Maine · 4 M.R.S. §1915Maine remote online notarization: the identity rules, the recording and the certificate

Maine follows the uniform notarial act model for remotely located individuals. A notary located in Maine may perform a notarial act using communication technology – simultaneous sight and sound – for an individual who isn't physically present if the notary has personal knowledge of the individual's identity, satisfactory evidence from a credible witness, or satisfactory evidence from at least two different types of identity proofing; can reasonably confirm the record is the same one the individual signed; and creates an audiovisual recording of the act (4 M.R.S. §1915). For a signer outside the United States, the record must relate to a matter before a U.S. court or government entity, or involve property in the United States or a transaction substantially connected with it, and signing must not be prohibited where the signer is. The certificate must indicate that the act was performed using communication technology, the recording must be kept at least ten years unless a rule sets a different period, and before the first such act the notary must notify the state and identify the technologies used. Maine also allows a paper record that isn't in front of the notarial officer: the signer signs the record and a declaration during the recording and sends both within four days – one day more than the uniform act – and the officer then completes the certificate; the act is effective on the date the declaration was signed (4 M.R.S. §1915(5)–(6)). Maine excludes election-related acts, such as absentee ballots and petition circulators (§1915(16)), and a marriage can't be solemnized remotely (§1915(17)).