RON vs RIN

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• RIN is remote ink notarization, with wet signature and mailed document
• RIN is less secure than RON since document can be altered before notarized
• RIN takes longer than RON with mailing and delays between signing/notarizing

At this point you may be familiar with RON, remote online notarization, but is the term RIN new to you? RIN stands for remote ink notarization and like RON, it's helpful in keeping the notarization process completely remote.

What is RIN?:

Like RON, Remote ink notarization transactions allow signings to take place remotely with both the signer and notary in separate locations. However, unlike RON, with RIN the signer completes a "wet signature" while the notary witnesses the signing over a video feed. A wet signature, in case you're wondering, is the typical pen on paper signature. After the document has been signed, the signer then mails that document to the notary. Once the notary receives the document they then add their notarial seal to the document.

The Negatives Of RIN compared to RON:

Here's where it gets tricky. One of the benefits of remote online notarization is that it is more secure than in-person notarization. We use PKI so that once the document is notarized and finalized, it ensures the document cannot be altered with. With RIN, there's no way to prove that the document has not been altered between the time it's been signed and the time it' been notarized. By the time the notary gets the signed document, it's way less secure. There are too many rotating factors that keep the RIN document from being altered at any point.

Having all these extra steps just makes the notarization process even longer. A key benefit of online notarization is that we have notaries available at all times so the process from start to finish only takes a few minutes. With RIN, the entire time frame from when you sign the document to when the notary signs the document could take several days to weeks.

While RIN seems like it could be good if you want to notarize a document from a distance while still using the old fashioned way of pen and paper, you'll have to compromise. Unlike RON, which is becoming the new normal and being legalized in new states all the time, RIN is only a temporary solution.

Online notarization is the future. Everyday more technologies are coming out to ensure that it's more secure and safe. Embrace the convenience that is online notarization.