Remote Online Notarization (RON), and the current regulations surrounding it, poses several issues in Arizona. And, it is having a direct impact on tax revenue that is being taken from our State, the income from local Notary businesses, and may have a negative effect on the ability of an Arizona resident to file a complaint against a Notary who has received services from an online notary located in another State. 

This presents three problems:

First, current regulations only authorize Arizona State Notaries to charge a maximum of $10 per notary signature/stamp. However, the cost of platform fees to facilitate remote online notarizations begins with costly start-up fees and/or costly annual fees, just for the use of the technology, in some cases identity proofing fees (such as KBA) are additional charges, and the transaction fee usually starts at $10 per Notary Stamp. 

Unfortunately, if an Arizona Notary were to perform a notarization through Remote Online Technologies currently available, they are going to pay much more to use the technology than they would receive as compensation from the consumer/resident. And no Notary Public of the State can perform their duties on negative revenue.  This leaves the door wide-open for other States’ online notaries to provide services to the residents of Arizona because our own State's Notaries can't afford to provide them the same services.  

Second, with the lack of ability for AZ online notaries to affordably provide Online Notarial Services, big Tech Companies like Notarize.com (as an example), are currently taking the opportunity to target AZ residents through aggressive marketing tactics at an inflated cost. This means that the revenue our State should keep within its borders and be recirculated back into our economy is being funneled to other States with lesser standards. This is reducing local opportunities for AZ Notaries Public and also is hurting the Arizona economy. And this is happening at exponential rates considering larger tech companies are partnering with both Fedex and Staples Stores and using aggressive SEO tactics to drive notarial acts online.

Third, this gives birth to one more very important consumer/resident issue. When a notarization is performed by an out-of-State Notary Public, Arizona Residents are not as protected, if protected at all, by the State of Arizona notarial regulations. In short, Arizona Residents who are able to obtain notarizations from Online Notaries outside the State will suffer a more time consuming, more complicated, and more expensive process in filing a complaint should there be a Notarial error on their documents.

In summary, the Notaries of Arizona are asking for the following by its policy makers to ensure that it is protecting its residents. 

Increase Arizona Remote Online Notarization Fees to a minimum of $25 per notary signature/stamp fee which is the national amount for States successfully conducting Remote Online Notary Services. Or allow us to impose a platform or technology fee. 

Require all Online Notaries and Platforms, such as Notarize.com, to post the following disclaimer language when operating or performing an Online Notarization for AZ residents, prior to the Online Transaction: (Notaries are not attorneys unless otherwise stated and therefore cannot practice law, give legal advice, or draft documents. When using an Online Notary, you are protected by the Laws or Statutes of your state when only your Online Notary is located within the same State. It is highly recommended that you use a Notary located within your state for the maximum protection over the Notarial Act performed.