Create and Use RON Tag Templates

RON Tag Templates let you store a PDF together with its tag layout—signature fields, name fields, dates, initials, and notary seal positions—so you can drop the same document into future appointments without re-tagging from scratch. This guide walks through creating a template in Settings and using it when you upload documents for a signing.

Direct link: Open RON Tag Templates in NotaryCentral

What a tag template includes

Each saved template stores:

• Source PDF — The blank or partially filled document you uploaded.
• Participant slots — How many signers (and optionally witnesses or notary roles) the layout expects.
• Tag markers — Where each field sits on the PDF, and which slot it belongs to.

When you apply a template to an appointment, NotaryCentral copies the PDF into the signing and remaps tags to the real participants in that session—for example, labels like Sign (Jane Doe) instead of generic Sign placeholders.

Before you begin

• RON access — Tag templates are used with Remote Online Notarization workflows. If RON is not enabled on your account yet, request access from Settings → RON access first.
• A representative PDF — Use the same document version you expect to notarize repeatedly (for example, a standard affidavit or acknowledgment form).
• Know your participant count — Set the template’s participant slots to match how many signers the form requires. You can still apply a template only when the appointment has enough participants to fill every slot.

For general tagging tips inside the signing room, see Adding Annotations and Tagging Documents.

Part 1 — Create a tag template

Open the template manager

You can reach RON Tag Templates in any of these ways:

1. Settings — Open Settings, find RON Tag Templates, and choose Manage templates.
2. Search — From the app search bar, type template, tag template, or RON tag templates and open the result.
3. Direct URL — Go to https://app.notarycentral.org/tag-template-editor.

The manager shows your saved templates, or an empty state with Create Your First Template if you have none yet.

Start a new template

1. Click Create Template (or Create Your First Template on the empty list).
2. You land in the editor. Before a PDF is attached, you see an upload prompt: Upload a PDF to start.
3. Click Upload PDF (or Choose PDF file) and select your document. Only PDF files are supported.

After the PDF loads, the editor shows the document viewer plus setup controls above it.

Name the template and set participants

1. Enter a clear Template name (for example, Two-signer affidavit or Acknowledgment — single signer).
2. Use the Participants counter (- / +) to match how many signer slots your form needs. The slot summary updates live (for example, Participant 1, Participant 2).
3. If you picked the wrong file, click Replace PDF to swap the document without leaving the editor.

Place tags on the PDF

With the PDF visible:

1. Click Add tags on the right-side toolbar in the document viewer (same tagging tools used in the live signing room).
2. Drag fields onto the document—Signature, Name, Date, Initial, Notary Seal, and other supported tag types.
3. Assign each tag to the correct participant slot (for example, Participant 1 vs Participant 2) and to Notary (me) for notary-only fields.
4. Scroll through every page and confirm required fields are covered.

Tip: Place at least one tag per required action before saving. After you save, each template card shows a slot and tag count (for example, 2 slots • 4 tags) so you can verify the layout was captured.

Save the template

1. When the layout looks correct, click Save Template in the toolbar.
2. Wait for the success banner. Your template appears in the list when you click Back to Templates or refresh with Refresh.

You can Preview, Edit, Duplicate, or Delete any saved template from the list view. Workspace templates (when your organization uses shared templates) show a Workspace badge; personal templates show Personal.

Part 2 — Use a template on an appointment

Templates are applied when you prepare documents before entering the signing room—not from the template editor itself.

Attach a template on Upload documents

1. Open the appointment and go to the Upload document(s) step (from the appointment details header when files are still needed).
2. For the document row you want to fill, click Use a template (below the regular file upload area).
3. In the Use a document template dialog, browse your saved templates. Each row shows signer/witness/notary slot counts and whether a stored PDF is ready.
4. Click Use on the template you want. The screen shows Template: <your template name> under that document slot.
5. Click Continue to create the signing room with the template PDF and tags applied.

If the template needs more participants than the appointment has, NotaryCentral blocks selection and keeps your documents screen stable—add the missing signers or witnesses to the appointment, or choose a template with fewer slots.

Verify tags in the signing room

After Continue:

1. The signing room opens with the template PDF already loaded.
2. Pre-placed tags should appear at the positions you saved, labeled with the mapped participant names (for example, Name (Jane Doe) and Sign (Jane Doe)).
3. Walk through the document once more before inviting signers—same final checks as manual tagging: every required signature, initial, date, and notary field is present and assigned correctly.

Map signers to slots (when prompted)

Some flows show a Map Signers to Template dialog when participant roles need explicit matching. For each template slot:

1. Review the slot label and role (for example, Primary Signer, role signer, order 1).
2. Choose the Assigned Participant from the signers already on the appointment.
3. Click Apply Template to confirm.

NotaryCentral auto-suggests mappings when names and roles align; adjust any slot that should go to a different person before applying.

Tips for reliable templates

• Match slot counts to the form — A two-signer affidavit template should use 2 participants in the editor and should only be applied to appointments with at least two signers (plus any witnesses the template defines).
• Re-save after major PDF changes — If you replace the PDF or move tags significantly, open the template in Edit, update the layout, and click Save Template again.
• Duplicate before experimenting — Use Duplicate on an existing template if you want a variant (for example, a three-signer version) without losing the original.
• Templates without a stored PDF — The picker disables templates that have no PDF attached yet. Always upload and save the PDF in the editor before using a template on an appointment.
• Combine with manual tagging — You can still add or adjust individual tags in the signing room after a template is applied. Templates are a starting point, not a lock.

Troubleshooting

Related guides

• Adding Annotations and Tagging Documents — Manual tagging workflow in the signing room.
• Managing Appointments and Details — Finding appointments and launching RON sessions.
• Sample Notarized Document & SOS Exemplar Tool — Different tool for state registration exemplars, not reusable RON templates.

Open these pages in NotaryCentral

• RON Tag Templates (create & manage)
• Settings
• Appointments