Governor Baker approves New Remote Notarization Law

Last week, Governor Baker passed the S2645 Bill codified as the Chapter 71 of the Acts of 2020.  This will allow notarizations to be completed remotely. This is great news for divorce cases and divorce mediations. These mediations can now move ahead with online video conferencing and online notarization. 

Please be sure to follow these guidelines to use notarizations electronically:

• All parties and the notary must be located in Massachusetts. 
• All principal parties must provide proof of identity either during the video conference or by sending a copy of identification materials to the notary. 
• The notary must observe execution of the document by all parties through real time electronic video conferencing. 
• All executed documents must be sent to the notary for their stamp and signature following the video conference. 

Families are still experiencing challenges during the Coronavirus Pandemic and people are thinking about divorces while the COVID-19 quarantine is in effect. This important legislation allows divorce mediations to move forward. 

This law will allow the attorneys licensed in the state of Massachusetts, a duly appointed notary, or a paralegal notary directly supervised by an attorney, the option to perform these duties remotely during the current state of emergency.

We are proud to help keep our clients safe by following the directives in this new bill. The new notary bill helps protect Massachusetts residents from the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining safe social distancing and upholds the standards that Massachusetts divorce mediators and attorneys normally follow.