Online notarization in Little Rock, AR

Arkansas at a glance

Online notarization legal since

April 29, 2021 — Act 1047 of 2021 (SB340) took effect on the date of the Governor's approval per its emergency clause, adding the online-notarization sections to the existing Electronic Notary Public Act

Source: Act 1047 of 2021 (SB340), § 10 (Emergency Clause); § 6 (Approval line)

Governing law

Ark. Code Ann. §§ 21-14-301 to 21-14-314 (Arkansas Electronic Notary Public Act), with the online-notarization provisions at §§ 21-14-309 to 21-14-313; the Secretary of State may adopt rules under § 21-14-314.

Source: Ark. Code Ann. §§ 21-14-301–314; § 21-14-314 (Rules)

Notary authorization for online acts

Must already be a commissioned AR notary in good standing, then register with the Secretary of State as an electronic/online notary (application, felony attestation, $20 filing fee), pass SOS-approved training and exam, and use an approved solution provider

Source: Ark. Code Ann. § 21-14-304(a)–(b)

Notary fee cap for an online act

No fixed statutory dollar cap for a notarial act, online included; the fee just has to be a reasonable amount the notary sets and that the client or principal discloses to and agrees on before the act

Source: Ark. Code Ann. § 21-6-309(a)

Identity verification

Notary's personal knowledge of the signer, or satisfactory evidence from a credible witness, or (together) remote presentation of a government-issued photo ID, credential analysis, and identity proofing

Source: Ark. Code Ann. § 21-14-309(b)(2)

Signer location

The online notary must be physically in Arkansas, but the signer may be anywhere, including outside the U.S.; for a signer outside the U.S., the record must tie to a U.S. court/official/property/transaction and the act must not be barred by that foreign state's law

Source: Ark. Code Ann. § 21-14-309(a)(1), (3), (4)

Journal and recording retention

The electronic notary who performed the act keeps a secure electronic record (including the audio-visual recording) plus a backup, retained for at least 5 years after the transaction

Source: Ark. Code Ann. § 21-14-310(a), (c)

Document classes excluded from online notarization

None named in Ark. Code Ann. §§ 21-14-301–314 (Electronic Notary Public Act) as read — no wills, trusts, or real-property carve-out found in the online-notarization sections

Source: Ark. Code Ann. §§ 21-14-301–314 (Electronic Notary Public Act)

Reviewed 2026-08-31