Last updated 2026-08-19
TL;DR
Delaware publishes no single price for remote online notarization. You need a notary public commission under Title 29, Chapter 43, then you pay the current Secretary of State charge plus vendor costs for the platform, identity proofing, recording, and electronic seal. A live session often runs 15 to 30 minutes. Confirm every state fee on notary.delaware.gov. Platform prices are contracts, not a state tariff.
How much does remote online notarization cost in Delaware?
There is no single Delaware price for remote online notarization. The state does not sell RON as a product. It does not post a consumer tariff the way a DMV posts a license fee.
If you are the signer, you pay a notary or a platform. That invoice is a private price. If you are the notary, you pay Delaware to get a commission, then you pay vendors for the video session, identity proofing, recording storage, and the electronic seal.
Delaware puts notary commissions and remote notarial acts in Title 29, Chapter 43 of the Delaware Code. [1] I will not invent the current Secretary of State application amount. Confirm the live charge on the official notary portal before you spend a dollar. [2]
People entering RON in Delaware get sold a national myth: one kit price, and then you are open for business. It doesn't work that way. The commission is state paper. The rest is contracts.
A first-year notary who already has a quiet room and a working camera is mostly buying software and a commission. A first-year notary who also buys a national package with a bond the state may not require, a class the state may not require, and three platform seats will spend more for zero extra legal power.
Remote work in Delaware is still a Delaware notarial act. You are not buying a federal stamp. Delaware's Uniform Electronic Transactions Act and the federal ESIGN Act make the electronic form lawful. They do not set your price. [3] [4]
For a signer, ask for the total before the session starts. If a platform will not state the full price in writing, use someone else.
What are you actually paying for when you do RON in Delaware?
You pay a state commission layer, a technology layer, a platform layer, and, if you record, a county layer. Only the commission is set in Dover. The other three are vendor quotes or county recorder fees, and none of them is a single Delaware RON tariff.
Layer one is the notary public commission. Delaware appoints notaries under Title 29, Chapter 43. [1] The official filing path runs through the state's notary system. [2] That layer is the only thing that makes you a Delaware notary.
Layer two is the technology notice and the tools. Chapter 43 is also where electronic records and remote appearance live. [1] You pick communication technology, identity proofing, and an electronic seal. Then you file whatever notice the statute and the Secretary of State currently require. Budget for a digital certificate. Budget for storing the audio-visual recording.
Layer three is the platform's cut. Some vendors bill a monthly seat. Some bill per completed session. Some bill the signer and share a slice with you. None of that is a Delaware tax.
Layer four is recording, if the document is going to a county recorder. Notary fees and recording fees are not the same bill. Confirm the county.
| Cost layer | Who sets the price | Where you confirm it |
|---|---|---|
| State commission and any statutory fee cap | Delaware | Title 29, Chapter 43 and notary.delaware.gov [1] [2] |
| Electronic seal, identity proofing, recording | Vendors | Your contract and any SOS technology notice |
| Platform subscription or per-session fee | Vendors | A written quote |
| County recording | The county | That county's recorder fee schedule |
If a salesperson collapses all four layers into one RON license fee, they are not describing Delaware.
Do you need a license for remote online notarization in Delaware?
Yes. You need a Delaware notary public commission. Remote online notarization is not a second occupational license with its own board. A vendor badge is not a commission.
Chapter 43 is the commissioning statute. [1] You apply through the official notary portal. [2] Once you are commissioned, you follow the electronic and remote rules in the same chapter. That is usually a technology notice, not a separate RON license card.
You do not become a Delaware remote notary by buying a national vendor badge. You do not become one by taking a class in another state.
The notary has to be located in Delaware when the remote act happens. The signer can be somewhere else. You cannot sit in Maryland with only a Maryland commission and call it a Delaware notarial act.
If you work in Delaware but live across the line, read the qualifications section in Chapter 43 yourself. Many modern notary statutes allow a place of employment or practice in the state. Confirm the live Delaware text. Do not trust a forum post.
A commission is personal. A company can pay your vendor bill. It cannot hold the stamp for you. If someone offers to rent you their Delaware RON access, walk away.
Military and federal-employee notary issues sit in a different statute. This article is about the ordinary Delaware civilian commission. If you already hold a federal notary authority, do not assume it covers private Delaware land records.
How long does remote online notarization take in Delaware?
The live session often takes 15 to 30 minutes if identity proofing works. Commission processing is separate, and it is not a number I will invent. Confirm current turnaround on the official notary portal. Technology setup usually takes days once your certificate issuer has what it needs.
Identity proofing is what blows up the clock. Knowledge-based questions and credential analysis fail for thin credit files, name changes, or glare on a driver's license. NIST Special Publication 800-63-3 is the federal digital identity framework many RON vendors map their proofing to, even though Delaware does not adopt NIST as a statute. [5] If proofing fails, you reschedule or you meet in person. You do not skip the quiz because the signer is late for work.
I will not invent a processing time for the commission itself. The notary portal is the only honest source for how long a new or renewal commission is taking this month. [2] Nobody can promise you a date.
Build in time to send the state whatever notice Chapter 43 requires before you take a fee. [1] Evenings and weekends do not make the act faster. They just move the 15 to 30 minutes to a time the signer can sit still and hold the ID to the camera.
A recorded session is not finished when you hit stop. You still attach the electronic certificate, store the recording, and write the journal entry. That last stretch is where sloppy files are born.
What does Delaware law actually require for a remote notarial act?
Delaware still requires personal appearance, identification, a truthful certificate, and, for remote acts, communication technology plus a recording. Chapter 43 is the statute. Electronic form is lawful under Delaware UETA and federal ESIGN.
Remote law lets the signer appear by communication technology instead of across your table. It is still an appearance rule. It is not an email-me-a-scan rule. Chapter 43 is the notarial-acts text. [1]
Delaware's Uniform Electronic Transactions Act sits beside it. That act says, "A record or signature may not be denied legal effect or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form." [3] Federal ESIGN says the same thing for transactions in interstate commerce: "a signature, contract, or other record relating to such transaction may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form." [4] [10]
You still identify the signer. You still complete a certificate that tells the truth, including remote appearance. You still refuse the act if you cannot identify the person.
Keep the recording. Keep a journal. If Chapter 43 gives a retention period, that period is the floor. Title companies and Fannie Mae add overlays when the document is a mortgage. [6] Those overlays can be stricter than state law. They do not replace it.
If the document is a deed, Delaware conveyance rules still expect a proper acknowledgment. [7] A valid remote act can support that acknowledgment. A sloppy certificate cannot.
How much can a Delaware notary charge a signer for RON?
Only what Title 29, Chapter 43 allows. Confirm the live fee section before you print a price list. I am not going to recite a dollar cap from memory.
Section numbers moved when the chapter was rewritten. A wrong number helps no one. [1] Open the current chapter. Find the fee section. If there is a cap, that cap is your ceiling for the notarial act. If the chapter is silent on remote surcharges, do not invent a fat convenience fee and pretend Dover blessed it.
Platform checkout pages are not the fee statute. A vendor may collect a technology charge from the signer under a separate contract. That is the vendor's model, not your commission speaking.
Post a written fee. Put the notarial fee and any platform technology charge on two lines. Get agreement before you start recording.
Other states write their caps differently. Florida's public fee rules do not apply in Wilmington. Neither do California's. Read those paper paths on their own pages if you actually commission there (remote online notarization cost in florida, remote online notarization cost in california).
I would rather undercharge a first month and keep the act clean than chase a high remote premium and get the certificate language wrong. The expensive mistake is the redo, not the $10 you left on the table.
What does it cost to become a Delaware remote online notary?
Becoming a Delaware remote online notary costs the official commission fee plus vendor charges for a digital certificate and one platform. Confirm the state fee on the portal. Skip extras Chapter 43 does not require.
Pay only what the official portal charges for the commission. [2] Term length is set in Chapter 43. Delaware has long used a 2-year notary term. Confirm that number in the live text before you spread the cost across months. [1]
Buy a physical seal if you will still do ink work. Match the legend the statute requires.
Get a quote on the electronic seal and digital certificate that includes replacement if the certificate expires before your commission does.
Pick one RON platform. Not three. Add a backup later if you actually have volume. If the platform keeps the recording for the statutory period, get that in writing.
Skip these until the statute forces your hand: a surety bond bought because a national kit listed bond as a line item, a pre-licensing class nobody in Dover assigned, and extra national e-notary credentials. If you want a Delaware paper-path checklist, RONPath sells a $99 one-time State RON Add-On Kit. It is a publisher kit. It does not file your application and it does not commission you.
E&O insurance is a business choice. Title companies often ask for it on real estate packages. That is the market talking, not the Governor.
Do not finance the software. If you cannot pay the first year of one platform out of pocket, you do not have a RON business yet. You have a hope.
Do Delaware counties charge extra to record a remotely notarized document?
They charge recording fees. They should not invent a RON penalty if the notarial act is valid under Chapter 43. County extras are recorder rules, not a second notary tax. [1] [7]
Call the recorder before you send the first electronic package. New Castle County is not Kent County. Sussex is not New Castle. Ask if they accept this electronic original, whether they want a paper certified copy, and what today's fee is for this document type.
I have no honest statewide recording-fee table that stays true for a year. Counties change extras for pages, names, and e-recording gateways.
E-recording gateways charge their own pass-through. That pass-through is not a notary fee and it is not a Chapter 43 charge. Put it on the title sheet, not on your notarial invoice.
If a clerk rejects a remote acknowledgment, ask which line of the certificate is wrong. Fix the certificate. Do not tell the signer Delaware forbids RON. The statute allows remote acts. Clerks can still reject bad form.
Fannie Mae and other secondary-market shops keep their own RON checklists for mortgages. [6] [8] A county can accept a deed that a GSE would not buy as a loan document. Those are different gates.
Mortgage work is where people get surprised. The recorder may accept the packet. The lender may still kick it for a missing remote certificate phrase. Price that risk before you discount a refinance package.
In-person Delaware notarization vs remote, which costs more?
For the signer, remote usually costs more in cash and less in driving and time off work. You pay for identity proofing and a recorded session. For the notary, remote costs more to open and less per mile.
You dropped the car. You picked up software, failed proofing reruns, and storage.
In-person still wins for a thin-file signer and for anyone who cannot point a camera at a license. Remote wins for an out-of-state signer on a Delaware form and for evening refinance work.
Do not run both on day one unless you already have ink customers. Pick the work you can get. A lot of first-year remote notaries buy a full lighting kit and then notarize one lease. That is a hobby with a receipt. Start with the camera you have. Upgrade after you have paid sessions, not before.
If you are price-shopping the career, look at how other states build the stack. remote online notarization cost in connecticut is a closer regional read than a sunbelt brochure. remote online notarization cost in colorado shows another statute-heavy setup.
The National Association of Secretaries of State keeps a national RON policy page. Use it for context. Do not use it as a Delaware invoice. [9]
Which first-year Delaware RON costs are a waste of money?
A bond the statute does not require is a waste. So is a multi-state commissioner upsell you do not understand, three platform seats, a high-end camera bar when your current camera already shows a clear face and a clear ID, and a second digital certificate before you have a single paid session.
Training is not automatically a waste. Paid training is a waste when someone tells you it is mandatory and Chapter 43 says nothing of the kind. [1] Read the qualifications language yourself. If Dover does not assign a course, do not let a vendor assign one for them.
Paying a consultant to handle Delaware SOS for you is usually wasted too. You still have to be the applicant. No one sits the identity part for you.
Skip rush shipping on a stamp until the commission is actually issued. People engrave the wrong expiration date.
Compare vendor quotes against remote online notarization cost in illinois and remote online notarization cost in georgia only for the shape of the stack. Their state fees are not yours.
If you like paper checklists, RONPath keeps the $99 State RON Add-On Kit at /start. You do not need it to apply on notary.delaware.gov. [2]
How do you confirm current Delaware notary fees before you spend?
You open three sources. You ignore the rest. Title 29, Chapter 43 is the statute, the official notary portal is the filing desk, and your county recorder is the recording desk.
One, Title 29, Chapter 43 on delcode.delaware.gov. [1] Two, the official notary portal. [2] Three, your county recorder, if the document will be recorded. [7]
If those three disagree with a vendor blog, the blog loses. If this article disagrees with those three, this article loses.
NASS is useful background on how commissioning officials talk about RON. [9] The Mortgage Bankers Association pushed model remote language because lenders wanted a consistent path. [8] Neither one issues your Delaware commission.
Write down the date you checked the fee. Screenshot the portal checkout. Keep it with your commission papers.
Nobody has a clean public dataset of what Delaware RON notaries actually collect in year one. The closest honest picture is the statute plus vendor quotes you gather yourself. If a site tells you the average Delaware remote notary earns a specific monthly figure, they made it up.
Identity proofing products will keep citing NIST. [5] That citation does not change what you owe Dover. Pay the state what the portal shows. Pay the vendor what the contract shows. Do not blend the two on one vague invoice.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for remote online notarization in Delaware?
Yes. You need a Delaware notary public commission under Title 29, Chapter 43. Remote online notarization is not a separate license board. After you are commissioned, you follow the chapter's electronic and remote rules, which usually means a technology notice and compliant tools. A vendor badge is not a commission. Apply only through the official notary portal.
How much does remote online notarization cost in Delaware?
Delaware does not post one official RON price. Signers pay a private notary or platform invoice. Notaries pay the current Secretary of State commission charge (confirm on notary.delaware.gov) plus vendor costs for the platform, identity proofing, recording storage, and an electronic seal. County recording is a separate bill. Ignore national sites that publish a single Delaware RON fee as if it were a statute.
How long does remote online notarization take in Delaware?
A straightforward remote session often takes 15 to 30 minutes after the signer is ready and identity proofing succeeds. Failed knowledge-based questions add another session. Commission processing time is not something to take from a blog. Check the official portal for current turnaround. Build in extra days for the digital certificate and any technology notice Chapter 43 requires.
Does Delaware require a notary bond for RON?
Read the live qualifications and surety language in Title 29, Chapter 43. Delaware has not historically run a Texas-style mandatory notary bond program. Do not buy a bond just because a national kit bundled one. If Chapter 43 is silent, do not treat a vendor's bond line as a Dover requirement. Title companies can still ask for E&O on real estate files.
Can a Pennsylvania resident become a Delaware RON notary?
Only if that person meets Chapter 43 qualifications. Many modern notary statutes allow a resident or a person with a place of employment or practice in the state. Confirm the current Delaware text. If you qualify and you are physically in Delaware when you perform the remote act, the act can be a Delaware act. Sitting in Pennsylvania during the session is the wrong geography.
Does Delaware approve specific RON platforms?
Confirm on the official portal and in Chapter 43. Some states publish long approved-vendor lists. Delaware's statute is built around notice and technology standards more than a Florida-style roster. Do not buy a platform on the claim that Dover already certified it unless you can see that certification yourself. Ask the vendor for a sample certificate a Delaware recorder has accepted.
Are remotely notarized deeds recordable in Delaware?
A deed still needs a proper acknowledgment under Delaware conveyance rules in Title 25. A remote act that follows Chapter 43 can support that acknowledgment. Recorders can still reject a bad certificate. Call the county before the first electronic original. Fannie Mae and other investors may impose extra RON conditions if the document is a mortgage, even when the county would record a deed.
How much should I budget in year one besides the state fee?
Budget one digital certificate, one platform, and recording storage that lasts as long as Chapter 43 requires. Add E&O if you want title-company work. I will not invent a year-one total because vendor prices move and the state fee must be confirmed on the portal. If you cannot pay one platform year out of pocket, wait. Do not stack three subscriptions.
Can I charge more for a remote act than an ink act?
Only inside whatever fee rule Chapter 43 currently states. Confirm the live fee section. A platform may collect a separate technology charge by contract. Put those on two invoice lines. Do not hide a large remote premium inside a vague notary services line if the statute caps the notarial act. Get the signer to agree before you hit record.
Do I have to keep a recording of the session?
Remote statutes built like Delaware's Chapter 43 treat the audio-visual recording as part of the act, not as a nice extra. Keep the recording and a journal for whatever retention period the chapter states. If your platform deletes files early, export them. A missing recording is how a clean session becomes a problem in a later title dispute.
Can the signer be outside the United States?
Usually the signer can be a remotely located individual outside the United States if you follow the extra identification steps in Chapter 43. Read that section twice. The notary still needs to be in Delaware. Foreign ID packets fail more often. Price the extra time or decline the act if you cannot complete identification to the statutory standard.
Where do I apply for a Delaware notary commission?
Apply through the official system at notary.delaware.gov, which is the state's notary portal. Read Title 29, Chapter 43 first so you know the qualifications. Do not apply through a random site that offers to register you as a Delaware e-notary for a markup. The portal is the filing desk. Confirm the current fee and document list there before you pay anyone else.
Does a Delaware commission let me notarize if I sit in Maryland?
No. If you sit in Maryland, you are not performing a Delaware remote act. The Delaware remote statute is built for a notary located in this state. A Maryland signer is fine if you are in Delaware and you complete identification. Geography of the notary is the part people get backward. Stay in Delaware for the session.
Is errors and omissions insurance required in Delaware?
Chapter 43 is where a mandatory insurance rule would appear. Treat E&O as a business decision unless the live statute says otherwise. Title companies often require it before they send real estate packages. That is a customer requirement, not automatically a commissioning requirement. Buy the policy for the work you actually do, not for a national kit checklist.
Sources
- Delaware Code Title 29, Chapter 43 (Notaries Public): Delaware notary commissions, fees, and notarial acts, including remote acts, are governed by Title 29, Chapter 43
- State of Delaware official notary portal: Delaware notary commission applications and commission management run through the official notary.delaware.gov system
- Delaware Code Title 6, Chapter 12A (Uniform Electronic Transactions Act): Delaware UETA provides that a record or signature may not be denied legal effect solely because it is in electronic form
- ESIGN Act, Public Law 106-229 (2000): The ESIGN Act, enacted in 2000 as Pub. L. 106-229, gives legal effect to electronic signatures in interstate commerce
- NIST Special Publication 800-63-3, Digital Identity Guidelines: NIST SP 800-63-3 is the federal digital identity framework many RON identity-proofing products map themselves to
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide, Remote Online Notarization requirements: Fannie Mae imposes its own RON conditions on mortgage documents delivered for purchase
- Delaware Code Title 25, Chapter 1 (Deeds): Delaware deed and conveyance formalities, including acknowledgments used in recording, live in Title 25, Chapter 1
- Mortgage Bankers Association, Remote Online Notarization policy page: MBA maintains industry RON policy resources used by lenders and settlement shops
- National Association of Secretaries of State, Remote Electronic Notarization: NASS tracks remote electronic notarization as a commissioning-official issue and publishes RON policy resources
- U.S. House Office of the Law Revision Counsel, 15 U.S.C. § 7001: 15 U.S.C. § 7001(a) states a signature may not be denied legal effect solely because it is in electronic form