Guide
How to book an online notary appointment in five simple steps
Published
Booking a notary appointment online has never been so easy. Whether it’s a power of attorney, a signature notarisation or a notarial deed: many legal matters still require a visit to a notary. What used to mean an in-person appointment, a journey and often long waiting times can now be handled entirely online: with legal certainty, conveniently and usually within a few days.
More and more people want to book their notary appointment online rather than taking the traditional route of an in-person appointment at a notary’s office. With notarity, it only takes a few minutes. In this article, we show you step by step just how simple the process is.
Why choose online notarisation?
Austria is one of Europe’s pioneers when it comes to digital notarisation. Since 2020, Section 90a of the Austrian Notaries Act (NO) has allowed signatures to be notarised and notarial deeds to be executed by video conference. For private individuals, this means no taking time off work for a notary appointment, no journey to a notary’s office and no waiting for an appointment. An online notarisation can be done conveniently from home.
Booking a notary appointment online: step by step
1. Book a notary appointment online
Visit the notarity platform and choose a suitable appointment with a notary. Upload your documents at the same time – for example a power of attorney to be notarised online, a signature notarisation or any other notarial matter. If you do not have any documents yet, you can also pass them directly to the notary. Free appointments are often available on the same or the next day, without the waiting times typical of traditional notary offices.
2. Create a notarity account
To join your appointment or change your booking details, you need an account on app.notarity.com. It is best to use the same email address you gave when booking. If, for example, you want to have a power of attorney notarised, simply upload the prepared document securely and encrypted via the platform. Important: everyone who signs a document during the appointment needs their own account.
3. Verify your identity online
As soon as your appointment is confirmed, you will be asked to verify your identity. We offer several options for this. Start the verification process via the platform, which will guide you through it step by step.
You will need your passport and a mobile phone.
Depending on the method available to you, verifying your identity takes around five minutes.
4. Join the video call and sign
At the agreed time, you simply meet your notary by video conference, from the comfort of your computer or smartphone. During the call, any open questions are clarified and you go through the document together before you sign it electronically. To sign, you will need your mobile phone for two-factor authentication.
5. Receive your document and complete payment
Immediately after the appointment, your document is notarised and provided with a qualified electronic signature (QES) and a digital seal. This makes it legally equivalent to a traditionally notarised document. Before you can download it, please complete the payment process. You will then receive the document straight away as a digital download and, if you wish, also as a physical copy by post.
👉 Tip: If you want to use the document abroad, you can apply for an apostille online as part of your appointment. The apostille confirms the authenticity of the notarisation in more than 120 countries under the Hague Convention.
Who is an online notary appointment suitable for?
The digital route is suitable for most matters that normally require a notarisation or a notarial deed, for example:
- Powers of attorney for private or business purposes
- Signature notarisations for authorities or banks
- Documents for property transactions or inheritance matters
- Documents to be used abroad
An online notary appointment is also a straightforward alternative for people who live abroad or who cannot attend in person for health reasons or lack of time.
Conclusion: book a notary appointment online in five steps
An online notary appointment via notarity is no compromise compared with the traditional route. It is legally equivalent but saves time and effort. It often takes just a few days from booking the appointment to receiving the fully notarised document – in urgent cases, significantly less.
So the next time you need a notarisation, save yourself the trip to the notary’s office: you can easily book a notary appointment online via notarity and complete the whole process from home.
