How to Become a Notary in District of Columbia (2026): Requirements, Cost & Steps

Requirements verified July 19, 2026 against Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications, Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia

DC notaries apply online to the Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications, pay a $75 fee, attend a mandatory orientation, and post a $2,000 surety bond for a five-year commission. There is no exam, and your commission type depends on whether you live in DC, work in DC, or both.

The District of Columbia runs notary commissioning through the Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications (ONCA) in the Secretary's office, and it sorts every applicant into a commission type: residential if you live in DC, business or government if you only work there, dual if you do both. That structure matters — it decides whose letter you need with your application, whether you owe the $75 fee, and whether the $2,000 bond applies. Purely governmental notaries get the fee and bond waived but can never charge for their work.

The practical path: apply online, get approved, sit through ONCA's mandatory orientation, then buy the bond on ONCA's own form and a full supply kit — embosser, inker, certificate stamp, and journal — before taking your oath in person at 441 4th Street NW. Commissions start on the 1st or 15th of the month and last five years. Budget the $75 fee plus bond premium and supplies.

Two quirks stand out. DC still requires a raised embossed seal that you must ink after pressing, an old-school rule most states dropped. And the fee cap is $5 per act, so nobody gets rich stamping documents — the growth area is DC's IPEN and RON endorsements, which let a commissioned notary handle electronic and remote work after extra training and vendor registration.

Who can become a notary in District of Columbia?

• Age: at least 18 years old.
• Residency: You need a verifiable physical address in the District. A residential commission requires living in DC; a business or government commission is for people who live elsewhere but have their primary workplace in DC; a dual commission covers people who both live and work in the District.
• Background: ONCA can deny an application on the disqualification grounds in D.C. Code § 1-1231.22 and 17 DCMR ch. 24 — broadly, anything showing the applicant lacks the honesty, integrity, competence, or reliability to act as a notary. There is no flat lifetime felony bar; contact ONCA before applying if you have a record.
• U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident.
• Business and government applicants need a supervisor's letter on letterhead explaining how notarial services will be provided; residential applicants submit a personal statement instead.
• Notaries commissioned only on behalf of the DC government pay no fee, post no bond, and may not charge for notarizations.

How to apply: step by step

1. Decide which commission type fits you — residential, business, government, or dual — because it controls what letter of request you must attach and whether the fee and bond apply.
2. Complete the online DC Notary Application on the Office of the Secretary's website (os.dc.gov), upload your letter of request (supervisor letter for business/government applicants, personal statement for residential), and pay the $75 application fee.
3. Wait for ONCA review (allow at least five business days), then attend the mandatory DC New Notary Public Orientation — ONCA schedules it and emails you the date after approval.
4. Use the Appointment Notice/Provisional Commission Letter ONCA sends to buy your $2,000 surety bond on ONCA's own bond form (no other form is accepted) and order supplies: an embossing sealer with seal, an impression inker, a jurat or acknowledgment certificate stamp, and a journal.
5. Take the oath of office at the ONCA office (441 4th Street NW, Suite 810 South), bringing the original signed bond form, a paid-in-full bond receipt, your sealer, jurat stamp, and journal.
6. Start notarizing when your commission begins — DC commissions start on the 1st or 15th of the month and run five years.

How long it takes: ONCA says applications get at least five business days of review; after approval you attend orientation and then complete bond, supplies, and oath within the window in your Provisional Commission Letter. Because commissions only start on the 1st or 15th, plan on several weeks end to end.

What it costs in District of Columbia

Exam and training

Required course: The DC New Notary Public Orientation is mandatory for new applicants (and for anyone whose commission lapsed more than 12 months). ONCA schedules it after approval. Renewing notaries are invited to a DC Notary Open House for law updates instead.

No exam. Every new applicant must instead attend ONCA's mandatory orientation session on DC notary law after the application is approved.

Can you notarize online in District of Columbia? RON allowed

Yes — District of Columbia authorizes remote online notarization (RON). Remote notarization is authorized by D.C. Code § 1-1231.13a, part of DC's Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts as amended by D.C. Law 24-178 (2022). Contact ONCA (notary@dc.gov) for the current endorsement packet.

To add RON to your commission: RON works as an endorsement added to an existing DC commission. ONCA requires approved training, registration of the IPEN/RON technology vendor you will use, and an Electronic Endorsement Oath Form with proof of your digital seal and electronic signature. A separate In-Person Electronic Notarization (IPEN) endorsement is available on the same track. You must be physically inside the District when performing a remote act.

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Get your stamp and journal. DC is an embosser jurisdiction: you need a sealer (embosser) that raises the seal into the paper, plus an impression inker so every embossment photocopies legibly. Under § 1-1231.16 the seal must show your name exactly as commissioned, the words 'District of Columbia', and your commission expiration date — no extra wording allowed. You also need a jurat or acknowledgment certificate stamp because every notarization must carry the full certificate language. See the new-notary supplies checklist and District of Columbia stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: District of Columbia caps notary fees at $5 per notarial act. Residential and business notaries may charge up to $5 per notarial act — one of the lowest caps in the country — plus actual, agreed travel expenses. Government-commissioned notaries may not charge at all.

E&O insurance: Not required. The $2,000 bond protects the public, not you, so optional errors-and-omissions coverage is what protects the notary against mistake claims.

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. If that interests you, start with what a loan signing agent actually does and earns. Loan signing agent guide

District of Columbia notary FAQ