Remote Notarizations in Massachusetts

Remote Notarizations in Massachusetts

On Thursday, April 23, 2020 Massachusetts lawmakers passed a bill allowing notaries public to remotely perform work that is central to estate planning, mortgages, and more. This bill gives notaries public the ability to do businesses via videoconferencing, and will help with everything from wills to license applications and more.

In addition to other provisions, the bill will allow for notarial acts via video conferencing as long as the notary and each principal are physically located in the State of Massachusetts. The video must be recorded and retained for 10 years.

Many signing conferences have been postponed due to the coronavirus and the fear of coming into close contact with others. Now, those conferences can move forward via videoconferencing. Individuals, families, and businesses need to be able to execute wills, proxies, real estate transactions, and such during this pandemic and this provides a safe alternative to physical meetings.

 

Source: Boston Globe