers nationwide.
In a statement, State Sen. Travis Holdman, who sponsored the legislation, says the bill gives “Hoosier notaries … the ability to serve their clients online, creating a more safe, secure and efficient experience for everyone.”
“We’re continuing to modernize how the Indiana government serves its constituents,” Holdman adds. “Countless government forms require notarized documents; this bill enables Hoosiers to more efficiently complete these and numerous other legal documents.”
Holdman gave credit to notarization services and technology companies such as Notarize that “offer their tools to Indiana’s notaries.”
Patrick Kinsel, founder and CEO of Notarize, says he is “thrilled Indiana has voted to adopt online notarization and can’t wait to work with Hoosier notaries once the bill goes into effect.”
“We’re up and running in Indiana today with Westcor Title and Stewart Title, but feel strongly the best model is for local notaries to serve local customers – online,” Kinsel says. “We’re excited to give Hoosier notaries the tools they need to serve customers in Indiana and abroad.”
In separate news, Notarize recently announced that title agents can now participate in live online signings via the Notarize Web portal.
The feature is live in beta with a few title agents today and will be opening more broadly to title agents in the Notarize Title Network over the next few months, the company announced.
In addition, the company recently announced that it now offers support for witnesses across the entire Notarize platform – which is important, the company says, because many transactions, such as real estate transactions in Florida or a power of attorney, require an additional witness.