Completing a Digital Estate Plan

Virtual Estate Planning

If the idea of signing your will over a video call sounds too simple to be legally sound, this post is for you. Missouri’s remote signing process is more structured — and more secure — than most people expect. Here’s exactly what happens, step by step.

In the first post in this series, we covered what Missouri’s new law permits. Now we’ll walk through the part most people are curious about: the signing ceremony itself. Knowing what to expect removes the uncertainty, and you’ll see that a remote signing leaves a stronger paper trail than the conference-table version it replaces.

First, a Word on the Notary

Not every notary can do this. To conduct a remote signing in Missouri, a notary must register separately as an electronic notary with the Secretary of State, on top of holding a standard commission. That registration requires approved training on Missouri’s remote notarization law, identity verification, and platform compliance. When you work with a firm that handles virtual estate plans, that authorization is already in place — but it’s worth understanding that the person notarizing your will has met a specific, additional legal standard to do so.

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Step One: Verifying Who You Are

Before anyone signs anything, the platform confirms your identity. This happens in two layers:

• Knowledge-based authentication. You answer a short set of questions drawn from public records — past addresses, a former employer, the make of a car you once owned. These are designed to be easy for you and hard for anyone else.
• Credential analysis. You photograph the front and back of a government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license or passport, and the platform’s technology checks it for authenticity.

Only after both checks pass are you connected to the notary, who independently confirms your identity again on camera before proceeding. It’s a higher bar than the quick glance at your ID you’d get at an in-person signing.

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Step Two: The Live Signing Session

Once your identity is confirmed, you join a live, two-way audio-video session with the notary. Everyone can see and hear one another in real time, which is a legal requirement — not just a convenience. During the session, you sign the documents electronically while the notary watches, confirms you’re signing willingly and without pressure, and then applies a tamper-evident electronic seal.

If your documents call for witnesses, they can participate in the same session remotely, observing your signature over the video connection just as they would across a table.

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Step Three: The Record

Here’s the part that often surprises people. The entire session is recorded and stored, and the notary maintains an electronic journal of the act.

That recording becomes part of the evidence that your will was executed properly — an audit trail that is, in many ways, more robust than a traditional wet-ink signing at a conference table, where the only proof is the document itself and the memories of those present.

If the validity of your signing is ever questioned, there is a time-stamped video record of you confirming your identity, signing willingly, and being witnessed. That’s a meaningful safeguard for your family down the road.

What This Means for You

From your side of the screen, the whole process is straightforward: verify your identity, meet your attorney and notary on video, sign, and you’re done — often in a single sitting, without leaving home. Behind that simplicity is a framework built to make the result hold up.

In the next post, we’ll look at the honest tradeoffs of electronic estate planning, including the one storage rule that, if overlooked, can undo all of this.

This post is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change and individual circumstances vary; please consult an attorney about your specific situation.