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

Requirements verified July 18, 2026 against Connecticut Secretary of the State, Business Services Division

Connecticut notaries apply online through the Secretary of the State's eLicense system, pay a $120 fee, and pass an exam that is built into the application itself. There is no bond, no required training course, and no required seal, and the commission lasts five years.

Connecticut runs its notary program through the Secretary of the State's Business Services Division, and almost everything happens online at eLicense.ct.gov. The application costs $120 — one of the higher state fees in the country and non-refundable — and it has a twist most states don't: the exam is inside the application. You answer the questions under oath as you apply, all of them have to be right, and they come straight from the state's free Notary Public Manual. Two paper-ish chores round it out: a Jurat and Writing Sample you fill out by hand and get notarized, and a Certificate of Character signed by someone reputable who has known you at least a year.

After approval — typically 3 to 5 business days — your certificate arrives by email, and you have 30 days to take the oath of office and record it with your town clerk for $20. Then you're a notary for five years. Total cost lands around $140–$160, with no bond, no training course, and, unusually, no required stamp: a Connecticut notarization is valid with just your signature, printed name, and commission expiration date. Renewal is $60, and if you let the commission lapse more than 90 days you start over at full price.

Know two Connecticut-specific limits before you plan a notary side business. Fees are capped at $10 per act (raised from $5 on July 1, 2026), so volume matters. And Connecticut law requires a state-admitted attorney to conduct real estate closings, so the independent loan-signing-agent path is mostly closed here — the state's own manual says Connecticut doesn't license signing agents. Remote notarization has been legal since late 2023, but it's a paper-based version: the signer still has to mail or hand you the document after signing on camera.

Who can become a notary in Connecticut?

• Age: at least 18 years old.
• Residency: You must be 18 or older and either live in Connecticut or have your principal place of business in Connecticut. Out-of-state residents qualify through the business route, but must keep a Connecticut business address on file — if you lose both your Connecticut residence and your Connecticut business location, you are required to resign the commission.
• Background: There is no automatic bar. The Secretary of the State may deny an application (or a renewal) to anyone convicted of a felony or a crime, anyone whose previous commission was revoked, or anyone who has committed notarial misconduct. Denial is discretionary, so a record does not always disqualify you — but the $120 fee is non-refundable, so contact the Business Services Division (bsd@ct.gov) first if you are unsure.
• You must provide a residential address and a valid email address; the state sends all correspondence, including your certificate, by email.
• A Certificate of Character form must be signed by a public official or a reputable business or professional person who is not related to you and has known you personally for at least one year.
• A Jurat and Writing Sample form must be completed in your own handwriting and notarized before you upload it.

How to apply: step by step

1. Read the State of Connecticut Notary Public Manual, published by the Secretary of the State. The exam questions in the application are drawn from it, and the state calls it the first place to look for any notary question.
2. Complete the Jurat and Writing Sample form in your own handwriting and have it notarized by an existing notary or other official authorized to administer oaths.
3. Have the Certificate of Character form completed and signed by a public official or a reputable business or professional person who is unrelated to you and has known you personally for at least one year.
4. Apply online at eLicense.ct.gov: fill out the application, upload the Jurat and Writing Sample and Certificate of Character, answer the exam questions (every answer must be correct before you can be appointed), and pay the non-refundable $120 fee. State employees can have the fee waived by attestation.
5. Watch your email. If anything is deficient, the application goes into 'pending' status with instructions to fix it — leave it pending more than 90 days and the application and fee are forfeited. Clean applications are typically processed in 3–5 business days.
6. When your Certificate of Appointment arrives by email, take the oath of office — most notaries take it before their town clerk — and record the appointment and oath with the town clerk of the town where you live (or where your Connecticut business is, if you live out of state) within 30 days. The town clerk recording fee is $20.
7. Optionally buy a stamp or seal from a private vendor. Connecticut does not require one; many notaries just use a rubber stamp with their name and commission expiration date to make certificates legible.

How long it takes: The Secretary of the State says applications are typically processed in 3–5 business days. Add time for the town clerk step: you must take the oath and record your appointment within 30 days of receiving the emailed certificate before you can notarize.

What it costs in Connecticut

Exam and training

Exam: Yes, but it is not a sit-down proctored test. The exam is built into the online application on eLicense.ct.gov and you complete it under oath as part of applying. All questions must be answered correctly before you are appointed; the material comes from the state's Notary Public Manual, which you can keep at hand while you work through it.

No course is required. The Secretary of the State expects applicants to study the free Notary Public Manual, which is also the source for the application exam. Commercial prep courses exist but are unnecessary.

Can you notarize online in Connecticut? RON allowed

Yes — Connecticut authorizes remote online notarization (RON). Enabled by Public Act 23-28, effective October 1, 2023. Be aware this is closer to 'remote ink' notarization than the fully electronic RON in many states: after signing on camera, the signer must deliver the physical document to the notary, who completes the certificate by hand and returns it, and the Secretary of the State recommends keeping everything on paper. Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care directives, standby guardianship papers, and real-estate-closing documents cannot be notarized remotely. No video recording is required, though the state recommends keeping one for 10 years.

To add RON to your commission: None — no separate application, no extra fee, no state-approved vendor list, and no training requirement. Any commissioned Connecticut notary may perform remote notarizations using ordinary video software (the manual names Zoom, Teams, Webex and Google Meet as sufficient), as long as the notary is physically in Connecticut during the act.

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Get your stamp and journal. Connecticut does not require a seal or stamp — one of the few states where this is true. What the law does require on every notarization: your original signature exactly as it appears on your Certificate of Appointment, your name typed, stamped, or legibly printed near the signature if you don't use a seal, and your commission expiration date. If you choose to use a seal, it must show your name as commissioned, 'Notary Public,' and 'Connecticut'; adding 'My Commission Expires (date)' to the seal is optional. Seals come from private vendors and remain your property even if an employer paid for one. See the new-notary supplies checklist and Connecticut stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: Connecticut caps notary fees at $10 per notarial act. Public Act 26-81 (signed May 26, 2026) raised the cap in Conn. Gen. Stat. § 3-95 from $5 to $10 per act effective July 1, 2026, and replaced the old 35-cents-per-mile travel fee with mileage up to the IRS business standard mileage rate. The same cap applies to remote notarizations — Connecticut has no separate RON fee schedule.

E&O insurance: Not required. Because Connecticut has no bond, a notary is personally liable for damages from notarial mistakes; optional E&O insurance is the usual way notaries cover that risk.

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 Connecticut (see the callout above), so weigh it before investing in training. Loan signing agent guide

Connecticut notary FAQ