The Short Answer
Yes, from 19 October 2026, if the notary has a separate permission to notarize online and uses a platform the Supreme Court has approved. You can appear in the same room with a PDF, or by video call. Paper documents signed in ink, wills and depositions cannot be notarized this way. If you are abroad, you must be at a Philippine embassy or consulate.
Example: Liza in Davao and Her Sister in Manila
Names and details in this example are made up.
Liza Bautista lives in Davao City. Her sister Grace in Quezon City is selling a car registered in Liza's name, so Liza needs to sign a Special Power of Attorney for Grace. Flying to Manila would cost Liza a few thousand pesos and a day off work.
Option 1: a notary near her. Liza can still sign the SPA on paper before a notary in Davao City and send the original to Grace by courier. This works everywhere and is what most offices are used to.
Option 2: online (from 19 October 2026). Liza finds a notary who is allowed to notarize electronically. She sends the SPA as a PDF, joins a video call through the approved platform at the set time, shows her ID on camera and signs electronically. The notary adds an electronic signature and a digital seal with a QR code. Grace receives the notarized PDF.
Before choosing option 2, Grace asks the LTO office whether it accepts an electronically notarized SPA, or a printout of one. Some offices are still getting used to them. If the office wants an ink-signed original, Liza uses option 1.
Two Ways to Notarize Electronically
The Supreme Court's Rules on Electronic Notarization (A.M. No. 24-10-14-SC), approved on 4 February 2025, allow:
- In person, with a digital document. You and the notary are in the same place, and the document is a PDF instead of paper.
- Over a video call. You and any witnesses join by video through an online platform the Supreme Court has approved.
Either way, the notary adds an electronic signature and a digital seal with a barcode or QR code anyone can use to check it. See the page on online notarization.
What Cannot Be Notarized Online
- Documents signed in ink on paper. A scan of a paper document can be notarized as a PDF, but you sign electronically.
- Wills.
- Depositions (sworn testimony taken for a court case).
Who Can Do It, and From Where
- Not every notary can do it. A lawyer needs a separate permission to notarize electronically.
- An electronic notary can serve you anywhere in the Philippines. A regular notary can only notarize within their own area; see using a notary from another city.
- If you are abroad, you must be at a Philippine embassy or consulate. Otherwise use the usual routes; see signing documents while abroad.
- The rules on IDs and personal appearance still apply: the notary must see you and check your ID, only over video. See whether the signer must appear.
Before You Choose It
The Supreme Court published the Rules on Electronic Notarization in 2025 and announced on 19 August 2026 that the service opens to the public on 19 October 2026, once the first electronic notaries are commissioned. Until then, notarization is on paper, in person. The IBP (the lawyers' association) runs its own platform, IBP eNotary. Ask the office that will receive the document whether it accepts an electronically notarized one, and ask the notary what it costs. For a paper document notarized in person, see the notary price guide.
eNotaries.ph does not book online notarizations and gets nothing from any platform.
Common Questions
Is a Notarized PDF as Good as a Paper One?
Under the 2025 rules, an electronically notarized document is a notarized document. Whether a particular office accepts it, or a printout of it, is up to that office, so ask first.
Can I Just Send My ID and Signature by Email or Messenger?
No. The notary must see you, live, in person or through an approved video platform. A notary who notarizes from a photo of your ID and signature, without you appearing, breaks the rules.
I Am an OFW in Saudi Arabia. Can I Do It by Video From My Apartment?
No. The rules require a person abroad to be at a Philippine embassy or consulate. From home abroad, use consular notarization or a local notary plus an apostille.
Can I Notarize a Last Will Online?
No. Wills are excluded from electronic notarization. See the guide on making a will.
Not legal advice. This is general information. For advice on your own situation, consult a lawyer. If you cannot afford one, the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) or an IBP legal aid office may help for free.
Government fees, rules and requirements change, so always check with the office concerned before you go. This page explains the general rules; it cannot tell you how they apply to your own family or case. Last reviewed October 9, 2026.