Yes, you can notarize a will, trust, or self-proving affidavit online in most states, though a will itself doesn’t need to be notarized to be valid – it needs two witnesses instead. What usually does get notarized is the self-proving affidavit, an optional companion document that lets your witnesses skip testifying in probate court later. Whether you can notarize any of this online depends heavily on your state, since several states restrict or prohibit remote notarization specifically for wills.
Does a Will Need to Be Notarized?
In nearly every state, no. A will becomes legally valid when it’s signed by the testator and witnessed, typically by two disinterested witnesses – notarization isn’t part of that requirement. Louisiana is the one notable exception, since its civil-law legal framework treats wills differently from the other 49 states, requiring notarization as part of its own distinct execution formalities.
This surprises a lot of people, since notarizing important documents feels like the default expectation. Adding notarization to a will you write and sign yourself doesn’t hurt anything in most states, but it also isn’t what actually makes the will legally binding – the witnesses are what matter, and skipping them can’t be fixed by adding a notary instead.
What Is a Self-Proving Affidavit, and Why Notarize It?
A self-proving affidavit is a separate, optional document, signed by you and your witnesses in front of a notary, stating under oath that the will was properly signed and witnessed. Its entire purpose is to let a probate court accept your will without tracking down and calling your witnesses to testify years or decades later, when memories have faded or witnesses have moved away entirely.
• Without a self-proving affidavit: the probate court may need to locate your original witnesses to confirm the will is genuine – a real problem if they’ve moved, are unreachable, or have passed away by the time the will is actually needed.
• With a self-proving affidavit: the notarized statement itself typically satisfies the court, skipping that step entirely and speeding up the probate process for your executor.
Because of this, most estate planning guidance recommends executing the self-proving affidavit in the same sitting as signing the will itself, rather than planning to notarize it separately later – coordinating the same witnesses a second time is often more hassle than doing it once while everyone is already together.
Does a Trust Need to Be Notarized?
Generally no, a living trust document itself doesn’t need to be notarized to be valid in most states, similar to a will. Two related trust documents, however, commonly do need notarization for entirely practical reasons that have nothing to do with the trust’s core legal validity.
• A deed transferring real property into the trust needs to be notarized (and typically recorded), since transferring real estate ownership always requires notarization regardless of whether a trust is involved in the transaction.
• A certification of trust, a shorter document summarizing the trust’s key terms without disclosing everything in the full trust agreement, is often notarized when presenting it to a bank or brokerage that wants formal verification before opening or managing an account on the trust’s behalf.
So while the core trust agreement usually doesn’t require a notary, the practical paperwork surrounding a trust – property transfers and bank certifications – very often does, which is where most people actually end up needing a notary during the trust-funding process.
Can You Notarize a Will or Self-Proving Affidavit Online?
Sometimes, but this is the one area where you genuinely can’t assume online notarization works the same way it does for other documents. Several states expressly restrict or prohibit remote online notarization for wills specifically, even in states where RON is otherwise fully authorized for everything else, which makes this a meaningfully different situation than notarizing an affidavit or power of attorney.
• States with specific electronic wills provisions: Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado (under its Uniform Electronic Wills Act) each have dedicated rules permitting remote witnessing and notarization for wills, built specifically for this purpose.
• Florida’s specific statute: under Fla. Stat. § 117.285, an online notary may supervise remote witnessing of a will via audio-video technology, with specific requirements including confirming remote witnesses are U.S. residents physically located in the country at the time of witnessing.
• Many other states: either haven’t addressed remote witnessing for wills specifically, or expressly exclude wills from their general RON authorization, meaning a state’s broad RON law doesn’t automatically cover this document type.
Confirming your specific state’s rules before booking a session isn’t optional here – a self-proving affidavit notarized through a process your state doesn’t actually authorize for wills can be rejected by a probate court, defeating the entire purpose of having it notarized in the first place. Unlike most documents in this series, getting this wrong doesn’t surface until years later, when the will is actually needed.
How Do You Notarize These Documents Online, Where Permitted?
Where your state authorizes it, notarizing a self-proving affidavit, a trust certification, or a property-transfer deed through electronic notarization follows the same core process as any other document, though the identity verification and witness coordination steps deserve extra attention given what’s at stake.
1. Confirm your state permits remote notarization for your specific document – this matters more here than almost anywhere else.
2. Prepare the document, including the will and self-proving affidavit if applicable, but don’t sign yet.
3. Upload the document(s) to your online notarization platform, along with any witnesses joining the same session.
4. Verify identity for every signer and witness required, through a government ID scan and additional checks.
5. Join a live video session with a notary commissioned to handle your specific document type in your state.
6. Sign on camera, with witnesses signing as required, while the notary completes the notarial certificate.
7. Receive your notarized document(s), keeping the signed original in the same place as your other estate planning paperwork.
BlueNotary charges a flat $25 per document, with sessions typically taking about 10 minutes, for documents where remote notarization is authorized – the same rate and turnaround as any other eligible document on the platform.
BlueNotary’s last will and testament template provides a starting point for drafting the underlying document, if you don’t already have one.
See the full notarization process walkthrough, or start remote online notarization for an eligible document.
Not sure whether your state allows remote notarization for your specific will, trust, or affidavit? Email BlueNotary directly at [email protected] and the team will help you out.
This surprises a lot of people, since notarizing important documents feels like the default expectation. Adding notarization to a will you write and sign yourself doesn’t hurt anything in most states, but it also isn’t what actually makes the will legally binding – the witnesses are what matter, and skipping them can’t be fixed by adding a notary instead.
What Is a Self-Proving Affidavit, and Why Notarize It?
A self-proving affidavit is a separate, optional document, signed by you and your witnesses in front of a notary, stating under oath that the will was properly signed and witnessed. Its entire purpose is to let a probate court accept your will without tracking down and calling your witnesses to testify years or decades later, when memories have faded or witnesses have moved away entirely.
• Without a self-proving affidavit: the probate court may need to locate your original witnesses to confirm the will is genuine – a real problem if they’ve moved, are unreachable, or have passed away by the time the will is actually needed.
• With a self-proving affidavit: the notarized statement itself typically satisfies the court, skipping that step entirely and speeding up the probate process for your executor.
Because of this, most estate planning guidance recommends executing the self-proving affidavit in the same sitting as signing the will itself, rather than planning to notarize it separately later – coordinating the same witnesses a second time is often more hassle than doing it once while everyone is already together.
Does a Trust Need to Be Notarized?
Generally no, a living trust document itself doesn’t need to be notarized to be valid in most states, similar to a will. Two related trust documents, however, commonly do need notarization for entirely practical reasons that have nothing to do with the trust’s core legal validity.
• A deed transferring real property into the trust needs to be notarized (and typically recorded), since transferring real estate ownership always requires notarization regardless of whether a trust is involved in the transaction.
• A certification of trust, a shorter document summarizing the trust’s key terms without disclosing everything in the full trust agreement, is often notarized when presenting it to a bank or brokerage that wants formal verification before opening or managing an account on the trust’s behalf.
So while the core trust agreement usually doesn’t require a notary, the practical paperwork surrounding a trust – property transfers and bank certifications – very often does, which is where most people actually end up needing a notary during the trust-funding process.
Can You Notarize a Will or Self-Proving Affidavit Online?
Sometimes, but this is the one area where you genuinely can’t assume online notarization works the same way it does for other documents. Several states expressly restrict or prohibit remote online notarization for wills specifically, even in states where RON is otherwise fully authorized for everything else, which makes this a meaningfully different situation than notarizing an affidavit or power of attorney.
• States with specific electronic wills provisions: Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado (under its Uniform Electronic Wills Act) each have dedicated rules permitting remote witnessing and notarization for wills, built specifically for this purpose.
• Florida’s specific statute: under Fla. Stat. § 117.285, an online notary may supervise remote witnessing of a will via audio-video technology, with specific requirements including confirming remote witnesses are U.S. residents physically located in the country at the time of witnessing.
• Many other states: either haven’t addressed remote witnessing for wills specifically, or expressly exclude wills from their general RON authorization, meaning a state’s broad RON law doesn’t automatically cover this document type.
Confirming your specific state’s rules before booking a session isn’t optional here – a self-proving affidavit notarized through a process your state doesn’t actually authorize for wills can be rejected by a probate court, defeating the entire purpose of having it notarized in the first place. Unlike most documents in this series, getting this wrong doesn’t surface until years later, when the will is actually needed.
How Do You Notarize These Documents Online, Where Permitted?
Where your state authorizes it, notarizing a self-proving affidavit, a trust certification, or a property-transfer deed through electronic notarization follows the same core process as any other document, though the identity verification and witness coordination steps deserve extra attention given what’s at stake.
1. Confirm your state permits remote notarization for your specific document – this matters more here than almost anywhere else.
2. Prepare the document, including the will and self-proving affidavit if applicable, but don’t sign yet.
3. Upload the document(s) to your online notarization platform, along with any witnesses joining the same session.
4. Verify identity for every signer and witness required, through a government ID scan and additional checks.
5. Join a live video session with a notary commissioned to handle your specific document type in your state.
6. Sign on camera, with witnesses signing as required, while the notary completes the notarial certificate.
7. Receive your notarized document(s), keeping the signed original in the same place as your other estate planning paperwork.
BlueNotary charges a flat $25 per document, with sessions typically taking about 10 minutes, for documents where remote notarization is authorized – the same rate and turnaround as any other eligible document on the platform.
BlueNotary’s last will and testament template provides a starting point for drafting the underlying document, if you don’t already have one.
See the full notarization process walkthrough, or start remote online notarization for an eligible document.
Not sure whether your state allows remote notarization for your specific will, trust, or affidavit? Email BlueNotary directly at [email protected] and the team will help you out.
FAQ Section
Does a will need to be notarized?
In nearly every state except Louisiana, no. A will needs two witnesses to be valid; notarization isn’t required unless you’re also adding a self-proving affidavit.
What is a self-proving affidavit?
A notarized statement, signed by you and your witnesses, confirming the will was properly signed and witnessed, letting witnesses skip testifying in probate court later.
Does a trust need to be notarized?
Generally not the core trust agreement, though a deed transferring property into the trust, or a certification of trust for a bank, commonly does.
Can I notarize a will online?
Only in states with specific rules permitting it, such as Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and Florida. Many other states restrict or prohibit remote notarization for wills.
Can notarizing a handwritten will cause problems?
In some states that recognize unwitnessed handwritten wills, adding notarization can create legal confusion – check your state’s rules before changing a holographic will.
How much does it cost to notarize an eligible estate document online?
BlueNotary charges a flat $25 per document, with sessions typically taking about 10 minutes, for documents where remote notarization is authorized.
Ready to notarize an eligible estate document? 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
Does a will need to be notarized?
In nearly every state except Louisiana, no. A will needs two witnesses to be valid; notarization isn’t required unless you’re also adding a self-proving affidavit.
What is a self-proving affidavit?
A notarized statement, signed by you and your witnesses, confirming the will was properly signed and witnessed, letting witnesses skip testifying in probate court later.
Does a trust need to be notarized?
Generally not the core trust agreement, though a deed transferring property into the trust, or a certification of trust for a bank, commonly does.
Can I notarize a will online?
Only in states with specific rules permitting it, such as Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and Florida. Many other states restrict or prohibit remote notarization for wills.
Can notarizing a handwritten will cause problems?
In some states that recognize unwitnessed handwritten wills, adding notarization can create legal confusion – check your state’s rules before changing a holographic will.
How much does it cost to notarize an eligible estate document online?
BlueNotary charges a flat $25 per document, with sessions typically taking about 10 minutes, for documents where remote notarization is authorized.
