Appearance
Managing Sessions
Incoming booking requests
When a client books a session with you, you will receive an in-app notification and email. The booking is initially in Awaiting Notary status.
To accept or decline:
- Go to Dashboard → Sessions.
- Open the incoming request.
- Review the client details, document summary, and scheduled time.
- Click Accept or Decline (provide a reason if declining).
Once accepted, the client is prompted to complete payment. The session moves to Confirmed status.
Before the session
- Open the session under Dashboard → Sessions → [Session Name].
- Click Review to open the document review panel — this shows all documents attached to the appointment, including notarisation documents and identity documents the client has submitted.
- Check the client's KYC status — the platform shows whether each participant is verified, unverified, or pending.
- If a document has an issue before the session starts, raise a flag (see Document Flags below).
KYC protects your practice — treat it seriously
Requiring identity verification before admitting a participant is not merely a platform formality. It is your primary defence against fraud, document abuse, and impersonation — risks that, if they materialise, fall on your professional record and reputation as a commissioned notary public. A notarial act performed on the basis of a false identity is potentially void and could expose you to disciplinary action or civil liability.
Always require completed KYC before admitting a client or witness. The platform enforces this by default.
If you choose to admit a participant without a completed digital verification — for example, during a confirmed provider outage — you must verify their identity manually and rigorously on camera (hold ID to camera, confirm name and details verbally). Your decision to waive digital KYC and the reason you provide are permanently recorded in the session audit trail, appear on the notarial certificate, and are available for inspection by the Notarise It© compliance team and any competent authority. Exercise this discretion only when genuinely necessary, and document your reason clearly.
Reviewing documents before the session
The Review panel
Click Review on any upcoming appointment to open the document review panel. All documents appear in a single unified list:
| Document type | Visual indicator | Actions available |
|---|---|---|
| Notarisation document | Blue file icon | View, Mark Reviewed, Flag |
| Identity / verification document | Indigo shield icon + ID Doc badge | View, Flag |
A review progress bar at the top shows how many notarisation documents you have reviewed.
AI document review
Every document is scanned automatically by the platform's AI review engine as soon as it is uploaded. The result appears as a status badge on each document row in the review panel — you do not need to trigger it manually.
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Clear (green) | No issues found |
| Warnings (amber) | Non-blocking issues — review the details and proceed at your discretion |
| Blocked (red) | A serious issue has been flagged — resolve before signing |
All notaries — including Access tier — see the full issue breakdown, summary, and suggestions for every flagged document.
Two tiers of AI review
Tier 1 — Standard review (automatic, all notaries)
Runs immediately when the client uploads a document. Uses a lightweight model optimised for speed. The result is ready before you open the review panel — no waiting, no action needed from you.
Tier 2 — Deep review (manual, all notaries, credit-limited on Access)
A more thorough analysis using a higher-capability model. To trigger it:
- Open any document in the review panel.
- Click Run Deep Review in the AI review panel at the top of the viewer.
- The result appears within a few seconds, alongside the standard review, so you can compare both.
Deep reviews consume credits:
| Plan | Deep review credits |
|---|---|
| Access | Limited per month (shown in the panel) |
| Pro / Elite / Enterprise | Unlimited |
Your remaining credit balance for the current month is shown next to the Run Deep Review button. Once the monthly limit is reached on Access, the button is disabled until the next calendar month.
Overriding a blocked document
If a document is blocked and — after reviewing it professionally — you are satisfied it is fit for notarisation, click Override beneath the issue list and enter a written justification (minimum 10 characters). The override and your reason are permanently recorded in the session audit trail and the notarial certificate.
Override with care
An override is a professional judgement call. It is logged, timestamped, and available for inspection by the Notarise It© compliance team and any competent authority. Use it only when you have personally reviewed the document and have a substantive reason to disagree with the AI's assessment.
In-session batch deep review
During a live session, the notary sidebar shows an AI Review All button (telescope icon). Clicking it runs a deep review on every document in the session simultaneously. This costs 1 credit, regardless of how many documents are in the session.
Results appear per document in the sidebar immediately — status, summary, and issue counts — so you can identify any concerns before asking the client to sign.
Reviewing a notarisation document
- Click the document row to open the built-in viewer.
- Read through the document using the page navigation and zoom controls.
- Review any AI flags (amber or red badges) in the panel on the right.
- Click Mark Reviewed once satisfied.
Reviewing an identity document
- Click the identity document row (marked with a shield icon and ID Doc badge).
- The viewer opens in view-only mode.
- Verify the document is genuine, readable, and matches the client you are expecting.
Flagging a document
You can flag both notarisation documents and identity documents if the client needs to take action.
To raise a flag
- Click the document row to open the viewer.
- In the right-hand panel, click Flag this document for client action.
- Describe the issue clearly (e.g. "Page 3 is missing" or "Passport photo is too blurry").
- Click Send flag to client.
The client receives an in-app notification and email. After they re-upload, you receive a notification and can review the new version, then click Mark resolved.
Flag identity documents early
If you need a clearer identity document, flag it as early as possible — ideally the day before. Clients need time to re-upload.
Starting the session
Confirm jurisdiction
When you click Start Session, a Confirm Jurisdiction dialog appears. Complete it before entering the video room:
Location scenario — choose one:
- Same State — you and the client are in the same Nigerian state
- Different States — you and the client are in different Nigerian states (an A/V clause is added to the certificate)
- Outside Nigeria — at least one party is outside Nigeria (an A/V clause is added to the certificate)
Your state — select your current state from the dropdown (all 37 Nigerian states and the FCT are listed).
Client's location — select the client's Nigerian state from the dropdown. If the client is outside Nigeria, choose Outside Nigeria at the bottom of the list — a text field appears where you can enter the country or location (e.g. "United Kingdom" or "Dubai, UAE").
Click Start Session to open the video room.
The pre-join screen (lobby)
Before you enter the session, you will see the pre-join screen with:
- Camera preview — confirm you are visible and well-lit
- Device selectors — choose your camera, microphone, and speaker
- Microphone level bar — speak and watch the bars animate to confirm your mic is working
- Test speaker button — plays three short tones to verify your speaker is working
- Waiting room panel (right side) — shows participants who have joined and are waiting to be admitted
Admitting participants
The waiting room lists everyone waiting to enter, along with their KYC status badge (Verified, Pending, or Failed). For each participant:
- Click Admit to let them in individually
- Click Admit all at the top to admit everyone at once
You can join the video room before any participants arrive and wait inside.
The video session
Your in-session toolbar
The control bar at the bottom of the screen contains:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Camera icon | Turn your camera on or off |
| Microphone icon | Mute or unmute yourself |
| Screen share icon | Share your screen (desktop only — see below) |
| Switch camera ⟺ | Switch front/rear camera (phones only) |
| Chat bubble icon | Open or close the in-session chat |
| Pause (⏸) | Pause the session — shows a full-screen overlay to all participants; resume with the ▶ Resume Session button (notary only) |
| Record button (●/■) | Recording starts automatically — button shows status |
| Red phone icon | End session / leave |
Connection quality and session timer
In the header bar:
| Indicator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green dot | Good connection |
| Amber dot (pulsing) | Poor connection — consider asking participants to move closer to Wi-Fi |
| Red dot + "Weak signal" | Very poor — connection may be unstable |
Session timer (e.g. 00:23:47) | Time elapsed since you joined |
| Amber pulsing timer | 5 minutes remaining in the scheduled slot |
A toast notification also appears when 5 minutes remain, visible to all participants.
Active speaker
The participant who is currently speaking is highlighted with a pulsing green ring around their video tile. Your own tile has a blue ring.
Recording
Recording starts automatically when you join the session. A red REC indicator appears in the header. You do not need to start it manually.
What is recorded
The session video (all participant camera feeds) is recorded and stored securely on the platform for 7 years. Participants are shown a notice when they join.
Screen sharing and the recording composite
After joining, you will see a prompt:
"Recording is active. Share your screen to include the document view in the recording."
Click Share your screen in the prompt (or use the screen share button in the toolbar) and select the browser window showing the document. This ensures the document and signing activity appear in the recording alongside the participant video feeds.
Screen sharing is available on desktop browsers only. On mobile, this option is hidden.
In-session chat
You can open a text chat to communicate with all participants during the session.
Opening the chat
- Click the chat bubble icon in the toolbar.
- A chat panel slides up from the bottom right of the screen.
- All participants see a notice: "This chat is monitored and recorded as part of the notarisation audit trail."
- Type your message and press Enter or click Send.
All messages are stored permanently as part of the session audit trail. Participants can read and reply while the chat is open.
Closing the chat
Click the ✕ button in the chat panel header. The chat window closes for all participants. The message history remains in the audit trail.
Chat is notary-controlled
Only you can open or close the chat. Participants cannot initiate a chat session themselves.
Removing a participant
If a person who should not be in the session has somehow joined, you can remove them:
- In the Participants list (right sidebar), find the person.
- Click the remove icon (person with a minus sign) next to their name.
- Confirm the action.
The participant is immediately ejected from the video room. This action is logged in the audit trail.
Controlling documents during the session
From the session panel (right sidebar):
- Open a document for signing — click the document name, then click Open for signing. The document and its signing fields appear for all participants.
- Switch to a different document — click another document in the list and open it.
- Raise a flag mid-session — click the document name, then click Flag Document. Describe the issue and send it. The client receives an in-app notification and email.
Completing the session
- Once all documents are signed and you are satisfied, click Complete Session.
- Confirm the notarial declaration when prompted.
- The platform generates the certificate, emails all parties, and creates your journal entry automatically.
Completion requires client confirmation
Before you can complete the session, click Request Client Confirmation in the session panel. The client must tick a confirmation box indicating they are satisfied with their signed fields. The Complete button becomes active once they have confirmed.
Express Document Delivery
If a client needs a physically delivered copy of their notarised document — for example, for a court filing or a bank that requires a hard copy — you can arrange this during the session.
How it works
- During the live session, click Express Delivery in the session panel (notary view only).
- A panel opens showing the delivery recipients for this session.
- For each recipient, click Request Consent — the client immediately sees a pop-up in their session screen asking them to approve or decline delivery to that address.
- Once the client approves, delivery is confirmed. The status updates to Approved in your panel.
- If the client declines, the status shows Declined — no delivery is arranged.
Delivery is fulfilled by the platform's courier partner and sent automatically when the session is completed.
Consent is required
A client's explicit in-session approval is mandatory before any physical delivery is arranged. You cannot arrange delivery without it — the platform enforces this.
If the connection drops
A participant drops
When a client or witness loses their connection mid-session, an amber banner appears at the top of your screen:
"[Name]'s connection was lost — waiting for them to reconnect. Session closes in 14:32."
A 15-minute countdown gives the participant time to rejoin. All signing progress is preserved — any fields they had already signed remain saved. When they reconnect, the banner clears automatically and a toast confirms they are back.
If the countdown reaches zero without a reconnect, the banner turns red and prompts you to reschedule.
Document actions during a drop
You can continue working on the session while waiting — opening documents, reviewing fields, or communicating in chat. You do not need to wait idle.
You lose your connection
A red banner appears on your screen:
"Connection lost — Rejoin now"
Click it to reconnect. The platform attempts one automatic reconnect first; if that fails, the banner gives you a manual Rejoin now button. All session state and signing progress are preserved.
If you cannot reconnect, click View session details to reschedule from the session page.
Pausing the session
If you need to step away briefly — or the connection is too unstable to continue — use the Pause button (⏸) in the video controls bar. This:
- Shows a full-screen "Session Paused" overlay to all participants.
- Keeps the session and all signing progress intact.
- Gives you a Resume button to restart when ready.
Participants cannot take any actions while the session is paused.
Personal performance requirement
As a notary public, you are required by law to personally perform every notarial act you undertake — from the start of a session to its completion. This obligation is set out in the Notaries Public Professional Practice Regulations 2026 and is not a platform policy.
What this means in practice:
- Once you click Start Session and the session moves to In Progress, that session is bound to you as the performing notary.
- No other notary — including a colleague in your organisation — can take over a live session from you.
- The platform enforces this: a session that is In Progress cannot be reassigned by anyone, including org administrators.
If you become unavailable before the session starts: Contact your org admin as early as possible. Org admins can reassign upcoming appointments (Confirmed or Scheduled) to another member notary before a session starts. Once a session is underway, this option is no longer available.
If something goes wrong mid-session: Use the Pause button (⏸) in the video controls to pause the session and attempt to resolve the issue. If you genuinely cannot continue, cancel the session from within the video room — the platform will search for a replacement notary or issue the client a full refund.
One notary, one session — always
A notarial act conducted or completed by a different person than the one whose name appears on the certificate is potentially void and could expose you and your practice to professional discipline and civil liability. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Rescheduling
To propose a new time:
- Go to Dashboard → Sessions → [Session] → Reschedule.
- Select a new available slot from your calendar.
- The client is notified and must confirm the new time.
Rescheduling is not permitted within the locked window before a session.
Cancelling a session
- Go to Dashboard → Sessions → [Session] → Cancel.
- Provide a reason.
- The client is notified and refunded automatically via Paystack.
WARNING
Frequent cancellations may affect your search ranking and client ratings.
Session statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Awaiting Notary | Booking request pending your acceptance |
| Confirmed | Accepted — awaiting client payment |
| Paid / Scheduled | Payment confirmed — session is upcoming |
| In Progress | Session is live |
| Completed | Session finished — certificate issued |
| Cancelled | Cancelled by either party |
| No Show | Neither party joined within the session window |
| Expired | Session passed its end time without activity |