E-Notarization is here, but how does it actually work?
By: Atty. Jonel P. Amio, Junior Partner
This article was originally published in Panay News on August 21–22, 2026, as part of the “Millennial Observatory” column, and is reproduced herein in its original form for reference.
Electronic notarization is finally here. While this may be the case, the signatory’s appearance before the notary public remains a legal requirement – only this time, it may be virtual.
On February 4, 2025, the Supreme Court en banc has approved the Rules on Electronic Notarization or A.M. No. 24-10-14-SC, which marks a significant development in the Philippine legal landscape and demonstrates that the law indeed looks forward, not backward (“lex prospicit, non respicit”).
The Rules were published on March 9, 2025 and took effect 15 days later, or on March 24, 2025. The development and accreditation process of e-notarization facilities took around a year from mid-2025 to mid-2026. On August 10, 2026, applications formally opened for qualified lawyers seeking to be commissioned as electronic notaries public. According to the Supreme Court, electronic notarization will become fully operational come October 19, 2026, when the first batch of commissioned e-notaries public are deployed.
E-Notarization
The Supreme Court’s official website defines electronic notarization as a “digital process wherein electronic documents are signed and notarized through a secure Electronic Notarization Facility (ENF) Provider, administered by an Electronic Notary Public (ENP).”
With this development, documents may now be notarized online so long as the act of notarization strictly follows the relevant Rules.
How it works
Electronic notarization can either be in-person or remote. In both cases, the use of the e-notarization facility is indispensable. This means that not only the notary public, but also the person who intends to have their electronic document notarized, must have access to any of the accredited e-notarization facilities.
That being said, it is important to emphasize that electronic notarization cannot be carried out via Google Meet, Zoom, MS Teams, or any other videoconferencing platforms that are not accredited by the Supreme Court. There must be accreditation to ensure that the act of electronic notarization complies with the strict security and identification verification standards under the relevant Rules.
Currently, there are three accredited e-notarization facilities, such as: Twala by Ohelio, Inc., QLegal by Quanby Solutions Inc., and NotarizeIT by Unawa Inc. The e-notary public and the person who intends to have a document notarized must use the same platform in order to facilitate the electronic notarization.
Most legal documents can be e-notarized, like affidavits, special and general powers of attorney, and contracts, among others. Scanned copies of the paper documents fall under the definition of “electronic document” under the Rules on Electronic Notarization, but they have to be in Portable Document Format (PDF) or Portable Document Format Archival (PDF/A).
Remote v. in-person e-notarization
Their names basically speak for themselves. Remote electronic notarization refers to the “notarization of electronic documents through the use of an accredited ENF where the principal and/or their witness(es), if any, virtually appear before the ENP through the use of the same ENF.” [par. (s), Section 4, A.M. No. 24-10-14-SC]
In-person electronic notarization, meanwhile, refers to the “notarization of electronic documents through the use of an accredited ENF where the principal and/or their witness(es), if any, physically appear before the ENP.” [par. (p), Section 4, A.M. No. 24-10-14-SC]
As long as the principals and/or witnesses are in the Philippines, remote and in-person electronic notarization can be done. The exception to this is Section 5 of the Rules on Electronic Notarization, which allows “limited extraterritorial performance of electronic notarial acts” or notarization of electronic documents when the principal and/or witnesses are outside the Philippines. The requirement is that the principal and/or witnesses must be within the premises of any Philippine embassy or consular office abroad during the execution of the notarial act, subject to confirmation by the e-notary public himself/herself and a designated officer of the Philippine embassy or consulate.
Supplement, not supplant
The Rules on Electronic Notarization does not supplant the 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice or A.M. No 02-8-13-SC, as amended. Rather, the former supplements the latter. This is made unequivocally clear by Section 2 of A.M. No. 24-10-14-SC, which states that notarization of electronic documents shall be governed by the Rules on Electronic Notarization while notarization of paper documents shall continue to be governed by the 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice, as amended.
Virtual appearance
But how does electronic notarization actually differ from traditional notarization?
The answer is rather evident: electronic notarization – particularly remote electronic notarization – allows the notarization of documents without the need for the signatory to personally appear before the notary public. Such appearance may now bevirtual — through the use of a designated e-notarization facility (Twala, QLegal, or NotarizeIT).
Virtual appearance through videoconferencing, under the Rules on Electronic Notarization, is the equivalent of an in-person or physical appearance of parties and witnesses for the purpose carrying out the electronic notarization.
Appearance before the notary public is here to stay
The Rules on Electronic Notarization, just like the 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice, as amended, still require the appearance of the signatory or affiant before the notary public can carry out the notarization. Only now, such appearance may be done virtually through remote electronic notarization.
If anything, this decision to retain the requirement of the signatory’s appearance before the notary public in the conduct of electronic notarization strongly affirms the Supreme Court’s position on the matter: appearance before the notary public is here to stay. After all, as jurisprudence instructs, notarization is not an empty, meaningless routinary act, but one invested with substantive public interest.
In one case [Prospero v. Delos Santos, A.C. No. 11583 (Formerly CBD Case No. 11-2878), December 03, 2019], the Supreme Court emphasized that “a notary public should not notarize a document unless the person who signed the same is the very same person who executed and personally appeared before him to attest to the contents and the truth of what are stated therein.”
In the same vein, the Rules on Electronic Notarization require either personal or virtual appearance before the notary public, precisely to preserve public confidence in the integrity and authenticity of notarized documents.
Multi-factor authentication reinforces compliance
This writer is aware that some unscrupulous individuals have – for lack of a better word – “creative” ways of dispensing with the appearance requirement in the notarization of paper documents. As a young lawyer, it is regrettable to see that this is happening and even more lamentable to know that it’s been going on for a long time. The Rules on Electronic Notarization addresses this concern.
Among the key aspects of an accredited e-notarization facility is its multi-factor authentication mechanism, such as, but not limited to, facial recognition, biometrics, one-time password, and such other technology or identity verification mechanism that are consistent with the pertinent issuances of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. This is in accordance with the with the Guidelines on the Accreditation of Electronic Notarization Facility Providers.
Why is this effective? The multi-factor authentication will force users to log in to their ENF accounts before electronic notarization can be carried out, ensuring that the requirement of appearance before the notary public is fully complied with. The act of notarization will also have audiovisual recordings, on top of its recording in the electronic notarial book. This is a very welcome development as it places measures that would compel strict compliance with the notarization rules.
Personally, I love it when the law and technology collide, especially when the latter is used to effectively enforce the former. Electronic notarization is a perfect example of this./BLBALaw
***Author’s Disclaimer: This article was independently researched, written, and reviewed by the author. It was not generated, drafted, or materially assisted by artificial intelligence (AI) or any AI-powered writing tool. The analysis, views, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author.
