How does remote online notarization work in Florida?
Part II of Chapter 117, Florida Statutes, lets an online notary public who is physically in Florida notarize documents for a signer located anywhere; the act is treated as performed in Florida and governed by Florida law. If you are outside Florida, you confirm that you want a Florida notary to act under Florida law.
The notary must verify your identity, either through personal knowledge or through remote presentation of a government-issued ID, credential analysis of that ID and identity proofing such as knowledge-based questions, and must record the audio-video session. If your identity cannot be verified, the notarization cannot go forward.[1]
What about witnesses and signing from another country?
Florida conveyances must be signed in front of two subscribing witnesses, and section 689.01 lets those witnesses be present by audio-video technology. A witness who appears remotely must confirm that they are a resident of, and physically located in, the United States or a U.S. territory at that time; a witness in the room with you can serve instead.
If you prefer paper, section 695.03 allows documents signed outside the United States to be acknowledged before a notary public of that country who has an official seal, a civil-law notary, or a U.S. ambassador, consul or other consular officer. Whether a remote closing works for your purchase also depends on your lender and closing agent, so ask early.[2][3][4]
How do you protect your closing funds from wire fraud?
The FBI describes a scheme in which a homebuyer receives a message that appears to come from the title company with instructions to wire the down payment, and the money goes to scammers instead. The CFPB and FBI recommend these steps:
- Choose two trusted contacts, such as your agent and settlement agent, and agree on the closing and payment process by phone or in person.
- Verify wire instructions, including account name and number, by phone or in person using numbers you already have, not numbers from the email.
- Don't click links or attachments in closing emails until a trusted contact confirms them, and keep financial details out of email.
- Turn on multi-factor authentication and check sender addresses closely for small differences.
- If you wired money to a scammer, call your bank right away to request a recall, and file a report at ic3.gov.[5][6]
Key takeaways
- Florida allows remote online notarization by a Florida online notary even when the signer is outside Florida.
- Remote witnesses must be in the United States or a U.S. territory when they witness.
- Documents signed abroad can be acknowledged before a foreign notary with an official seal or a U.S. consular officer.
- Verify every wiring instruction by phone using a number you already trust.
- If funds are misdirected, contact your bank at once and report it at ic3.gov.
Sources
- [1]Florida Statutes — Section 117.265, Online notarization procedures
- [2]Florida Statutes — Section 117.285, Supervising the witnessing of electronic records
- [3]Florida Statutes — Section 689.01, How real estate conveyed
- [4]Florida Statutes — Section 695.03, Acknowledgment and proof; legalization or authentication before foreign officials
- [5]FBI — Business Email Compromise
- [6]CFPB — Mortgage closing scams: How to protect yourself and your closing funds
Reviewed October 11, 2026. General real-estate information for Florida, not legal, tax, lending or insurance advice. Laws, rates and deadlines change — confirm property-specific facts with the agency cited, a Florida real-estate attorney, CPA or licensed insurance agent.