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Meet Secretary Jacobsen
Christi Jacobsen was elected as Montana’s Secretary of State. Secretary Jacobsen’s career spans 20 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Carroll College and Master’s of Public Administration from the University of Montana. Jacobsen and her husband, Eric, are native Montanans and raised their five children in Montana. Jacobsen is pro-business and looks forward to serving the Notaries of Montana.
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Online Filing System
Over a year ago, the Montana Secretary of State’s Office notary division converted from a paper, mail-in process to the online filing system. Customer reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Instead of days or weeks in the previous paper filings, notaries receive their certificate within 1-2 hours of online submission. Notary filings, renewal applications, name changes and any updates can now be complete within minutes and the system is available 24/7. “The system is really easy to use,” stated Notary Program Specialist Lori Hamm. “The key to a successful submission is to simply follow all the steps and directions we provide on our website at Applying for a Commission (New and Renewal) – Montana Secretary of State – Christi Jacobsen (sosmt.gov).”
We are proud to welcome and congratulate more than 3,000 successful notary applicants who received a commission as a Notary Public for the State of Montana in 2020. You provide an important service to thousands of your fellow citizens every day. We appreciate your service.
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Website Tour
Have you had a chance to visit the virtual SOS Notary & Certification Division lately? We have a brand-new look and new content to help you find the information you need. The menu for the Notary & Certification Division is designed to route visitors to the appropriate section of our website quickly.
Be sure to check out the “Motor Vehicle Titles” section where you can find answers to all your questions about notarizing Montana motor vehicle titles, and specific forms you may need from time to time. The other sections, “Apostilles & Authentications,” “Find A Notary,” “Notary Division Forms,” and “Items of Interest,” contain important information relevant to those topics.
The website is available anytime, from anywhere, and on any device. Familiarizing yourself with the content and format now will make it much easier to use when questions and issues arise. We invite you to check it out, look around and bookmark the pages that apply to the kind of notary work you perform. And if you have suggestions about how we can make it better and more useful for you, let us know at sosnotary@mt.gov.
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WIN A MONTANA PRIVACY JOURNAL!
The first person who sends a screenshot to sosnotary@mt.gov of the table of states that do not require their titles to be notarized, will win a Montana Privacy Journal published by the Montana Land Title Association Foundation.
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Technology Based Notarization and COVID
Two years ago, when HB370 was introduced in the Montana Legislature, no one had any idea how dramatically technology-based notarizations would be needed as a result of the world-wide pandemic. Although the mortgage industry was committed to promoting Remote Online Notarizations (RON) for loan closings, most other industries were more reluctant to embrace the technological advances and benefits offered by online notarizations. In September 2019, the Montana RON Symposium generated a great deal of interest, but most attendees felt that actual implementation of the concept was years away. Fast forward to April 2020. Suddenly, the need for “personal appearance by means of communication technology” became critical to complete the notarizations for thousands of documents essential to a myriad of business and real-life transactions. The demand for RON and Remote notarizations skyrocketed, and notaries were scrambling to understand how to deliver notarial services via the internet and the secure notary platforms. Fortunately, Montana’s remote notary laws were in place and ready to address the new environment.
The Montana Notary & Certification Division worked with the National Notary Association and the approved RON platform providers to assure that Montana notaries could obtain the necessary training in the laws, rules, ethics, and use of RON and Remote notarization platforms as quickly as possible. In less than six weeks, over 110 Montana notaries became RON/Remote qualified, ready to respond to these new circumstances.
Becoming a RON or Remote notary requires that you hold a current commission and complete the approved RON Training that is linked from our website. If you are interested in taking your notary skills to a new level, more information can be found at Technology Based Notarization: Remote, R.O.N., IPEN – Montana Secretary of State – Christi Jacobsen (sosmt.gov).
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The Mission of the Office of the Secretary of State is to protect the integrity of elections, be an asset to businesses and preserve official history.
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