Notarizing documents
Note:
PandaDoc Notary is available in the United States only.Availability: Business* and Enterprise plans
* - feature is available on the Business plan as a paid add-on.
To add PandaDoc Notary to your account, please reach out to your Account Manager or request a demo here.
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How to start your Notary session
Learn more about troubleshooting steps here.
Found out more here about how to prepare for a Notary session.
On the top right, go to the App Switcher by clicking on the dial pad icon and clicking Notary. To start the session select Start session now, set up your camera and microphone, and join the session.
Setting up your webcam and microphone
First, ensure that you have given your browser access to the camera. You will find this icon at the top right in Google Chrome > click “Continue Allowing”. The system should automatically recognize your audio and video devices. However, if you are unable to see yourself, you can click the ‘gear’ icon and ensure that you have selected the correct output devices.
Depending on which browser you’re using, follow one of these links to set up your camera and microphone:
Setting up your camera and microphone on Android and iOS
- Go to Settings > Safari
- Scroll to Camera or Microphone
- Tap on the setting and allow the access to camera/microphone on all websites.
- Go to Settings > Privacy
- Tap on Camera or Microphone to see which apps have access to it
- Allow Safari to have access to the camera/microphone.
- Open Chrome > go to More on the right of the address bar and choose Settings
- Select Site settings > tap Camera or Microphone
- Tap to turn the microphone or camera on or off.
- If you see the site you want to use under Blocked, tap the site > select Access your microphone and Allow.
Alternatively, you can allow a camera and microphone for Chome in your device settings:
- Open Settings and go to Apps
- Select Chrome > Permissions
- Find a Camera or Microphone
- To change a permission setting, tap it and choose Allow.
How to identify your signers
There are two options for signers to verify their identity:
- KBA + ID Check
- ID Check + Face Recognition
First, select the default verification method for your Notary sessions. Go to the Profile section in the left panel. Scroll down to 'Verification' and choose your preferred identity verification method. By default, the KBA + ID check option is enabled. Select Save verification settings once done.
To start the identity verification process, click the green Start Signing button. From the menu, you can select the specific signer you want to identify. Click Verify ID to proceed. In the drop-down menu, you can choose Start Verification Process to initiate the Knowledge-Based or Biometric Authentication and Credential Analysis.
Note:
Signers with valid US Government ID and SSN (with 2 years of history) can participate in the notarization process. They must enter their first and last names as mentioned in their document; otherwise, a verification error occurs.Here is what your signers will see:
After they successfully have identified themselves, they will begin the credential analysis.
If the signer leaves session, you will see a message "Looks like this signer is not present. Please try again once s/he is back". Click on Verify identity again when the signer rejoins.
Now, as the Notary, you can view the results of the identity verification by clicking on the three dots, and clicking View Identification.
Signers matching process
- Click on the Participants icon > Verify identity
- Choose I know that person or Start identity verification
- In the pop-up window, select the needed email from the drop-down menu > Continue
Inviting participants during a notary session
In case you need to invite a participant or a signer to a session, click on +Invite others to this session icon at the top right and copy the invitation link. You can invite as many participants as you need.
How to edit the document during the session
To edit a document during the session, switch to edit mode by selecting the pen icon at the bottom menu, edit the document and click on the pen icon again to return to view mode.
How to begin the signing process
To prompt your signers to begin signing the document, click Invite to Sign.Note:
Once the signing process has begun, there is no option to edit the document.After they have signed, you can click Start Signing and click Finish at the bottom once you place your signature and stamp. You have both now signed, and you will see 'Woo hoo! Notarized' message at the right top of your screen.
How to restart a session
When something goes wrong, you can easily restart a session. After the restart, session participants will see the same document and previously inserted into fields information will be saved (only signature and initials fields will be cleared).
To restart a session click the red phone icon at the lower right and select Restart session.
How to end a live session
Once you and your signers have signed the document, it is time to close the session. Do so by clicking the red telephone icon > Leave and end the session.
If you accidentally ended the session (or it was ended due to the issues) and the document wasn't signed, click on Restart the session. The previous session will be terminated and the new one will be created. The new session will have the same participants and all of them will get an email notification to join the new session. The document will keep all the fields — no need to create it from the scratch. If the document was signed by any of the participants, the fields will be cleared.