I'll mention a use for IPEN that isn't a closing, and might not be of interest to a signing service because individuals don't usually hire signing services to find a notary.
More and more states are no longer accepting paper forms. For example, to become a Vermont notary, you must do it on line.
Sometimes the electronic documents one must file with the state need to be notarized. For example, to become a Vermont notary (but not for renewals) one must file a notarized oath/affirmation of office form, and must file it electronically. But Vermont does not currently allow its notaries to do electronic notarization. So how can the form be filed?
Vermont expects its notaries-to-be to print the form on paper, get it notarized, scan the paper, and upload the scan. Of course, this throws away most of the security features of the piece of paper. Wouldn't it be more secure to have the notaries get their oath/affirmation forms electronically notarized, and upload the electronic form without ever printing it?
A huge practical problem of IPEN for filing government forms is that hardly any notaries do IPEN. New Jersey tried to make trash haulers file notarized declarations every year, and this was before RON was widespread. It was a fiasco. (Picture me biting my tongue.)
If in the future both IPEN and RON are readily available, government could require the filing of notarized electronic documents, and disallow the filing of scans of notarized paper documents. Those people who are not eligible for RON, because they don't have a credit history, are not residents of the US, are not yet 18 years old, etc. can still get IPEN by going to a notary and showing their ID (perhaps a foreign passport).
Or in my case, I could just go to the town clerk, say "Hi Nedra", and she would notarize whatever I present based on personal knowledge. |
