The Hawaii remote online notary exam is a written examination, specific to notarizing remotely located individuals, that you may take only after the Attorney General approves your application — and only if you already hold an active notary public commission. The minimum passing score is 80 percent, and each examination costs $10. Your study should center on HAR subchapter 7 (§§5-11-61 to 5-11-73) and HRS §456-23: identity proofing, communication technology standards, electronic seals and digital certificates, and electronic journal and recording retention. Confirm your scheduled examination details with the Notary Public Office before your test date.
What the exam authorizes and who can take it
Passing this exam is one step toward a remote online notary public commission, which Hawaii requires before anyone performs notarial acts for remotely located individuals. You must already hold an active notary public commission to apply.
Hawaii separates ordinary notary work from remote online notarization. Under HAR §5-11-61, no one may perform notarial acts for remotely located individuals — or advertise that they can — without a current remote online notary public commission from the Attorney General.
That commission is an addition, not a replacement. HAR §5-11-62(a) allows only a notary public with an active commission to apply. So your path is: hold a Hawaii notary public commission, apply for the remote online notary commission, pass the remote-specific examination under §5-11-64, and then complete the post-commission filing steps described later in this guide.
If you do not yet have a notary public commission, the base requirements come first: U.S. citizenship or qualifying national or permanent resident status, Hawaii residency, and age 18 or older, followed by the regular notary application, letters, and the general notary examination. The Department of the Attorney General's Notaries Public page describes this track.
One timing rule to internalize early: a remote online notary commission expires on the same date as the underlying notary public commission (HAR §5-11-66). Studying for this exam is a plan for maintaining both credentials on schedule.
Official sources used: Notaries Public – Department of the Attorney General, State of Hawaii — Application requirements, exam schedule, and contact information; Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 5, Chapter 5-11: Notaries Public (compiled February 2022) — Subchapter 3 (Examinations) and Subchapter 7 (Remote Online Notarization)
Exam format, scoring, and subject matter
The remote online notary examination is written, must be passed at 80 percent, and costs $10 per sitting. It tests remote notarization specifically, on top of the general notary law and rules.
HAR §5-11-64 requires every remote online notary applicant to pay the examination fee and pass an examination specific to notarizing remotely located individuals, following the same procedural requirements as the general notary examination in §5-11-32. Those requirements include the scoring floor: the minimum passing score is 80 percent.
The procedural rules in §5-11-32 are worth reading closely because they have real consequences. You take the exam on the date specified in your approval notification. Rescheduling costs $15 more than 48 hours ahead and $20 less than 48 hours ahead; a no-show without advance notice means a new application, updated letters, and a $25 fee. Results arrive in writing within 30 days. If you fail, you may request, pay for, and schedule a reexamination within 14 days; failing twice means waiting 90 days from the last attempt before reapplying.
On subject matter, the general examination tests principles and practices of notarial acts, chapter 456 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, HRS §§502-41 to 502-74, and HAR chapter 5-11 (§5-11-33). The remote exam narrows this to remote online notarization — which means HRS §456-23 and HAR subchapter 7 are your core reading, along with enough general notary law to handle the acts themselves.
Follow the scheduling instructions in your application approval. Confirm the current date, location and examination arrangements with the Notary Public Office at (808) 586-1216.
- Written examination, minimum passing score 80 percent (HAR §§5-11-32, 5-11-64)
- Examination fee: $10 per sitting (HAR §5-11-46)
- Reexamination request within 14 days of a failing result; two failures require a 90-day wait
- Reschedule fees: $15 (more than 48 hours ahead) or $20 (less than 48 hours ahead)
Official sources used: Notaries Public – Department of the Attorney General, State of Hawaii — Application requirements, exam schedule, and contact information; Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 5, Chapter 5-11: Notaries Public (compiled February 2022) — Subchapter 3 (Examinations) and Subchapter 7 (Remote Online Notarization)
Applying for the remote online notary commission
Your application must describe the technology you will use, name your vendors, certify a digital certificate, and confirm compliance — plus the $20 non-refundable fee. After the commission issues, you have 30 days to file with the circuit court clerk.
The application is detailed. Under HAR §5-11-62(b), beyond the standard notary applicant information, you must include your email address and commission number, a description of the communication technologies and devices you intend to use, and the name, address, and website of each vendor supplying them.
You must also describe your data storage method for backing up the electronic journal and audiovisual recordings, certify that you have obtained a digital certificate from a qualified certificate authority or trusted service provider, and state that your named technologies comply with chapter 456, HRS, and HAR chapter 5-11. If you later switch to a different vendor, §5-11-62(c) requires you to notify the Attorney General.
The fee schedule in HAR §5-11-46 lists the application at $20, non-refundable, and issuance of the remote online notary commission at $100; renewal applications are $20 with a $100 renewal fee.
Passing the exam is not the finish line. HAR §5-11-65 requires you, within 30 days of receiving the commission, to file a copy of it with the clerk of the circuit court where you reside and to submit a tangible copy of your electronic seal and electronic signature to the Attorney General. The commission is not in effect, and you may not perform remote online notarization, until both steps are done.
Official sources used: Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 5, Chapter 5-11: Notaries Public (compiled February 2022) — Subchapter 3 (Examinations) and Subchapter 7 (Remote Online Notarization)
Where the notary and signer may be located
You must be physically in Hawaii when performing the remote act. The signer may be elsewhere, subject to the conditions in HRS §456-23.
The remote commission allows communication technology to connect you with the signer; it does not let you exercise Hawaii remote notarial authority while you are outside the state. Check your own location before considering the signer's identity or the platform.
For an individual outside the United States, the manual explains additional conditions: the record must concern a qualifying United States matter, property or transaction, and signing must not be prohibited where the individual is located. Read those conditions in HRS §456-23 before treating an overseas session as permissible.
Official sources used: Hawaii Notary Public Manual, revised April 2023 — Section IV, Remote Online Notaries Public; fee schedules
Identity proofing: the rules you must apply
When you lack satisfactory evidence of a signer's identity, HAR §5-11-69 requires credential analysis plus knowledge-based authentication. Personal knowledge or a credible witness under §5-11-70 are the alternative routes — so the quiz is not always required.
Hawaii gives a remote online notary three ways to identify a remotely located individual, per HRS §456-23 as explained in the Notary Manual: personal knowledge, a credible witness, or satisfactory evidence through two different types of identity proofing. The third route, detailed in HAR §5-11-69, is a multi-factor procedure combining credential analysis with knowledge-based authentication.
Credential analysis is automated validation of the identity document: software checks its security features against fraud or modification and confirms details using issuing-source or authoritative data, while you visually compare the credential's photo and information with the person on screen in real time.
Knowledge-based authentication is the quiz. The signer answers at least five questions about their personal history or identity, each with at least five answer choices, within two minutes, scoring at least 80 percent. On failure, one retake is allowed within 24 hours, with at least 40 percent of the questions replaced; a second failure bars retrying with the same notary for 24 hours. You, the notary, must not be able to see or record the questions or answers.
Do not reflexively run the quiz for everyone. If you personally know the signer through dealings giving reasonable certainty of their identity, or a credible witness who knows the signer appears and you know or verify that witness, §5-11-70 lets you proceed without the two-step process. A credible witness may even appear remotely, as long as all of you can communicate by the session technology.
Work through the quiz rules once with real numbers so the thresholds are automatic:
Practice exercise
You hold an active Hawaii remote online notary commission. A remotely located individual appears for an acknowledgment. You do not personally know her, and no credible witness is available, so you use the two-step route in HAR §5-11-69. Her passport passes credential analysis. (a) At minimum, how many quiz questions must she answer, how many answer choices must each question offer, and within what time? (b) What minimum score passes? (c) She answers 4 of 5 questions correctly in 90 seconds — does she pass? (d) She fails the first attempt. What are her remaining options, and what can you not do during the quiz?
Show the answer
(a) At least five questions, each with at least five answer choices, all answered within two minutes. (b) At least 80 percent correct. (c) Yes — 4 out of 5 equals 80 percent, which meets the minimum, and she finished within the two-minute limit. (d) She may retake the quiz once within 24 hours; the retake must replace at least 40 percent of the prior questions. If she fails again, she cannot retry with you, the same notary, for 24 hours after the second failure. You may not see or record the questions or answers.
Every figure comes from HAR §5-11-69(b)(2). For the five-question quiz in this exercise, the signer can miss one question and still meet the 80 percent floor, since 4/5 is precisely 80 percent — a lower score such as 3/5 (60 percent) would fail. The exercise assumes the stated facts: no personal knowledge and no credible witness, which is what triggers the two-step process. Had either alternative under §5-11-70 been available, the quiz would not have been required at all.
Official sources used: Hawaii Notary Public Manual, revised April 2023 — Section IV, Remote Online Notaries Public; fee schedules; Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 5, Chapter 5-11: Notaries Public (compiled February 2022) — Subchapter 3 (Examinations) and Subchapter 7 (Remote Online Notarization)
Communication technology standards
HAR §5-11-71 lists the standards your technology must satisfy before you notarize remotely, including live audiovisual feeds, tamper-evident records, X.509-compliant PKI, and a full identity restart after any interruption.
You may not perform a remote notarization unless your identified technology meets all of the §5-11-71 standards. The headline items: continuous synchronous audiovisual feeds with enough resolution and audio clarity for live, real-time conversation; captured-image quality sufficient for identity proofing; and access controls so only authorized parties reach the recording.
The standards also protect the record itself. The technology must make any post-completion tampering with the electronic record evident, confirm that the record presented is the same record notarized, support electronic affixing of your seal, signature, and certificate using public key infrastructure from an X.509-compliant provider, and supply a compliant electronic-format journal.
Two rules catch candidates off guard. First, if the signer exits the workflow or the session is interrupted for any reason, identity verification must restart from the beginning. Second, you must immediately stop performing remote notarizations and notify the Attorney General if the technology no longer meets the requirements, the vendor stops providing compliant technology, the vendor fails to protect required information, or any other grounds materially affect compliance.
Official sources used: Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 5, Chapter 5-11: Notaries Public (compiled February 2022) — Subchapter 3 (Examinations) and Subchapter 7 (Remote Online Notarization)
Electronic seal, digital certificate, and stamping device
Your electronic stamping device is a digital certificate meeting the X.509 standard, kept under your sole control. An expired, invalid, or noncompliant certificate stops remote acts until it is fixed.
In addition to your regular rubber stamp seal, HAR §5-11-72 requires one or more electronic stamping devices, each consisting of an X.509-compliant digital certificate. You may not perform a remote act if the certificate has expired, is invalid, fails to comply with §5-11-71, or cannot be authenticated at the time of the act.
When applied to a document, your electronic signature, notarial certificate, and electronic seal must show your name, your commission number, and the words 'notary public' and 'State of Hawaii'. The electronic notarial certificate must follow the applicable certificate forms and indicate that the act was performed using communication technology.
You must obtain the stamping device, electronic signature, electronic seal, and electronic certificate technology from a third-party provider, and safeguard sole control of the seal and device with a password or other secure authentication method.
Plan for the end of the commission too. Upon resignation, revocation, abandonment, or expiration without renewal, you must destroy or disable the electronic stamping device — including any code, disk, certificate, software, or password — and submit a declaration to the Attorney General within 90 days describing when and how you disabled it. Noncompliance can bring a $200 administrative fine.
Official sources used: Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 5, Chapter 5-11: Notaries Public (compiled February 2022) — Subchapter 3 (Examinations) and Subchapter 7 (Remote Online Notarization)
Electronic journal, recording, and retention duties
Keep an electronic journal and a recording of each remote act in protected storage, retain both for ten years after the last act they cover, and know the $25 fee ceiling for remote acts.
Every remote notarial act must be audiovisually recorded, and the recording must be retained for no less than ten years — by you or through a repository — under HRS §456-23 as summarized in the Notary Manual. On top of the tangible journal all notaries keep, HAR §5-11-73 requires an electronic journal and the recordings to be stored so they are protected against unauthorized access by password or cryptographic process, in an industry-standard format the Attorney General can view without extra software.
Take reasonable steps to keep a secure backup, know that the records are subject to audit at any time, and tell the Attorney General where the electronic journal is located if your commission ends. You may contract with a third party as a repository, but the contract must preserve your ability to meet retention requirements or provide for transfer to the Attorney General. Noncompliance can bring fines of $50 to $500.
On fees, HRS §456-17 as presented in the manual sets $25 as the charge for any listed notarial act performed for a remotely located individual (other than affixing a certificate to a duplicate original). Charges for official services must stay within the prescribed fees; overcharging is a violation.
Official sources used: Hawaii Notary Public Manual, revised April 2023 — Section IV, Remote Online Notaries Public; fee schedules; Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 5, Chapter 5-11: Notaries Public (compiled February 2022) — Subchapter 3 (Examinations) and Subchapter 7 (Remote Online Notarization)
Distinctions candidates mix up
The costliest confusions are between the commission exam and the client identity quiz, between the RON commission and the base commission, and between the identity routes — the quiz is one option, not a universal requirement.
Commission exam versus client quiz. The written examination under §5-11-64 tests you, the applicant, on remote notarization law, with an 80 percent passing standard. The knowledge-based quiz under §5-11-69 is a tool your signers complete during sessions. Same 80 percent figure, completely different purpose — do not blend them when answering exam questions about identity proofing.
RON commission versus notary commission. Your remote online notary commission adds authority; it does not replace or outlast the base commission. It expires on the same date (§5-11-66), and timely renewal — a completed application received within 60 days before expiration (§5-11-67) — applies to the remote commission.
Quiz versus alternatives. HAR §5-11-69 applies only when you lack satisfactory evidence of identity. Personal knowledge and the credible-witness route in §5-11-70 are full substitutes, so a fact pattern involving a long-standing client should not push you toward the quiz.
Remember the general prohibited acts too, since remote sessions do not suspend them: never notarize your own signature, act with a conflict of interest, hand a pre-signed certificate to someone else to attach later, or give legal advice unless you are a licensed Hawaii attorney (HAR §5-11-4.5).
Official sources used: Hawaii Notary Public Manual, revised April 2023 — Section IV, Remote Online Notaries Public; fee schedules; Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 5, Chapter 5-11: Notaries Public (compiled February 2022) — Subchapter 3 (Examinations) and Subchapter 7 (Remote Online Notarization)
Preparation priorities and next steps
Read HRS §456-23 and HAR subchapter 7 directly, review the general notary duties they build on, confirm your base commission status, and verify scheduling details with the Notary Public Office before registering.
A focused reading order works well: start with the Attorney General's Notaries Public page for the application pipeline and exam schedule, then read the Notary Manual's Section IV on remote online notaries, then work through HAR §§5-11-61 to 5-11-73 line by line. Because the remote rules assume general notary competence, keep chapter 456, HRS, and the certificate and journal requirements handy as background.
General study advice, clearly labeled as such: drill the numeric thresholds until they are automatic — 80 percent passing on your exam, five quiz questions with five choices in two minutes at 80 percent for signers, 30-day filing windows, and ten-year retention. The exercise above is a model for self-testing on those figures.
Your concrete next steps: confirm your notary public commission is active and note its expiration date; prepare the §5-11-62 application details, including your vendor and digital certificate information; submit the application online with the $20 fee; and, once approved, follow the scheduling instructions in your notification. For anything the published sources leave open — current exam dates, question counts, or time limits — contact the Notary Public Office at (808) 586-1216 or ATG.notary@hawaii.gov.
- Confirm your active notary public commission and its expiration date
- Gather §5-11-62 application items: technology descriptions, vendor details, storage method, digital certificate statement
- Study HRS §456-23 and HAR §§5-11-61 to 5-11-73 from the official sources
- After passing, file with the circuit court clerk and submit your electronic seal and signature within 30 days
Official sources used: Notaries Public – Department of the Attorney General, State of Hawaii — Application requirements, exam schedule, and contact information; Hawaii Notary Public Manual, revised April 2023 — Section IV, Remote Online Notaries Public; fee schedules; Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 5, Chapter 5-11: Notaries Public (compiled February 2022) — Subchapter 3 (Examinations) and Subchapter 7 (Remote Online Notarization)
Official sources used
Exam facts verified against Hawaii official sources: