Remote Authentication
Remote authentication enables the conduct of notarial acts via a video bridge created between the notary and the customer. Such authentication is equivalent to authentication at a notary’s office.
Remote authentication is an opportunity, not an obligation. It is up to the notary to decide, whether a specific transaction can be carried out by using remote authentication.
Subject to agreement with a notary, transactions using remote authentication can be carried out either at a place suited for the customer (e.g. at home) or at an Estonian embassy – in Helsinki, Stockholm, Brussels, Riga and London.
Remote authentication can be used to perform all notarial acts, except certification of contraction of marriage and divorce.
In order to conduct an act by using remote authentication and be given the relevant advice, one should first contact a notary’s office. The contact data of all notaries can be found at www.notar.ee/et/notarid/nimekiri. One can also carry out the required act via the self-service portal of the Chamber of Notaries at iseteenindus.notar.ee (EE). A Republic of Estonia ID card, digital ID, mobile ID, Smart ID or an e-Resident’s digital ID can be used to log in to the portal and to sign documents to be authenticated.
If the intention is to carry out the act by using remote authentication in an Estonian embassy, one of the five embassies can be selected in the self-service portal, by also indicating the desired dates. Based on the data submitted in the application the self-service portal proposes the available times that suit both the notary and the embassy. The times are proposed in accordance with the time zone in which the embassy is located.
Once the time for remote authentication has been set, these steps follow:
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24 hours before the scheduled beginning of the transaction to be conducted by remote authentication, the message „The time of conducting a transaction via remote authentication is approaching” is displayed in the section „My transactions”.
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Before starting to conduct the transaction, the user can confirm their readiness for remote authentication by clicking on the option “I confirm that I am ready for remote authentication” (This option becomes available about 15 minutes before the scheduled beginning of the transaction).
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In order to carry out a transaction using remote authentication at an embassy, the party has to go to the embassy, where the relevant official ascertains the identity of the party. Thereafter the party can use the embassy computer to log in to the self-service portal.
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Upon logging in to the self-service portal, the user can examine the transactions they have under way.
At the time agreed with the customer the notary launches the transaction via video bridge. The notary explains the transaction to be authenticated via the video call, the parties can communicate with the notary and ask questions.
During conducting an act via the video bridge, the parties should be aware of the following:
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In order to examine the data of the act, the notary displays the document on the screen, which can then be studied.
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After the document has been examined, the notary makes it available for the parties so that they can sign it.
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The document can be signed only in the environment for remote authentication; to do so, the parties must click on the option “Sign” and then add their signature.
After the document has been signed by all parties, the notary signs the document as well, thus bringing the process of remote authentication to an end and the document becomes available for the parties via the self-service portal.
The notary fee for conducting an act by using remote authentication is 24 euros (includes VAT).
The following file contains detailed instructions on how to use remote authentication to conduct acts:
Customer Guidelines for Remote Authentication (PDF)
FACIAL RECOGNITION
The Veriff Facial Recognition Programme is used to identify parties conducting notarial acts using remote authentication.
About 15 minutes before the scheduled time of the transaction, when the customer logs in to the self-service portal, they can confirm their readiness for remote authentication by clicking on the option “I confirm that I am ready for remote authentication”. This is followed by the option „COMMENCE FACIAL RECOGNITION“. A click on this message refers the user to the Veriff web page.
The Veriff web page is displayed in the language that the customer used in the self-service portal, but the language can be changed, if need be. Thereafter facial recognition can start.
First, the customer has to choose the state issuing the identity document (Estonia) and the type of the identity document to be used as a basis for facial recognition. After selecting the type of document, the customer has to follow the instructions of the programme and make photos by using a web camera. The original of the document must be presented for the purposes of facial recognition, printed copies or photos of the document are not allowed.
NB! If the customer has logged in to the self-service portal by using an ID card, it can be removed from the card reader for the duration of facial recognition and used as the document for identification purposes.
Once all the necessary steps have been taken, the programme notifies the customer of the commencement of verification. Then the customer is referred back to the self-service portal to wait for the results of facial recognition. While waiting, the customer may not leave the self-service portal, otherwise the facial recognition process is terminated. Should facial recognition fail, the reason is displayed and by clicking on the option „COMMENCE FACIAL RECOGNITION“, the process can be repeated. Upon successful facial recognition the information is sent to the notary and remote authentication can commence.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Which web browser should be used for the self-service portal?
The following web browsers support the self-service portal, provided that the ID card software has been installed and its use permitted: Google Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge, (Internet Explorer and Safari cannot be used).
Which devices can be used for conducting transactions with remote authentication?
It is possible to use a desktop or laptop computer equipped with a web camera, with the microphone and sound functions switched on.
What kind of internet connection is needed for participating in a transaction with remote authentication?
In order to create a stable internet connection for carrying out a transaction with remote authentication, a cable internet connection speed of 30Mbit/s and uploading speed of 15Mbit/s is required. If remote authentication is carried out via video bridge, the computer should not be in a network protected by a firewall; the remote authentication video server at irbis.rik.ee (213.184.54.164) requires connectivity over the TCP and UDP port range of 1024 to 65535 in both directions. Firewall must be configured to allow these connections.
What if it is not possible to create a video bridge upon remote authentication?
If the video bridge fails (the video image is black), you should try refreshing the web browser by clicking the „Refresh” button on the screen or pressing F5 on the keyboard. If there is no sound or your own video image is not visible, you should check the settings of the web browser to see if access to the microphone and camera is allowed. The privacy settings of the operating system ought to be checked as well to make sure that the applications have been granted permission to use them.
How is a contract signed in a transaction with remote authentication?
In order to sign a contract, the „Sign” button must be clicked in the self-service portal. The contract can be signed by using the Estonian ID card, digital ID, mobile ID, Residence permit card or an e-Resident’s digital ID. The ID card plugin must be installed in the web browser in order to use the ID card for signing.
How to install or enable the ID card plugin:
