ICYMI, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive order issued early this month declaring the a state of emergency for New York in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic authorized notary services to be performed utilizing audio-video technology provided that certain conditions are met.
Those conditions are:
The person seeking the Notary's services, if not personally known to the Notary, must present valid photo ID to the Notary during the video conference, not merely transmit it prior to or after;
The video conference must allow for direct interaction between the person and the Notary (e.g. no pre-recorded videos of the person signing);
The person must affirmatively represent that he or she is physically situated in the State of New York;
The person must transmit by fax or electronic means a legible copy of the signed document directly to the Notary on the same date it was signed;
The Notary may notarize the transmitted copy of the document and transmit the same back to the person; and
The Notary may repeat the notarization of the original signed document as of the date of execution provided the Notary receives such original signed document together with the electronically notarized copy within thirty days after the date of execution.