Yes, you can notarize a document with witnesses online – some documents, including certain powers of attorney, wills, and real estate deeds, require a witness in addition to notarization, and the exact requirement depends on your state and document type. For electronic notarization, a witness can join the same live video session as the notary and signer, with the witness’s own identity verified the same way the signer’s is. Not knowing this requirement in advance is one of the most common reasons a scheduled notarization has to be redone, since a missing witness usually means starting over.
Does Your Document Need a Witness, Not Just a Notary?
Whether your document needs a witness depends entirely on your state’s law and the specific document type – there’s no single universal rule, since some states require both a notary and witnesses for certain documents, others allow either one, and many documents don’t require a witness at all beyond the notary. This layered structure is exactly why a blanket answer of “yes” or “no” doesn’t actually work for this question, and why checking your specific combination of state and document matters so much.
| Document Type | Typical Witness Requirement | Varies By State? |
| Power of attorney | Some states require notary and witnesses; others allow either | Yes |
| Last will and testament | Nearly always requires two witnesses, separate from notarization | Yes |
| Real estate deed | Some states (e.g., Florida) require two witnesses in addition to a notary | Yes |
| Healthcare power of attorney | Frequently requires a witness alongside notarization | Yes |
The document itself, or whoever requested it, ultimately determines whether a witness is required – a notary can explain the general concept but can’t make that legal determination on your behalf, the same way they can’t choose between a jurat and an acknowledgment for you. Checking this before your session, rather than during it, is the easiest way to avoid a last-minute scramble to find a second person to join the call at the last minute.
How Does Witnessing Work During Online Notarization?
When a document requires both a notary and a witness, the witness typically joins the same live video session as the signer and notary, rather than requiring a separate, additional appointment. This keeps the overall process close to the standard 10-minute timeline, even with an extra participant involved.
1. Confirm your document’s witness requirement before your session, since the notary can explain the difference between acknowledgment and jurat requirements but can’t decide whether a witness is legally required for you, and can’t make that call once the session is already underway.
2. Identify your witness in advance, if your state requires the witness to meet specific criteria, such as being a disinterested party unrelated to the transaction or the document’s outcome, since a witness with a financial stake can sometimes disqualify the notarization entirely and force a redo.
3. Join the same video session as your witness, along with the notary handling the notarization, coordinating everyone’s availability for one shared appointment.
4. Verify the witness’s identity the same way the signer’s is verified – through a government ID scan and additional identity checks, since a witness’s identity matters just as much as the signer’s for the notarization to hold up later.
5. Sign in the required order, typically with the notary directing the sequence to ensure everyone signs and witnesses correctly and in the legally required order, since an out-of-sequence signing can invalidate the entire notarization.
6. Receive the completed document, with the witness’s information included in the notarial certificate alongside the notary’s own.
Can a Witness Really Join Remotely, or Do They Need to Be in the Room?
In most states that authorize remote online notarization, a witness can join the same video session from a different physical location than the signer, as long as they can see, hear, and participate in real time – this is sometimes called being in someone’s “electronic presence” rather than their physical presence. This distinction matters because it directly affects who can practically serve as your witness, opening the door to a family member in another state or a friend traveling elsewhere, as long as the technology and timing line up. It’s a meaningful shift from the traditional assumption that a witness has to be someone physically nearby that day.
• Electronic presence generally satisfies the witness requirement in RON-authorized states, meaning your witness doesn’t need to be in the same room as you or the notary, opening up witness options beyond whoever happens to be nearby that day.
• Some documents carry stricter rules than standard notarizations – wills in particular are more likely to have specific, narrower rules about remote witnessing than a standard power of attorney or affidavit, since estate documents tend to draw more legislative scrutiny than routine paperwork.
• Confirm your specific state and document type together, since a state that allows remote witnessing generally may still carve out exceptions for certain document categories that aren’t obvious from the general RON law alone.
What Does an On-Demand Witness Cost, and How Do You Add One?
If you don’t already have your own witness available to join the session, some online notary service platforms can supply one directly as part of the notarization process, rather than requiring you to find and coordinate a witness yourself. This solves a genuinely common problem: needing a witness at a moment when no one else is readily available to help.
BlueNotary offers an on-demand witness option for $10, in addition to the standard $25 notarization fee, letting you complete a witnessed notarization in one session even without a witness of your own lined up in advance. This keeps the entire process to a single sitting rather than requiring you to reschedule once you realize a witness is needed.
This kind of on-demand access is one of the practical advantages of an online platform over a walk-in retail notary: a bank or UPS Store notary typically has no mechanism to supply a witness on the spot, leaving you to find and bring your own if the document requires one. Having that option built directly into the platform removes one more logistical step from an already time-sensitive process.
BlueNotary’s remote online notarization sessions typically take about 10 minutes, with or without an added witness.
See the full notarization process walkthrough for what to have ready before your session starts.
Not sure whether your specific document and state require a witness alongside notarization? Email BlueNotary directly at [email protected] and the team will help you out.
Ready to notarize your document, witness included? Notarize This Document Online Now at sessions run about 10 minutes for $25, with more than 20,000 certified notaries available to connect live.
FAQ Section
Do all notarized documents need a witness?
No. Most standard notarized documents don’t require a separate witness, but certain documents like wills, some powers of attorney, and deeds in specific states do.
Can a witness join an online notarization remotely?
Yes, in most states that authorize remote online notarization, a witness can join the same video session from a different location than the signer.
Who can serve as a witness for a notarized document?
Requirements vary by state and document, but witnesses are often required to be disinterested parties not directly involved in or benefiting from the transaction.
Does BlueNotary provide a witness if I don’t have one?
Yes. BlueNotary offers an on-demand witness option for $10, in addition to the standard $25 notarization fee.
Do wills have different witnessing rules than other documents?
Often, yes. Wills tend to have stricter and more state-specific witnessing rules than standard notarized documents, so confirm your state’s rules directly.
How long does a witnessed online notarization take?
A typical BlueNotary session takes about 10 minutes, whether or not a witness is included.
