North Carolina has enacted remote electronic notarization, but it is not fully live yet. The Secretary of State must license the first platform. Until then, North Carolina notaries can use a temporary emergency video process, extended to July 1, 2027 or until the first license issues. Check the status before relying on an online notary.
This is general information, not legal advice. North Carolina’s rules are changing, so confirm the current status on the Secretary of State’s notary page before you act.
Is online notarization legal in North Carolina?
It is legal on paper but not yet operating in full. North Carolina enacted the Remote Electronic Notarization Act in July 2022 and built a permanent framework into Chapter 10B. That framework needs state-licensed platforms, and the Secretary of State has not issued the first license. A temporary emergency video process fills the gap.
The Secretary of State’s notary resources page says that, following Governor Stein’s signing of HB 517 on July 7, Emergency Video Notarizations (EVNs) were extended to 12:01 AM on July 1, 2027, or until the first license is issued for Remote Electronic Notarizations (NC Secretary of State). A real estate commission bulletin explains that the 2022 Act directed the Secretary of State to begin rulemaking by July 1, 2023, and that the date was not a go-live date (NC Real Estate Commission). A notary information site says the permanent framework appears in Part 4A of Chapter 10B but the first platform has not been licensed (NotaryBrief).
Be careful with websites that describe remote notarization as already live. One notary company says new rules took effect on July 1, 2025 and that remote online notarization is permanently allowed (NotaryLive). That sits uneasily with the Secretary of State’s own notice that emergency video notarization continues until the first remote electronic notarization license is issued, so treat the Secretary of State as the authority.
What is emergency video notarization, and how does it work?
Emergency video notarization, or EVN, is a temporary North Carolina process that lets a North Carolina notary notarize by live video when statutory conditions are met. It is narrower than permanent remote online notarization. A summary of the statute says both the notary and the signer must be physically in North Carolina during the session.
A notary information site summarizes G.S. 10B-25: EVN is allowed through July 1, 2027, or the date the Secretary of State issues the first platform license, and it requires both the North Carolina notary and the principal to be physically in North Carolina (NotaryBrief). Another summary repeats that a North Carolina-commissioned notary may use EVN until then (WitnessScore). The Secretary of State’s notice for notaries lists journal details for an EVN, including the type of notarial act, the document or proceeding, and the type of ID presented (NC Secretary of State notice).
Because EVN is a bridge and depends on conditions in the statute, ask the notary whether your document qualifies and whether the receiving party accepts it. If you are outside North Carolina, EVN does not apply.
