Online notarization by document
Vehicle title and DMV forms: online, paper by video, or in person
Most certificates of title are paper, and a paper title can't be signed on a screen. Some motor vehicle forms are a different story. Here is how to tell which route your paperwork needs.
Starting at $40 per session, online, no travel · quote confirmed before you book · fees
Matthew Coleman, NJ Notary Public and NNA Certified Loan Signing Agent. Cranford, NJ. Fee confirmed before your session. Card charged only after it is complete. We aim to confirm within 15 minutes, 7am to 9pm.
What this document is
A certificate of title is the paper a state issues to show who owns a vehicle. When it changes hands, the seller usually signs an assignment on the title itself, and some states put a notary block there. Around the title sit other forms: odometer statements, bills of sale, powers of attorney for a vehicle, affidavits for a lost or duplicate title, and lienholder releases.
Whether a form needs a notary at all depends on the state that issued it and the agency that will process it. If yours has no notary block and nobody asked for one, ask the agency before paying for a notarization.
Does online notarization usually work for it?
Remote online notarization works on an electronic document: you sign a PDF on screen and the notary applies an electronic seal. That can fit a separate form, such as a vehicle power of attorney or an affidavit, if the agency accepts an electronically notarized copy. It does not put an ink signature on a paper title. For paper, New Jersey law lets a notary notarize a paper record for a signer on video: you sign on camera, sign a short declaration, and send both to the notary within three days. Ask the agency:
- Does this form need to be notarized, and does it have to be the original paper?
- Will you accept an electronically notarized copy of this form, printed or uploaded?
- If the title is from another state, which state's rules apply to the notary block on it?
- Is there a lien on the vehicle, and has the lienholder released it?
Pitfalls to avoid
Writing on the title too early. Don't sign or fill in the title before the session. Ask the agency what happens if a title has a mistake or a correction before anyone writes on it.
The wrong route for paper. Booking an electronic session for a paper title wastes the appointment. Pick remote ink-signed notarization, or an in-person notary, instead.
Odometer and sale details. Mileage, sale price and buyer details should be completed by the parties before the notary block is signed. The notary doesn't fill them in.
Every owner listed. If the title lists two owners joined by 'and', the agency may want both signatures. Ask it, then make sure each owner has ID.
Out-of-state paperwork. A title from another state follows that state's form. Bring the whole title to the session, front and back.
Readiness checklist
- A valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID for each signer. We ask for a current ID for online sessions; if yours has expired, call the desk before you book.
- A computer, tablet or phone with a working camera and microphone.
- A stable internet connection, somewhere quiet enough to hear and be heard.
- The complete document as a PDF, with every page and no blanks, not yet signed.
- A yes from the receiving party that it accepts an electronic notarization.
- Your location: anywhere in the United States is fine. Outside the U.S., the document has to meet New Jersey's conditions (see below).
- The agency's answer on whether it needs the original paper or will take an electronic copy.
- For a paper title: the plan to send the signed original by tracked mail on the day of the session.
Signing from outside the U.S.? New Jersey requires that the record be filed with or relate to a matter before a public official, court, governmental entity or other entity subject to U.S. jurisdiction, or involve property in the U.S. or a transaction substantially connected with the U.S.; and that signing it is not prohibited by the country you are in. See signing from outside the U.S.
How the session works
- Pick the route. Electronic form and an agency that accepts an electronic notarization: book an online session. Paper title or a form that must be inked: ask about remote ink-signed notarization.
- Upload or prepare. For an online session, upload the form as a PDF, unsigned. For paper, keep the original blank until the call.
- Identity steps. Each owner who signs completes the ID check.
- Sign and certificate. On screen for an electronic form; on camera in ink for paper, followed by the declaration and mailing.
- File it. Take or send the completed paperwork to the motor vehicle agency the way it asked.
Your notary is a commissioned New Jersey notary working from New Jersey. The video session is recorded and the recording is kept for at least 10 years, as New Jersey requires.
What it costs
Remote online notarization starts at $40 per session, online, no travel. Your price depends on the number of signers and documents, and the desk confirms it before anything is booked. State notarial fees are listed on the fees page.
Related pages
- Vehicle title notary
- Title transfer in a private sale
- Lost title affidavit
- How remote ink-signed notarization works
- Boat, trailer and motorcycle titles
- Remote online notarization
More online notarization by document and signer
- Power of attorney
- Affidavits and sworn statements
- Real estate documents
- Medical and school consent forms
- Business and corporate documents
- Seniors and their families
Official sources
- N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10 (remote notarial acts), enacted by P.L.2021, c.179, section 19. New Jersey Legislature (checked November 6, 2026)
- N.J.A.C. 17:50-1.13 and 17:50-1.14 (identity documents, remote notarial acts), as published on nj.gov (PRN 2021-103, 53 N.J.R. 1809(a)). NJ Department of the Treasury (checked November 6, 2026)
General information, not legal advice. We notarize; we don't draft or explain documents. Questions about what a document says or which one you need are for your attorney. The office that receives the document decides what it accepts. Updated November 6, 2026.
FAQ
Vehicle title and DMV forms: common questions
Can a car title be notarized online?
A paper title can't be signed electronically, so a fully electronic session doesn't fit it. New Jersey law allows a paper record to be notarized for a signer on video when the signed paper is sent to the notary within three days; that is remote ink-signed notarization. Ask the agency whether it accepts that.
Does a New Jersey title need a notary?
Ask the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Requirements depend on the form and the transaction, and we can't speak for the agency.
Can a vehicle power of attorney be notarized online?
If it is a separate form and the agency accepts an electronically notarized copy, yes. Ask the agency first.
Can you fill in the title for me?
No. The parties complete the title and forms. We notarize; we don't draft or explain documents.
What if I'm selling a car registered in another state?
That state's motor vehicle agency sets the rules for its own title. Ask it what it needs, then pick the route that fits.