State Notary Agent®
The Florida Notary Public Directory
IPEN — in-person electronic notarization. The signer is physically in front of the notary, as always. What changes is the medium: the document is electronic, the signature is electronic, and the notary applies an electronic signature and seal. Florida has authorized this for years under Fla. Stat. §117.021, which provides that a notary may perform an electronic notarization and that the electronic signature and seal are attached to or logically associated with the record.
RON — remote online notarization. The signer is not physically present. Appearance happens over live two-way audio-video, with identity established through credential analysis and knowledge-based identity proofing, and the whole session recorded. This is governed by §117.225 and the surrounding sections.
Put simply: IPEN changes the paper. RON changes the presence. That distinction drives every other difference between them.
| IPEN | RON | |
|---|---|---|
| Signer location | Physically present | Anywhere, by audio-video |
| Extra commission | No — standard commission | Yes — separate online notary registration |
| Bond | $7,500 (§117.01) | Additional $25,000 (§117.225) |
| E&O required | Not by statute | $25,000 minimum (§117.225) |
| Fee cap | $10 per act (§117.05) | $25 per act (§117.275) |
| Recording & journal | Not required | Electronic journal + AV recording, 10 years (§117.245) |
| Platform | Any compliant e-sign system | Registered RON service provider |
IPEN fits a signer who is local but the file is fully digital — an e-closing at a title office, a hybrid package where some documents are wet-signed and the rest are electronic, or any situation where the county recorder accepts electronic recording and nobody wants to print 140 pages.
RON fits a signer who cannot physically be there: out of state, deployed, traveling, a seller who has already moved, an investor closing three properties in a week. It is also the answer for a rural signing where the drive is longer than the appointment.
Two practical constraints worth knowing before you promise either to a client:
IPEN is in-person electronic notarization — the signer is physically present but the document, signature, and seal are electronic. RON is remote online notarization — the signer appears by live two-way audio-video from anywhere, with credential analysis, identity proofing, and a recorded session.
No. A standard Florida notary commission covers in-person electronic notarization under Fla. Stat. §117.021. RON requires a separate registration as an online notary public, plus an additional $25,000 bond and $25,000 in E&O coverage under §117.225.
Up to $25 per notarial act under Fla. Stat. §117.275, compared with the $10 cap for traditional acts under §117.05. Both caps apply to the notarial act itself, not to a separate signing-agent service fee.
No. The 10-year electronic journal and audio-video recording requirements in §117.245 apply to remote online notarization. IPEN carries no statutory recording or journal obligation.
Not universally. Florida law authorizing an act is separate from whether a particular lender's investor guidelines or a particular county recorder will accept it for a given instrument. Confirm acceptance before scheduling the signing.
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