Notary & Apostille Services

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Are you signing legal documents? Are you conducting legal transactions outside of your home country?

Then you will need a notary and/or apostille.

Idiomatic Southeast can help you make sure everything is accurate and in order, so you can avoid costly delays.

We also offer Remote Online Notary (RON) Services for your convenience!

What is the difference between a Notary and an Apostille?

Notary

A person who verifies the legal validity of a document’s signatures, an apostille is a document that guarantees the international legality of a document.

Verifies the legal validity of a document's signatures.
Serves as an impartial witness to a document signing to ensure it is signed per local state law.
Applies their own signature and stamp that render the document’s content and signatures legally binding.
Used for documents that will be used within the US.

vs.

Apostille

A document that guarantees the international legality of a document.

Guarantees the international legality of a document.
Used as a form of authentication between different countries.
Verifies the signatures of officials that have signed documents.
A certificate issued by the Secretary of State that is attached to your original document to verify it is legitimate and authentic so it will be accepted in other countries.
Used for documents that will be used outside the US.

When would I need a Notary vs. an Apostille?

Notary

Some examples of when you would need a notary:

Signing legal documents such as wills, deeds, and contracts.
Applying for a passport.
Getting a power of attorney.
Swearing an oath or affirmation.
Witnessing the signing of a document.

vs.

Apostille

Some examples of when you would need an apostille:

Studying abroad or applying for a job in another country.
Getting married in another country.
Adopting a child from another country.
Conducting business in another country.
Transferring property in another country.

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Remote Online Notary (RON) Services

Idiomatic Southeast partners with a network of Notaries to provide RON services.

Remote online notarization (RON) is a process of notarizing a document remotely through the use of electronic signature, identity verification, audio-visual technology, and electronic communication[2][4]. The RON procedures may vary depending on state laws, and not all states permit Notaries to perform remote online notarizations. For example, California does not permit its Notaries to perform RONs, and South Carolina does not address RON in its Notary laws[1]. Also, some states have passed temporary remote notarization measures due to the COVID-19 emergency that differ significantly from the process described below[1].

How does Remote Online Notary (RON) work? [5]

1. The signer contacts Idiomatic Southeast to request a Remote Online Notarization from one of our partner Notaries.

2. The signer's document is sent to the Notary so it can be signed and notarized. Typically, the document is uploaded in an electronic format such as PDF to the online technology platform used to perform the notarization.

3. The signer's identity is screened according to the requirements of the Notary's commissioning state. This may include answering questions based on the signer's personal and credit history (KBA), verifying the signer's identification documents online (credential analysis), the Notary remotely viewing the signer's ID during the notarization, or other RON identification methods set by statute.

4. During the remote online notarization, the Notary and the signer communicate online using audiovisual technology — for example, via webcam. The Notary and signer do not meet face to face.

5. Once the signer's identity has been verified and all other requirements for the notarization have been completed, both the signer and the Notary must sign the document and the Notary's seal attached. For electronic documents, this requires electronic signatures and an electronic version of the Notary's seal.

6. The Notary records any required information for the Notary's journal records. The Notary must typically also retain an audio and video recording of the notarization session.

7. The remotely notarized document is returned to the signer.

It is important to note that RON procedures may vary depending on state laws.

Not all states permit Notaries to perform remote online notarizations.

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