Governor Raimondo's Office and the Secretary of State's Office worked together to secure the temporary authorization of remote online notarization in Rhode Island during the state of emergency to address the ability to continue notarizing documents while social distancing recommendations are in effect.

In an effort to honor the CDC’s social distancing recommendations and in light of the Governor’s declaration of a state of emergency, Remote Online Notarization (RON) will be permitted on a temporary basis during the current state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote Online Notarization is the process by which documents are notarized in an electronic form where the signer and notary public are not physically in each other’s presence but can communicate simultaneously using secure audio-video technology.   To view the letter from Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea authorizing the RON, click here. To view the RI RON guidance, click here. To view the Standards of Conduct for Notaries in RI, click here.