Identrust Digital Certificate Overview

Understanding Digital Certificates

A digital certificate is essential for performing Remote Online Notarization (RON). It acts as a digital form of identification, similar to a Driver’s License or Passport. The National Notary Association explains it best in this article.

Why is a Digital Certificate Important?

• Identity Verification: Confirms the Notary’s identity when applying an electronic signature and seal.

• Tamper-Evidence: Ensures that any changes made to the document after notarization are clearly visible.

• Legal Validity: If your digital certificate is invalid, your notarization is also invalid.

Identrust Digital Certificates

Identrust provides two types of digital certificates:

1. Encryption Certificate – Used primarily for encrypting emails, not commonly used for RON.

2. Signing Certificate – Used to authenticate identity and digitally sign notarized documents. The certificate contains:

   • Your Name (Subject Name)

   • Issuer Information (Identrust)

   • Validity Period

   • Date & Time Stamp of Validation

When uploading to NotaryCam, only upload the Signing Certificate. Uploading an Encryption Certificate will cause the document to display an “INVALID” message.

For more FAQs, visit Identrust Support.

Downloading Your Identrust Digital Certificate

Follow along with this video to download your certificate. If you need additional support, reach out to Identrust Support.

Key Considerations When Downloading:

• Create & Store Your Password Securely

  • Password must be 8-30 characters long.

  • Can contain letters, numbers, and some special characters.

  • Avoid using: ( ) \ / " *

  • Case Sensitive: Use both UPPER and lower case.

• Convert Certificate to P12 Format before uploading to NotaryCam.

  • Instructions for this are included in the video walkthrough.

Troubleshooting Certificate Issues in Adobe

Valid Signature but “Validity is Not Known” Message

Your notarized document is still valid. The receiver must follow these steps to trust the signature:

1. Open the document in Adobe PDF Reader (ensure it's updated).

2. Click the Notary’s Seal.

3. Select Signature Properties.

4. Click Show Signer’s Certificate.

5. Go to the Trust tab.

6. Click Add To Trusted Certificates.

7. Acknowledge the message and click OK.

8. Ensure these boxes are checked:

   • Use this certificate as a trust root

   • Certified documents

   • All three boxes below that

9. Click OK.

10. Close the window and click on the Notary’s Seal again.

11. The signature should now appear as valid.

“INVALID” Message in Adobe

If the document appears INVALID, this could be due to:

• Expired Digital Certificate – Renew your certificate with Identrust.

• Incorrect Certificate Uploaded – Ensure you uploaded the Signing Certificate, not the Encryption Certificate.

By following these steps, you can ensure a smooth and valid notarization process every time.