Ohio Notary Exam Practice Questions: Electronic and Online Notarization (2026)

Getting online authorization

ORC 147.63(B)(1) requires successful completion of a Secretary-of-State-approved course of instruction and passage of an examination based on that course, and allows that course to be taken in conjunction with the educational program required under ORC 147.021 for the underlying commission. OAC 111:6-1-03(D) sets the numbers: applications are limited under (D)(1) to a duly commissioned notary who is a resident of Ohio, during the term of the commission; (D)(2) and (3) require a two hour education program, a test, and a two hundred fifty dollar fee paid to the authorized provider; and (D)(5) requires a twenty dollar fee paid to the Secretary of State on filing. Retakes follow the same shape as the main test: OAC 111:6-1-03(D)(4) allows a retake no sooner than thirty days after the most recent examination and no later than six months after completion of the education program. The authorization is tied to the commission underneath it. ORC 147.63(D)(2) provides that it expires when the commission expires or is revoked under ORC 147.03, 147.031 or 147.032, and (D)(3)(c) provides that an authorization which expires before the renewal application is submitted cannot be renewed, though the person may apply for a new authorization.

Where the notary and the principal may be

ORC 147.60(I) defines online notarization as a notarial act performed by means of live two-way video and audio conference technology conforming to standards adopted under ORC 147.62, and (J) defines an online notary public as one duly appointed and commissioned under ORC 147.01 who has received authorization from the Secretary of State under ORC 147.63. Location rules are strict on the notary's side and generous on the principal's. ORC 147.64(B) requires that the online notary is a resident of this state and is located within the geographical boundaries of this state at the time of the online notarization. ORC 147.64(C)(1) authorises online notarizations for any principal located within the territory of the United States, which ORC 147.60(M) defines as the United States, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and any territory, insular possession or other location subject to United States jurisdiction. Principals abroad are covered separately by (C)(2), which requires among other things that the record be part of a matter filed with or before a court, governmental entity or other entity in the United States, involve real or personal property located there, or pertain to a transaction substantially connected with the United States. One act is off the table entirely: ORC 147.64(A)(3) prohibits taking or certifying a deposition as an online notarization.

Identity proofing and knowledge-based authentication

ORC 147.64(E)(2)(a) requires all three of remote presentation of a government-issued identification credential containing the principal's signature and photograph, credential analysis of the credentials, and identity proofing of the principal. ORC 147.60(B) defines credential analysis as a process through which a third person affirms the validity of a government-issued identification credential by reviewing public and proprietary data sources, and (G) defines identity proofing as a third person affirming a natural person's identity through review of personal information from public and proprietary data sources. OAC 111:6-1-05(B)(5) then sets the dynamic knowledge-based authentication standard in numbers worth memorising: a minimum of five questions about personal history or identity drawn from public or private data sources, at least five possible answer choices each, at least eighty per cent answered correctly, and all questions answered within two minutes. Divisions (e) to (g) govern failure: a failed first attempt allows two retakes within forty-eight hours, a retake must replace a minimum of forty per cent of the prior questions, and after a second failure the individual may not retry with the same notary or the same identity proofing provider within twenty-four hours. Division (h) bars the online notary from being able to see or record the questions or answers used. OAC 111:6-1-05(C) requires that if the session is exited, the link is broken, or quality is compromised, the identity authentication process and any incomplete online notarial acts must be started from the beginning, and (D) mandates refusal where the notary cannot verify the principal's identity or the security of the transmission, where the signature cannot be attached to the electronic document, or where the system cannot render the act tamper-evident.

The electronic journal, seal and signature

ORC 147.65(A) requires one or more electronic journals recording all online notarizations in chronological order, accessible by password or other secure means of authentication, in a tamper-evident electronic format complying with rules under ORC 147.62. Division (C) flatly prohibits recording a social security number in the journal, while the fee, act type and the principal's name and address are required entries under (B). Division (D)(3) requires a complete recording of the audio-video communication that is the basis for identification of a principal for each online notarization, and (D)(4) requires a backup of both the journal and those recordings. Ownership of the journal sits with the notary, not the employer: (D)(7) forbids surrendering it to an employer on termination of employment and (E)(1) forbids the employer from retaining it, though (E)(2) and (3) allow storage agreements and approved-repository arrangements. On expiry of the authorization, (F)(2) requires transmitting the journal to the Secretary of State or an approved repository, which maintains it for ten years. The electronic seal has its own specification: ORC 147.60(E)(1) requires it to confirm the notary's name, jurisdiction and commission expiration date, and (E)(2) requires it to correspond generally to the contents, layout and format of the paper seal under ORC 147.04. ORC 147.66(D) requires the electronic signature and seal to be attached in a manner capable of independent verification that renders any subsequent change to the document evident, and (C)(3) requires the notary, immediately upon discovery, to notify an appropriate law enforcement agency and the Secretary of State of unauthorized access, modification, transfer, duplication or use.

Electronic notarization under ORC 147.591 is a different thing

Candidates regularly confuse online notarization with the electronic-document provisions in ORC 147.591, and Ohio treats them separately. ORC 147.591(D) says any notary public may obtain an electronic seal and electronic signature for the purposes of notarizing documents under that section, without the ORC 147.63 online authorization, and OAC 111:6-1-03 fees reflect that: ORC 147.631(A)(2) prohibits charging the online authorization fee to a notary obtaining an electronic seal and signature solely for the purpose of conducting notarizations described in ORC 147.591. Under ORC 147.591(B)(1) such an electronic document is considered an original document, and (B)(2) requires county auditors, clerks, deputy registrars, engineers and recorders to accept digital copies to the same extent as other electronically recorded documents, never rejecting them solely for containing electronic signatures or an electronic notarization. One prohibition applies specifically here: ORC 147.591(C) forbids signing or notarizing an authenticator certificate with an electronic signature or electronic seal, whether in person or through an online notarization system.