You can get your signature notarized at a bank or credit union, a UPS Store or FedEx Office, a AAA branch, a town hall or county clerk’s office, through a mobile notary who travels to you, or online over live video with a commissioned notary. Fees run from nothing at your own bank to around $25 per signature at a retail counter or online, with mobile notaries adding a travel charge on top. Where you choose comes down to how fast you need it, whether you can leave the house, and whether your state allows remote online notarization.
Your Bank or Credit Union
Start here. Most major banks and credit unions keep at least one commissioned notary on staff at each branch, and the service is typically free for account holders. That makes it the cheapest option by a wide margin.
The trade-off is availability. Branch notaries also handle mortgage and loan paperwork, so the person you need may be tied up or out for the day. Call before you drive over, especially around lunch or late afternoon.
If you don’t bank there, some branches will still notarize for a small fee, but plenty limit the service to customers. A thirty-second phone call tells you which policy applies.
The UPS Store, FedEx Office, and Other Walk-In Spots
Retail shipping centers are the fallback when your bank can’t help or you need something notarized outside banking hours. Fees usually run $5 to $15 per signature. Not every location staffs a notary every day, so phone ahead.
AAA and Public Libraries
If you carry a AAA membership, your card may cover notary service. Premier members typically get a limited number of personal documents notarized at no charge per visit; other tiers and non-members can usually pay a fee. Availability varies by branch, and the service isn’t offered in every state.
Some public libraries also have staff members who hold notary commissions. It depends entirely on whether your local branch has one and whether that person is working. Treat it as a bonus if it exists near you, not something to plan around without calling first.
Town Halls and County Clerk Offices
Municipal buildings and county clerk offices often employ notaries, and they handle affidavits, public records, and court filings regularly. Fees are usually set at the state statutory rate, which tends to be lower than retail. Some clerk offices will only notarize documents tied to their own business; others serve the general public. One phone call clears it up.
Mobile Notaries Who Come to You
A mobile notary travels to wherever you are. This is the right call when the signer is in a hospital, a nursing home, or a detention facility, or when several signers need to execute estate documents in one place. You can find mobile notaries through online directories or by searching “mobile notary near me.”
The per-signature fee is the same as any other notary. The travel charge is where it adds up. Most states don’t regulate travel fees, so expect anywhere from $25 to $100 or more depending on distance, timing, and whether you need evenings, weekends, or rush service. Get the total in writing before the notary leaves.
Online Notarization Over Video
Remote online notarization, or RON, lets you complete the whole process over a live video call from your phone or computer. As of 2026, roughly 44 states and the District of Columbia permit RON, though a handful of states still don’t authorize it or restrict it for certain transactions like real estate closings. A federal bill called the SECURE Notarization Act has been introduced in multiple sessions of Congress but had not been enacted as of early 2026.1Congress.gov. HR 1777 – 119th Congress 2025-2026 – SECURE Notarization Act of 2025
Platforms like Notarize (by Proof), NotaryCam, and BlueNotary connect you with a commissioned notary on screen. Identity checks are stricter than what you’d see in person. You upload photos of the front and back of your government-issued ID so the platform can analyze the security features, then answer a round of knowledge-based authentication questions pulled from your credit history and personal records. These are not easy. You might be asked to identify last month’s mortgage balance or an old address from five choices. Fail the quiz and some states allow up to two retakes within 48 hours before the notary has to end the session.
Once you clear ID verification, the session runs much like an in-person appointment. You sign electronically, the notary applies a digital seal, and you receive a tamper-evident electronic file. RON sessions typically cost $25 for the notary’s fee alone, and the platform may charge a service fee on top. The convenience is real, and so is the price premium.
Military Members and Americans Abroad
Service members, dependents, and civilian employees accompanying the armed forces overseas can have documents notarized free through military legal assistance offices. Federal law authorizes judge advocates, legal assistance attorneys, adjutants, and certain designated personnel to perform notarial acts carrying the same legal weight as a civilian notary’s seal, and no fee may be charged.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 1044a – Authority to Act as Notary
U.S. citizens living abroad without a military connection can use American embassies and consulates, which have their own fee schedules.
What to Bring to the Appointment
You need valid, government-issued photo ID. A current driver’s license, state ID card, or U.S. passport all work. Most states require the ID to be unexpired, though some accept IDs that expired within the past three to five years and a few require strict currency with no grace period. If your only ID is expired, check your state’s rule before you go rather than hoping the notary waves it through.
Bring the document already filled out, but don’t sign it yet. A notary cannot notarize a document with blank fields where information should be, and your signature needs to happen while the notary is watching, whether that’s in person or on camera. If you’ve already signed, you may have to sign again.
Every person whose signature needs to be notarized has to appear at the same appointment with their own valid ID. You cannot sign on someone else’s behalf unless your state allows signature by proxy, which is narrow when it exists at all.
If a signer has no valid photo ID, many states allow a “credible identifying witness” to vouch for them. The witness appears with the signer, takes an oath confirming identity, and usually must show their own valid ID. Some states require two credible witnesses, and the witness generally cannot have a financial stake in the transaction. Notaries are cautious about this route, and not every state permits it, so confirm before you count on it.
What You’ll Pay
Most states cap notary fees by statute. The caps for a standard notarization range from $2 per signature on the low end to $25 on the high end, and a few states don’t set a cap at all and let notaries charge whatever rate they disclose up front.
In practice:
- Your own bank or credit union: often free.
- A retail counter like The UPS Store: $5 to $15 per signature.
- A remote online session: around $25 before any platform fee.
- A mobile notary: the per-signature fee plus $25 to $100 or more in travel charges.
Fees are charged per signature and per notarial act. A document with three signers who each need their signatures notarized means three separate charges.
What a Notary Can’t Do
A notary isn’t a lawyer and cannot give legal advice. That means no help choosing wording for your document, no explanation of what a contract’s terms mean, and no recommendation about whether you should sign. If a notary starts offering opinions on the legal effect of your document, step back. Notaries who cross that line can be disciplined for unauthorized practice of law.
Notaries also cannot notarize documents in which they have a personal or financial interest, and they cannot notarize their own signatures. Most states don’t explicitly ban notarizing for immediate family, but it’s widely treated as a conflict, especially where the relative benefits from the transaction. That’s the kind of problem that may not surface until the document is challenged years later, so a notary who takes the risk is doing you no favors.