Commission & RONSP Registration

You cannot register for RON without an ACTIVE Florida notary commission. The full sequence: 1. Hold (or obtain) a Florida notary public commission — application through a bonding agency, $7,500 bond, oath, $39 state fee. 2. Complete the state-approved 2-HOUR RON EDUCATION COURSE from a Department of State–approved provider (§117.225(6)). Keep the certificate — it must accompany your registration. (This Academy course prepares you to ace it, but does not replace it.) 3. Secure a $25,000 SURETY BOND covering online notarizations (separate from/added to your base bond). 4. Secure $25,000 ERRORS & OMISSIONS insurance covering online acts. 5. Choose your RONSP (your technology platform) — it must meet DOS standards for credential analysis, identity proofing, A/V quality, and record storage. 6. Submit the online notary registration to the Department of State with the $10 registration fee (plus any bonding-agency processing), your course certificate, bond and E&O proof. Processing typically takes 1–2 weeks. You may not perform ANY online act until the DOS confirms your registration.

Your registration lists the RONSP(s) you will use. Requirements the platform must meet (§117.245, Rule 1N-7.001): • Two-way, real-time audio-video with sufficient quality for the notary to see and interact with the signer. • CREDENTIAL ANALYSIS by an approved third-party process (automated ID authenticity checks). • IDENTITY PROOFING — knowledge-based authentication (KBA): 5 questions, 2 minutes, 80% (4 of 5) to pass, with a limited retake using fresh questions. • Capacity to make and retain the full A/V recording of the ceremony. • Tamper-evident technology sealing the electronic document after signature. You can register with more than one provider, and you must UPDATE your registration if you add or change providers. Pro tip: platforms differ enormously on evidence quality — NotaryChain adds blockchain sealing on Hedera, deterministic document forensics, and an append-only journal, which becomes powerful evidence if an act is ever challenged in court.