Which state officially rolled out remote online notarization first? I’m pretty sure the go-live was 2012, but I always mix up whether the bill passed the year before.
Virginia — passed in 2011, went live ‘July 1, 2012’; I double-check by pulling the session law instead of just the code annotations — were you thinking of HB 2318/SB 827?
It was Virginia, with the actual go‑live on July 1, 2012. @mape500 is right about pulling the session law — HB 2318 says “effective July 1, 2012,” but , early VA RON didn’t add KBA/credential analysis until later, which is why the 2011 vs. 2012 dates get mixed up. If you want to double-check, look at the effective-date note in the Acts of Assembly for HB 2318/SB 827.
Virginia, and the wrinkle is that their RON was layered on top of the older e‑notary program — same family, different birthday. One concrete tell: the rules required a live audio‑video recording kept by the notary for at least 5 years while the signer could be anywhere but the notary had to be in VA; see Title 47.1: Code of Virginia - Title 47.1. Notaries and Out-of-State Commissioners. Maybe you’re thinking of the 2008 e‑notary rollout instead.