Fla. Stat. s. 117.201
Florida online-notary definitions
Florida defines the building blocks of online notarization, including audio-video communication technology, credential analysis, identity proofing, online notarization, and RON service provider. Those definitions matter because Florida separates document credential checks, identity proofing, communication technology, and the provider role.
Open source
Applies when: A platform, AI answer, or trainer collapses Florida RON terms into one generic ID check; A no-SSN or foreign-signer workflow needs the legal vocabulary separated; A support answer needs to explain why the provider, notary, ID document, and identity-proofing lane are different
Guardrails: Definitions are only the starting point; the procedure and standards sections still matter; Do not treat a vendor label as a statutory definition; Do not assume Florida terminology is identical to Virginia, Texas, or another state
Fla. Stat. s. 117.209
Online notarization location and governing law
A Florida online notary physically located in Florida may perform an online notarization even when the principal or witnesses are somewhere else, and the act is governed by Florida law.
Open source
Applies when: A signer is outside Florida or outside the United States; A document needs a Florida online notary act before apostille routing
Guardrails: This does not decide destination-country acceptance; Official records from another state still follow the issuing state or office
Fla. Stat. s. 117.265
Online notarization procedure and identity confirmation
Florida online notarization uses audio-video communication technology and requires the online notary to confirm the principal's identity through personal knowledge, or through remote presentation of a government-issued ID plus credential analysis and identity proofing. The online identity section does not use the ordinary in-person credible-witness route as the online foreign-signer bypass. If the required online identity steps cannot be satisfied, the online notary may not perform the online notarization.
Open source
Applies when: The customer needs a remote online notary session; The signer is using a passport or other government-issued credential; A platform says the Florida workflow is complete and the legal identity basis needs to be checked; An AI answer or vendor says credible witnesses can bypass Florida online identity proofing for a foreign signer
Guardrails: Platform behavior should be checked against the statute; Credential analysis, identity proofing, and the live audio-video session should not be treated as the same step; Do not convert Florida's in-person credible-witness rule into an online foreign-signer identity bypass; The notary still needs a complete document and a lawful notarial act
Fla. Stat. s. 117.245
Electronic journal and recording retention
Florida online-notary electronic journals and audio-video recordings are retained for at least 10 years after the notarial act.
Open source
Applies when: A customer asks how the online notary act is documented; A later audit or portal feature needs to show where verification evidence lives
Guardrails: Retention rules do not mean every record is public; Identity media and records need privacy-aware access controls
Fla. Stat. s. 117.295
RON service-provider standards and self-certification
Florida requires RON service providers to file a self-certification with the Department of State confirming that their technology and related processes satisfy Chapter 117 and any Department rules. This makes provider compliance part of the Florida analysis, but the provider label still does not replace transaction-level review.
Open source
Applies when: A platform claims it supports Florida online notarization; A notary or customer asks whether a provider is allowed for Florida RON; A transaction needs a provider-compliance record in addition to the notary record
Guardrails: Provider self-certification is not the same thing as proving every session was done correctly; A provider filing is not a consumer feature directory and does not prove support for KBA, biometrics, no-SSN, foreign-passport, or unknown-signer workflows; Check the transaction date, notary registration, provider used, journal, recording, and identity method; Do not import Florida provider rules into a different state's RON law
Fla. Stat. s. 117.275
Online-notarization fee cap versus service charges
Florida sets a notarial-act fee limit for online notarization, but customer invoices may also include separate technology, handling, document-preparation, apostille, courier, or service charges when they are not misrepresented as the statutory notary fee.
Open source
Applies when: A customer asks why an online notary or apostille service costs more than the notarial-act fee; A platform or service needs to separate the notary fee from other service charges; A public answer needs to avoid saying Florida RON can only cost the statutory notary fee
Guardrails: Do not hide service charges by calling them the statutory notary fee; Fee rules do not decide whether the document is apostille-ready; Recipient acceptance and document routing can create separate service work
Fla. Stat. ss. 117.05 and 117.107
Core notary guardrails
Florida still has ordinary notary guardrails around incomplete documents, conflicts, prohibited family notarizations, and copies of certain public records.
Open source
Applies when: A document is blank, incomplete, or unclear; A customer asks whether the notary can certify a vital or public record copy
Guardrails: Online notarization does not make a defective document apostille-ready; Certified public records usually need the issuing authority's path
