Getting an affidavit notarized typically costs between $5 and $25, and that’s often the whole bill. The total cost of an affidavit climbs into the hundreds or thousands only when you bring in an attorney to draft it, file it with a court, or record it in public land records. What you actually pay depends on how complex the statement is, who prepares it, and whether you sign in person, online, or with a mobile notary who travels to you.
The Notary Fee You Can’t Avoid
Every affidavit has to be signed in front of someone authorized to administer oaths, and that’s almost always a notary public. The notary checks your ID, watches you sign, and administers the oath that turns the document into a sworn statement.
Most states cap what a notary can charge per signature. For a jurat, which is the notarial act used on affidavits, statutory maximums usually fall between $2 and $15. Connecticut and Minnesota cap the fee at $5. California, Nevada, and Washington allow up to $15. A handful of states set no cap at all.1National Notary Association. 2026 Notary Fees By State
You can often skip this fee entirely. Banks and credit unions where you have an account frequently notarize documents for customers at no charge. Some employers, public libraries, and government offices offer the same service for free. UPS Store locations will notarize documents but charge for it.
Remote Online Notarization
If getting to a notary in person isn’t practical, remote online notarization lets you finish the process over a video call. The notary verifies your ID digitally, watches you sign on screen, and applies an electronic seal. Most states now allow this, though California, Georgia, and a few others haven’t implemented it.
State-set maximum fees for a single remote session run from $5 to $30, with $25 being the most common cap. Several states also let notaries charge a separate technology fee on top. Ohio permits up to $30 plus a $10 technology fee. New Mexico allows $5 plus a $25 technology fee.1National Notary Association. 2026 Notary Fees By State
Commercial platforms typically charge around $25 per session, with extra charges for additional notary seals or witnesses.2Notarize. Pricing That puts remote notarization in the same neighborhood as an in-person visit in higher-fee states, and more expensive than the free option at your bank.
Mobile Notary Travel Fees
When the notary comes to you rather than the other way around, expect a travel fee on top of the notarization charge. This is common when someone is homebound, hospitalized, or needs documents signed at a business location after hours.
Travel fee rules vary. About a dozen states tie the charge to a mileage rate. Indiana, Montana, Rhode Island, Utah, and Wyoming peg it to the IRS business mileage rate, which is 72.5 cents per mile in 2026.3Internal Revenue Service. IRS Sets 2026 Business Standard Mileage Rate at 72.5 Cents Per Mile, Up 2.5 Cents Maryland adds an extra $5 on top of the IRS rate. Nevada caps travel at $15 per hour during the day and $30 per hour at night, with a two-hour minimum.4National Notary Association. A Guide to Notary Travel Fees Across the United States
Roughly half of all states place no statutory cap on travel fees, so the notary sets the price. In those states, a mobile visit for a single affidavit commonly runs $50 to $150 all in. Higher quotes are worth a second opinion.
When You Need an Attorney to Draft It
You don’t always need a lawyer. A straightforward affidavit confirming your identity, your address, or a simple fact can be self-prepared from a template, then signed in front of a notary. Attorneys earn their fee on affidavits that involve contested facts, require legal language a court expects, or carry serious consequences if something is wrong.
Drafting costs vary. A simple affidavit from an attorney working on a flat fee might cost a few hundred dollars. Complex affidavits for litigation, real estate disputes, or immigration proceedings can run well over $1,000, especially when the attorney has to research underlying facts or review supporting documents. Rates run higher in major metropolitan areas, and hourly billing pushes the total up when the drafting takes revisions.
For immigration affidavits like Form I-864, the government filing fee through the National Visa Center is $120 for consular processing cases, and there’s no separate fee when filing alongside an adjustment of status application. Anything above that is what an immigration attorney charges to prepare the form, which can add several hundred to over a thousand dollars depending on the sponsor’s finances.
Court Filing and County Recording Fees
Some affidavits never get filed anywhere. You sign the document, hand it to whoever asked for it, and you’re done. But when an affidavit becomes part of a court case or the public record, more fees apply.
Court filing fees vary by jurisdiction and case type. An affidavit of service, confirming that legal papers were delivered, may cost only a few dollars to file. An affidavit submitted alongside a new lawsuit is often bundled into a much larger case-initiation fee. Ask the specific court clerk before assuming the cost is trivial.
Affidavits tied to real estate, like affidavits of heirship or title correction affidavits, usually need to be recorded with the county recorder’s office. Recording fees are typically charged per page, and rates vary by county. Most jurisdictions charge somewhere between $5 and $15 per page, though some charge more. A two-page affidavit recorded in public land records might cost $10 to $30 in recording fees alone.
Typical Costs by Affidavit Type
The overall price tag depends heavily on which affidavit you need:
- Small estate affidavit, used to transfer a deceased person’s property without full probate. An attorney typically drafts these, and the total cost including notarization and recording often runs a few hundred dollars.5Justia. Small Estates Laws and Procedures: 50-State Survey
- Affidavit of identity or residence, confirming who you are or where you live. Usually self-prepared, so the only cost is the notary fee.
- Affidavit of service, proving legal documents were delivered. Short and formulaic, with costs limited to notarization and a small filing fee.
- Financial affidavit, required in divorce and bankruptcy cases to disclose assets, debts, and income. These are detailed enough that many people hire an attorney, so expect attorney fees on top of court filing costs.
- Name change or document correction affidavit, used to fix errors on official records. Typically limited to notarization and any government processing fee.
- Affidavit of Support (Form I-864), required for many family-based immigration cases. The $120 government fee applies to consular processing, and most applicants also pay an immigration attorney.
Ways to Keep the Cost Down
Draft It Yourself If It’s Simple
If your affidavit covers a straightforward factual statement, you can write it yourself from a template. Courts and government agencies sometimes provide blank affidavit forms for specific purposes. The risk is getting the format or content wrong and having to start over, so check what the requesting party or court requires before drafting.
Use a Free Notary
Banks, credit unions, and some employers notarize documents at no cost. For a single signature on a simple affidavit, the free option at your bank is hard to beat.
Ask the Court to Waive Filing Fees
If your affidavit is part of a court filing and you can’t afford the fees, you can ask the court to waive them. Federal courts allow you to proceed without paying fees by filing an affidavit of indigence showing you can’t afford the cost.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 US Code 1915 – Proceedings In Forma Pauperis Most state courts have a similar process. Eligibility usually depends on income relative to the federal poverty level or receipt of public benefits like SNAP or SSI. The waiver covers court fees, not attorney fees or notarization.
Go Through Legal Aid
If you need an attorney and can’t afford one, legal aid organizations provide free help to people who meet income guidelines. Eligibility thresholds vary but commonly require household income below 125% to 200% of the federal poverty level. Some organizations also serve people over 60 or those with disabilities regardless of income. A legal aid attorney can draft the affidavit and advise on filing at no cost.
One Cost That Isn’t in the Fee Schedule
When you sign an affidavit, you’re swearing under oath that everything in it is true. Intentionally including false information is perjury. Under federal law, perjury is punishable by a fine and up to five years in prison.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 1621 – Perjury Generally State perjury laws carry similar penalties, and a court can also impose sanctions in a civil case for a false affidavit.8Legal Information Institute (LII) at Cornell Law School. Rule 11 – Signing Pleadings, Motions, and Other Papers; Representations to the Court; Sanctions Read every word before signing, even if an attorney wrote it. “I didn’t read it carefully” isn’t a defense.