How to Become a Notary in Alabama (2026): Requirements, Cost & Steps

Requirements verified July 19, 2026 against County Probate Judges (records reported to the Alabama Secretary of State)

Alabama notaries are commissioned by their county's probate judge, not a state office. Expect a $10 application fee plus a $25 commission fee, a mandatory training course, and a $50,000 surety bond filed with the probate judge. The commission lasts four years; there is no exam.

Alabama is one of the few states where you become a notary at the county courthouse: the probate judge of your home county takes your application, approves your $50,000 bond, and issues your four-year commission. The Secretary of State only records the result. That county-by-county setup means fees and paperwork vary a little depending on where you live, so your first call should be to your probate judge's office.

Here's the practical path: pay the $10 application fee, finish the required training course within 30 days (a 2023 law made it mandatory for everyone except attorneys), buy the $50,000 surety bond from an Alabama-licensed producer, file it with the probate judge, and pay the $25 commission fee. Statutory fees come to $35; the bond premium, seal, and any county add-ons land on top of that. There is no exam.

Two things set Alabama apart. The bond is unusually large — $50,000, double what it was before September 2023 — and the fee cap is modest at $10 per act, so plan on volume or travel fees if you want the commission to pay for itself. Remote notarization exists here but in a distinctly Alabama form: video calls are allowed, yet the documents still need your wet-ink signature, so there's no fully electronic RON platform work in this state.

Who can become a notary in Alabama?

• Age: at least 18 years old.
• Residency: You must be an Alabama resident, and you must apply to the probate judge of the county where you live — applying in any other county is a ground for denial under Ala. Code § 36-20-70(c). There is no non-resident commission.
• Background: The probate judge must deny your application if you have been convicted of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude. The statute also requires denial if you are currently a debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding, are under a court order adjudicating you incapacitated, or give false information on the application.
• You must successfully complete the required notary training program within 30 days of submitting your application (the probate judge can extend this for good cause).
• Licensed attorneys who apply for a commission are exempt from the training requirement.
• The statute does not state a minimum age; county probate offices generally expect applicants to be adults, so confirm any age question with your probate judge.

How to apply: step by step

1. Contact the probate judge's office in the county where you live — each of Alabama's 67 counties runs its own application, so get their form and current fee total before you start.
2. Submit the notary application to your county probate judge and pay the $10 application fee set by Ala. Code § 36-20-70(c).
3. Complete the mandatory pre-commission training program prepared by the Alabama Probate Judges Association and the Alabama Law Institute within 30 days of applying. Attorneys are exempt.
4. Buy a $50,000 surety bond from an Alabama-licensed bond producer, payable to the State of Alabama. The bond must be approved by, filed with, and recorded in your county probate judge's office before you start notarizing.
5. Pay the $25 commission fee the probate judge collects for issuing the commission (some counties add local recording or issuance charges on top — ask your probate office for the full amount).
6. Once commissioned, order a seal of office (ink stamp or embosser) showing your name, office, and the state, and start your four-year term.

How long it takes: There is no statewide published timeline — turnaround depends on your county probate office and on how quickly you finish the training and file your bond. Ask your probate judge's office what to expect.

What it costs in Alabama

Exam and training

Required course: Since September 1, 2023, every new applicant must complete a pre-commission training program prepared by the Alabama Probate Judges Association and the Alabama Law Institute — and finish it within 30 days of applying. Attorneys are exempt, and notaries commissioned before the law took effect complete it when they renew. Ask your probate judge how to access the course and whether it carries a charge.

No exam. Alabama instead requires a training program; there is no test administered by the state or the probate judges under the current statute.

Can you notarize online in Alabama? RON allowed

Yes — Alabama authorizes remote online notarization (RON). Alabama's remote option (made permanent in 2021 and revised by Act 2023-548) is video-assisted paper notarization rather than the fully electronic RON offered in most states — Alabama law still requires original signatures, so there is no approved-platform e-signing model here.

To add RON to your commission: No separate registration, application, or fee. Any Alabama notary may take an acknowledgment by two-way audio-video under Ala. Code § 36-20-73.1, but the rules are strict: the notary must be physically in Alabama, must identify the signer by personal knowledge or by two forms of government ID (one with photo and signature) plus a data-source identity check, must record the session and keep the recording for seven years, and must receive the documents for the notary's own original wet-ink signature. Remote notarization cannot be used for absentee-ballot or other voting documents.

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Get your stamp and journal. Ala. Code § 36-20-72 requires a seal of office whose impression or stamp shows your name, your office, and the state for which you were appointed. Either an ink stamp or an embosser is acceptable; documents headed for the public records must carry the notary's signature and seal. No specific shape or size is mandated in the statute. See the new-notary supplies checklist and Alabama stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: Alabama caps notary fees at $10 per notarial act. Ala. Code § 36-20-74 allows 'a reasonable fee, not to exceed ten dollars ($10)' per notarial act (doubled from $5 by Act 2023-548). Charging more than the cap is a Class C misdemeanor. State, county, and municipal employees may not charge at all for notarizations done as part of their public duties.

E&O insurance: Not required. With a $50,000 bond on the line — which the surety can recover from you personally if it pays a claim — optional errors-and-omissions insurance is worth pricing for anyone notarizing regularly.

Earning more with your commission

Most new notaries who turn the commission into real income do it through loan signings — notarizing mortgage document packages for title companies. That path is limited in Alabama (see the callout above), so weigh it before investing in training. Loan signing agent guide

Alabama notary FAQ