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2026 state guide · DE

How to become a notary in Delaware

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Official application ↗Your application checklist

Quick answer

Minimum age
18 years; residency and other eligibility rules below
Required fees
$60 + variable costs
Exam / course
No exam required · No mandatory course
Bond coverage
Not required
Commission term
2 years
Remote status
Electronic RON available

Delaware notaries apply online through the Secretary of State's notary portal, pay a $60 fee for an initial two-year commission, and take the constitutional oath of office. There is no bond, no exam, and no required training, but every notary must keep a journal and applicants must show a reasonable need for a commission.

Delaware runs its notary program entirely online through the Secretary of State. You apply at the state's notary portal, pay $60, and everything after that — instructions, your oath paperwork, even the commission certificate itself — arrives by email. Delaware skips most of the hurdles other states pile on: no bond, no exam, no required class. Its one unusual filter is that you must show a 'reasonable need' for a commission, and if you have a criminal conviction you'll need a certified background check from wherever it happened. Your first commission lasts two years; at renewal you can pay $90 to stretch the next one to four.

The practical version: apply online, explain why you need the commission, pay $60, take the constitutional oath and send it back, then buy a stamp (embosser or black-ink) and a journal. The journal is not optional — since August 1, 2023, every Delaware notary must log each act and keep the records for 10 years. Nonresidents can qualify too, as long as they keep a real weekday office or job site in Delaware.

Two Delaware quirks shape the economics. Fees are capped at $5 per notarization on paper (though electronic acts can run $25), so stamp-and-sign work alone pays little. And Delaware is an attorney-settlement state: the state Supreme Court's Mid-Atlantic ruling requires a Delaware lawyer to conduct real estate settlements, which squeezes out the independent loan-signing business found in escrow states. The brighter spot is remote online notarization — since SB 262 took effect in 2023, any Delaware notary can add remote and electronic privileges through their profile using one of roughly 28 state-approved platforms.

Who can become a notary in Delaware?

  • Age: at least 18 years old.
  • Residency: You must either have a legal residence with a street address in Delaware, or maintain an office or regular place of employment in Delaware that is open Monday–Friday during normal business hours to accept service of process. P.O. boxes and virtual offices do not count. You must also be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident.
  • Background: The state requires 'good character and reputation.' A felony conviction disqualifies you unless your rights have been restored, and convictions for crimes involving dishonesty or moral turpitude also make you ineligible. If you have a prior conviction, you must submit a certified background check from the jurisdiction where it happened, dated within the last six months.
  • Able to read and write English.
  • Must have a 'reasonable need' for a notary commission — Delaware asks you to explain why you need one on the application.
  • You may only notarize inside Delaware's borders, even though nonresidents who work in Delaware can be commissioned.

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: Delaware does not publish an official processing time. The application, correspondence, and commission certificate are all handled by email through the online portal, and you cannot act until your oath paperwork is returned — ask the Notary Department ([email protected]) for current turnaround if timing matters.

What it costs in Delaware

First-time, non-attorney applicant for a traditional commission. Government appointments, attorney exemptions, renewals and remote authorization may differ.

Known required fees: $60 + 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.

Application / commission fee (required)

$60 · Source

First-time traditional commission. Fee exemptions may apply to certain applicants.

Required seal and supplies (required)

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

Delaware does not require an exam or a mandatory course. The Secretary of State's site states plainly that training is not required. Optional courses exist from private providers, but Delaware neither requires nor approves them.

Remote notarization in Delaware

Electronic RON available

A commissioned notary must meet the state-specific authorization, technology and recordkeeping rules below.

SB 262 (signed September 9, 2022; 83 Del. Laws ch. 425) enacted the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, effective August 1, 2023. Before that date, remote notarization in Delaware was limited to licensed attorneys; SB 262 opened it to all commissioned notaries who complete the authorization steps.

You must already hold a Delaware commission, then request remote and/or electronic privileges through your online notary profile before performing any such acts (Title 29 §§ 4320 and 4333 require notifying the Secretary of State first). You must pick a technology provider from the state's approved list — about 28 providers as of mid-2026 — and record your choice in your profile. Remote sessions require at least two types of identity proofing and a full audio-visual recording, and every act goes in your journal.

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Check your seal and recordkeeping requirements. Either a metal embossing seal or a black-inked rubber stamp is acceptable. It must show your name exactly as it appears on your commission, the words 'Notary Public' and 'State of Delaware,' and 'My Commission expires on' followed by the expiration date (Title 29 § 4330 also lets the Secretary of State require additional elements). You are responsible for keeping the stamping device secure, no one else may use it, and you must disable or destroy it when your commission ends. Electronic and remote notaries use an electronic seal and signature meeting secure e-notarization standards with the same wording. See the new-notary supplies checklist and Delaware stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: Delaware caps notary fees at $5 per notarial act on a paper record; $25 for an electronic record. Title 29 § 4311 caps fees at $5.00 per notarial act on a tangible (paper) record and $25.00 for an act on an electronic record. Overcharging is grounds for revocation plus a two-year ban on reappointment. The Secretary of State says travel charges may follow the IRS standard mileage rate. The $5 paper cap is low, so walk-in notarizing alone earns little in Delaware.

E&O insurance: Not required. Optional errors-and-omissions insurance covers you if a notarization mistake causes someone a loss; since Delaware has no bond, E&O is the only financial backstop a notary here can carry.

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. That path is limited in Delaware (see the callout above), so weigh it before investing in training. Loan signing agent guide

Delaware notary FAQ

How much does it cost to become a notary in Delaware?

The state application fee is $60 for the initial two-year commission, paid online and nonrefundable. Add a stamp or embosser and a journal, and most people are commissioned for under $100 total. There is no bond, no course fee, and no exam fee.

Why does Delaware ask why I need a notary commission?

State law lets the Governor's office commission notaries who show a 'reasonable need,' so the application asks you to explain yours — usually your job, your business, or a community role. It is not a trick question, but leaving it vague can slow down or sink an application.

Can I be a Delaware notary if I live in Maryland, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey?

Yes, if you maintain an office or regular place of employment in Delaware that is open weekdays during normal business hours to accept service of process. A P.O. box or virtual office does not qualify. Remember that a Delaware commission only works inside Delaware, no matter where you live.

How do I become a remote online notary (RON) in Delaware?

First get a regular Delaware commission, then request remote or electronic privileges through your online notary profile and select a technology provider from the state's approved list before performing any remote acts. Remote sessions require two types of identity proofing and an audio-visual recording. This has been open to all Delaware notaries — not just attorneys — since August 1, 2023, under SB 262.

Can I work as a loan signing agent in Delaware?

Only in a limited way. The Delaware Supreme Court's Mid-Atlantic Settlement Services decision (2000) makes conducting a real estate settlement without a Delaware attorney the unauthorized practice of law, so independent witness-only signings are not the norm here. Notaries who work closings in Delaware generally do so under an attorney's or title-and-law-office's supervision.

Do Delaware notaries have to keep a journal?

Yes. Since August 1, 2023, Title 29 § 4332 requires every Delaware notary to record each notarial act in a journal at the time it happens — date and time, the document, the signer's name and address, how you identified them, and the fee — and to keep the journal for 10 years after the last entry.

Official sources

Use these authority pages and publications to check the requirements. Review notes identify details that still need confirmation.

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 Delaware Secretary of State — Notary Public Department.