How Americans living abroad get US documents notarized

If you're an American living outside the United States, you already know that US paperwork doesn't stop just because you moved. A property back home needs to be sold. A parent passes away and you're named executor of their estate. A business deal requires a notarized authorization. Your visa application needs a notarized affidavit by end of week.

The traditional options — flying home or booking an embassy appointment — are expensive, slow, and often impossible on the timelines that matter. Remote online notarization exists precisely for this situation.

What used to require a trip home

For most Americans abroad, US notarization meant one of three things: scheduling an appointment at a US Embassy or consulate (weeks out, limited availability, not every document type accepted), finding a local notary and hoping the document would be accepted by US institutions (it often isn't), or flying home.

None of these options fit the reality of managing US affairs from abroad — where documents are time-sensitive, appointment windows are narrow, and the cost of a rejected notarization is measured in months of delay.

How remote online notarization works from abroad

A remote online notarization session with EDN requires nothing more than a device with a camera and a stable internet connection. You join a secure video call, present a valid US government-issued ID, review and sign your documents on screen, and receive the notarized result — legally executed under Washington State RON law, valid for use with US courts, financial institutions, and government agencies.

The session fits around your time zone. EDN accommodates clients in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and beyond. If you're in Singapore and your closing is in Seattle, we make the session work for both.

Documents commonly needed by Americans abroad

• Real estate transactions — selling or refinancing US property while living overseas
• Estate and probate documents — executing a will, acting as executor, or handling trust documents for a US estate
• Power of attorney — authorizing someone stateside to act on your behalf for financial, legal, or property matters
• Affidavits and statutory declarations — for immigration, visa applications, or legal proceedings
• Corporate and business documents — authorizations, resolutions, and contracts requiring notarization for US entities
• Apostille preparation — documents destined for use in a foreign country that require both US notarization and apostille authentication

No embassy. No flight. No waiting room.

Embassy notarizations are limited in scope, and consular officers are not the same as commissioned notaries — the document types they'll notarize are restricted, and their availability is constrained by diplomatic staffing and appointment backlogs.

EDN's commissioned notary, Gieselia Baker, handles the full range of document types that Americans abroad commonly need — with the professional experience and legal standing to execute them properly the first time. There's no document rejection because the notary wasn't familiar with the format. There's no appointment that gets cancelled two weeks out.

There's a video call, a verified session, and a completed document — from wherever you are in the world.

When your US documents can't wait

Whether you've been abroad for two years or twenty, US document requirements move on their own timeline. Remote online notarization means you're ready when they do.

Book a session — we'll coordinate around your time zone.