To become a notary public, you need to meet your state’s eligibility rules, complete any required course or exam, submit an application that includes a background check, buy a surety bond and official seal, and take an oath of office. Every state runs its own commissioning process, so the specific steps, fees, and timelines where you live will differ from what a neighboring state requires. Most applicants finish the process in a few weeks to a couple of months.
Who Can Apply
Nearly every state uses the same baseline: at least 18 years old, a legal resident of the state, and able to read and write in English. Some states also accept non-residents who work or run a business inside the state, which matters if you live near a state line and commute.
A clean criminal record is the other threshold. Felony convictions are disqualifying in most states, and misdemeanors involving dishonesty or fraud can also block an application. Some states let applicants with older convictions petition for approval or impose a waiting period after a sentence ends. If you have any criminal history, check with your state’s commissioning authority before spending time or money on the rest of the process.
Training and Exam
Not every state requires formal training. Roughly a dozen mandate a state-approved notary education course before you can apply. These courses cover state notary laws, procedures for different notarial acts, identity verification, and ethics. Length ranges from a few hours of self-paced online material to a full day in person.
About 14 states also require a written exam covering notary law, document handling, and the specific procedures for acknowledgments, jurats, and oaths. In states that require both, you take the course first and then sit for the test. States that require neither simply process your application once you clear eligibility and the background check.
Even where training is optional, reading your state’s notary handbook is worth a few hours. Most commissioning authorities publish one for free. Mistakes made out of ignorance carry the same legal consequences as deliberate ones.
Application and Background Check
Applications go through your state’s commissioning authority, which in most states is the Secretary of State’s office. Many states accept online applications through a web portal, and paper forms remain available. You’ll provide standard personal information along with proof of any completed education or exam.
Most states run a criminal background check, and some require fingerprints submitted through a live-scan service or ink card. Filing fees typically fall between $10 and $60. Once you add the background check fee, any required course, the bond, and supplies, the real out-of-pocket cost is higher.
Processing times vary. Some states issue commissions within a couple of weeks. Others take six to ten weeks after all materials are submitted. If you need your commission by a specific date, build in cushion.
Surety Bond, Oath, and County Filing
Most states require you to buy a surety bond before your commission becomes active. The bond protects the public, not you. If you make an error that causes someone financial harm, the injured party can file a claim against your bond. The bond company pays the claim and then collects from you. It behaves more like a guaranteed line of credit against your own wallet than an insurance policy.
Required bond amounts run from $500 to $50,000 depending on the state. You don’t pay the face value. The premium is a fraction of that, typically $35 to $55 for the full commission term. States that don’t require a bond usually impose other safeguards, such as mandatory insurance or stricter liability rules.
After you have the bond, you’ll take an oath of office promising to perform your duties faithfully and lawfully. Many states require you to file the bond and oath with your county clerk within a set window, often 30 days of receiving your commission. Miss that deadline and your commission can be voided before you notarize anything, so put the date on your calendar the moment the paperwork arrives.
Seal and Journal
Your notary seal or stamp is the tool that makes a notarization official. Every state requires one. What it has to display varies: typically your full name as it appears on your commission, the words “Notary Public,” your state, your commission number, and your expiration date. Some states also require the county of commission or a state seal image.
States differ on whether you need an ink stamp, a raised embosser, or either. Ink stamps are standard in most places because they reproduce clearly on scans and faxes. A few states allow embossers only as a supplement to an ink stamp. A compliant seal from a notary supply vendor usually costs $15 to $40.
A notary journal is required by law in many states and strongly recommended everywhere else. The journal is a bound, sequentially numbered record of every notarial act you perform. Each entry should capture the date, the type of act, a description of the document, the signer’s name, how you verified identity, and the signer’s signature. If a notarization is ever challenged in court, your journal entry is your evidence that you followed proper procedure. Skipping the journal to save a few minutes per signing is one of the most common mistakes new notaries make, and the one most likely to cause problems later.
What the Commission Lets You Do
Once commissioned, you’ll handle a few core acts: acknowledgments (the signer confirms they signed voluntarily), jurats (the signer swears the contents are true and signs in your presence), oaths or affirmations (sometimes with no document at all), and in some states copy certifications. The thread running through all of them is that you verify identity and willingness, not truth. You confirm the person in front of you is who they claim to be and is signing voluntarily. You have no duty to evaluate whether the document is accurate or legally sound.
What the Commission Doesn’t Let You Do
The prohibited list catches new notaries off guard more often than the requirements do. Violating these rules can lead to commission revocation, personal liability, and in some cases criminal charges.
- You cannot notarize your own signature, or any document where you’re a party to the transaction, even if you’re signing for a company.
- You cannot notarize without the signer physically present. Someone dropping off a pre-signed document is not a valid notarization, no matter how well you know them.
- You cannot provide legal advice unless you’re also a licensed attorney. That means no advising on the legal effect of a document, no helping fill in blanks, no explaining legal options.
- You cannot notarize a document with significant blank spaces. Blanks invite alteration after the fact.
When in doubt, decline. Your commission gives you the power to refuse any act you believe is improper, and using that power protects both you and the signer.
Remote Online Notarization
A standard commission generally doesn’t authorize remote online notarization (RON) on its own. As of 2025, 44 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws permitting RON. A federal bill called the SECURE Notarization Act has been introduced in Congress to create uniform interstate recognition, but it has not been enacted.
Where RON is allowed, you typically need a separate authorization or endorsement on top of your commission. That usually means registering with the commissioning authority, using an approved technology platform, and following specific identity verification steps such as knowledge-based authentication, credential analysis of a government ID, and the live audio-video session itself. Sessions must be recorded and retained for a period set by state law, often five to ten years. If you plan to offer RON, budget for platform subscription fees on top of standard commission costs.
Protecting Yourself With E&O Insurance
Your bond protects the public. It does not protect you. If a claim succeeds, the surety pays the claimant and then collects from you, and your personal assets are exposed.
Errors and omissions insurance fills that gap. An E&O policy covers legal defense, settlements, and damages if someone sues you for a mistake in your notarial duties. The average policy runs about $40 to $50 per month, with typical coverage of $1 million per occurrence. A handful of states require it. Even where it’s optional, the math usually favors buying it, especially if you notarize real estate documents, loan packages, or high-value contracts.
Renewing Your Commission
Commissions don’t last forever. Terms run from four to ten years, with four-year terms the most common. Most commissioning authorities let you start renewal 60 to 90 days before expiration.
Renewal usually mirrors the initial application: a new form, the filing fee again, and a new bond. Some states require you to retake the course or exam at renewal. Others simply process the paperwork. If your commission lapses before you renew, you generally start over as a new applicant.
Keep your journal and expired seal for several years after a commission ends. Documents you notarized during that term can be questioned long after it expires, and your journal is your best defense.