On March 19, 2020, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed Executive Order 202.7, which authorizes notaries public to officiate documents remotely. Because of that measure, transactions have been able to move forward as people are warming up to this new procedure. There has been some resistance to using the e-notary option now available because of concerns of authentication and chain of custody of the documents going back and forth electronically. This comment is submitted to assist in alleviating those concerns by illustrating the procedure and by recommending a certification form to use for purposes of mapping out and memorializing the new procedure.
Specific procedures must be followed to remotely notarize a document and to help the public and notaries public understand the Executive Order, the New York State Department of Licensing has posted clear guidelines on its website (last accessed April 21, 2020).
