2026 state guide · CO
How to become a notary in Colorado
Quick answer
- Minimum age
- 18 years; residency and other eligibility rules below
- Required fees
- $10 + variable costs
- Exam / course
- Exam required · Training required
- Bond coverage
- Not required
- Commission term
- 4 years
- Remote status
- Electronic RON available
Colorado has one of the cheapest notary paths in the country: free state-run training and exam, a $10 online application, no bond, and approval typically within three to five business days. The commission lasts four years, and both a stamp and a journal are required.
Colorado made becoming a notary cheap and fast on purpose: the Secretary of State gives away the required training course and exam online, charges just $10 to apply, skips the bond entirely, and usually approves applications in three to five business days. The trade-off is rigor on the front end — training and an 80% exam score are mandatory for every new commission and every four-year renewal, and the eligibility bar is high, excluding anyone with a felony conviction ever or a dishonesty misdemeanor in the past five years.
In practice you'll complete the eLearning course, pass the open-book exam, get your Affirmation form notarized, and upload everything with your ID to the online application. Total out-of-pocket is usually $30–$60 once you buy the required rectangular ink stamp (embossers are banned) and a journal, which Colorado requires for every notarial act. Fees top out at $15 per document, or $25 for electronic and remote work.
Colorado also runs a clean path into remote notarization: a second free training-and-exam round, a $10 application from inside your notary account, and an approved platform provider get you authorized, with electronic journals and ten-year retention of session recordings as the ongoing obligations. Non-residents aren't shut out either — a place of employment or practice in Colorado qualifies you even if you live across the state line.
Who can become a notary in Colorado?
- Age: at least 18 years old.
- Residency: You qualify if you're a Colorado resident — or have a place of employment or practice in Colorado, which lets out-of-state commuters get commissioned. You must be a U.S. citizen, permanent legal resident, or otherwise lawfully present in the United States.
- Background: Colorado is stricter than most on records: you're disqualified under C.R.S. § 24-21-523 if you've ever been convicted of a felony, been convicted of a misdemeanor involving dishonesty in the past five years, or ever had a notary commission revoked.
- Able to read and write English.
- You must pass the Colorado notary exam after completing an approved training course — both are free through the SOS eLearning system.
- Your application needs a notarized Affirmation form plus scans of acceptable ID proving legal name, age, and lawful presence (non-citizens include their permanent resident card or EAD).
Your application checklist
Work through the application in order. Check off completed steps; your progress is saved only in this browser.
How long it takes: The Secretary of State says applications are processed within three to five business days, with approval delivered by email — one of the fastest turnarounds of any state.
What it costs in Colorado
First-time, non-attorney applicant for a traditional commission. Government appointments, attorney exemptions, renewals and remote authorization may differ.
Known required fees: $10 + variable costs
This is an itemized starting point. Blank prices are unknown, not free. Add actual quotes below; do not count a bundled fee or supply twice.
$10 · Source
First-time traditional commission. Fee exemptions may apply to certain applicants.
No separate fee · Source
Use the official free/included option; paid alternatives may cost extra.
Get a quote · Source
Follow the guide’s seal and recordkeeping rules; journals are mandatory in some jurisdictions and optional in others. Enter only required supplies here, without double-counting a vendor package.
Quotes stay in this page and are not sent to our analytics. Optional insurance, travel, retakes and remote authorization may add costs.
Exam and training
Exam: Required for new and renewing notaries since July 1, 2018. The exam is online, open book, and free through the SOS; 80% or higher passes, and you may use your training materials and the RULONA statute while testing.
Required course: Required before the exam, for both new commissions and renewals. The Secretary of State's eLearning course is free and satisfies the requirement; approved outside vendors are also accepted. Note the eLearning login is separate from your notary account and is deleted after approval.
Remote notarization in Colorado
Electronic RON available
A commissioned notary must meet the state-specific authorization, technology and recordkeeping rules below.
Colorado's permanent remote notarization law took effect at the end of 2020 after an emergency pandemic authorization. Remote notarization of wills is tightly restricted under the Colorado Uniform Electronic Wills Act, and records relating to the electoral process can never be notarized remotely.
Hold an active Colorado commission, then complete the separate remote-notary training and exam (free through the SOS; the certificate must be no older than 90 days when you apply), and file the $10 remote notary application from the 'Become a remote notary' link in your notary account. You must use a remote notarization provider approved by the Secretary of State, keep a tamper-evident electronic journal of remote acts, and store the audio-video recording of every session securely for ten years.
Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.
After you're commissioned
Check your seal and recordkeeping requirements. A rectangular ink stamp with a rectangular border — embossers are not allowed. Inside the border, and nothing else: your name exactly as on your certificate, 'NOTARY PUBLIC', 'STATE OF COLORADO', your notary ID number, and your commission expiration date (C.R.S. § 24-21-517). No size or ink color is mandated. A journal is also required for every notarial act (C.R.S. § 24-21-519), with a narrow employer-records exception; keep finished journals ten years, hand them to State Archives, or leave them with your employer — and report a lost or stolen stamp or journal within 30 days. See the new-notary supplies checklist and Colorado stamp requirements before you order.
What you can charge: Colorado caps notary fees at $15 per document. Colorado caps the notarization fee at $15 per document (covering identity verification, any oath, and applying signature, certificate, and stamp) and $25 for an electronic or remote notarization (C.R.S. § 24-21-529). Extras like travel, mileage, or photocopies may be charged separately but must be disclosed up front and documented in writing — a receipt, itemized invoice, or even a business card listing your fees.
E&O insurance: Not required — and since Colorado has no bond either, optional errors-and-omissions insurance is the only financial backstop a Colorado notary carries against claims over a mistake.
Earning more with your commission
Loan signings are one possible service after commissioning — notarizing mortgage document packages for title companies. Availability depends on local demand, hiring requirements and state restrictions. If that interests you, start with what a loan signing agent actually does and earns. Loan signing agent guide
Colorado notary FAQ
How much does it cost to become a Colorado notary?
As little as about $30–$60 total. The application fee is $10, the state's own training course and exam are free online, there's no bond, and your only other purchases are the rectangular stamp and a journal — the SOS even posts a free journal template you can print and bind. Renewals are another $10 every four years.
Does Colorado require notary training and an exam?
Both, and at every renewal too — a rule in place since July 1, 2018. You finish an approved course, then pass the online exam with at least 80%. The exam is open book: your course materials and the RULONA statute are fair game. Everything is free through the Secretary of State's eLearning system, though approved private vendors are an option.
How fast will Colorado approve my notary application?
The Secretary of State processes applications within three to five business days, and you can start notarizing the moment the approval email lands and you have your stamp and journal. If something's wrong — a mismatched name, an expired ID, a blank Affirmation — you get 90 days from payment to fix it before you'd have to pay again.
Does Colorado require a notary bond?
No — no bond and no mandatory insurance. That saves money up front, but it also means nothing stands between you and a claim if a notarization goes wrong, which is why many Colorado notaries carry optional errors-and-omissions coverage on their own.
What can a Colorado notary charge?
Up to $15 per document for a standard notarization and up to $25 for an electronic or remote one. You can bill separately for travel, mileage, or copies, but every charge must be disclosed before the act and documented in writing — a receipt, invoice, or a business card listing your fees all count. Title-company employees performing closing services are the one disclosure exception.
How do I become a remote notary in Colorado?
After your regular commission is active, take the free remote-notary training and exam (the certificate is only good for 90 days), then click 'Become a remote notary' in your notary account and pay $10. You'll need an SOS-approved platform provider, a tamper-evident electronic journal, and secure ten-year storage for the audio-video recording of every remote session. Wills and election-related records are off limits remotely.
Official sources
Use these authority pages and publications to check the requirements. Review notes identify details that still need confirmation.
- New Notary Commission — Colorado Secretary of State
- Notary Public FAQs — Applying and renewing — Colorado Secretary of State
- Notary Public FAQs — Fees — Colorado Secretary of State
- Notary Public FAQs — Official stamps and journals — Colorado Secretary of State
- Notary Public FAQs — Remote notarization — Colorado Secretary of State
- Notary Public Fee Schedule — Colorado Secretary of State
The source review date covers our earlier research. Recent checks above apply only to the named topics. Requirements and charges can change; confirm the current packet with Colorado Secretary of State.