Texas Secretary of State Proposes Remote Online Notarization Regulation

May 29, 2018

The Texas Secretary of State issued proposed regulations to implement its law on the use of remote online notarization (RON) in real estate transactions in Texas. The proposed rules set minimum standards for credential analysis to help online notaries determine the validity of a driver's license or passport used to prove a signer's identity.

The law goes into effect July 1, 2018.

The regulations were a central part of Texas's authorization law and is similar to the requirements of the MBA-ALTA model bill. Additionally, the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO) is working on draft standards to help states. These are also the first rules proposed by a state since the February release of model RON standards by the National Association of Secretaries of State.

The deadline for industry comments is June 3.


Contact ALTA at 202-296-3671 or [email protected].