2026 state guide · DC
How to become a notary in District of Columbia
Quick answer
- Minimum age
- 18 years; residency and other eligibility rules below
- Required fees
- $75 + variable costs
- Exam / course
- No exam required · Training required
- Bond coverage
- $2,000 (you pay a premium, not this amount)
- Commission term
- 5 years
- Remote status
- Electronic RON available
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 the current ONCA service office. 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.
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: 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
First-time, non-attorney applicant for a traditional commission. Government appointments, attorney exemptions, renewals and remote authorization may differ.
Known required fees: $75 + 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.
$75 · 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
Enter the premium you pay, not the bond coverage amount. Ask whether a vendor package includes the filing fee or supplies.
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
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.
Remote notarization in District of Columbia
Electronic RON available
Electronic RON is available through ONCA endorsement after at least one year as a DC notary and an IPEN endorsement.
Use ONCA’s current endorsement notification form and vendor instructions linked from the official Notary Commissions page.
ONCA lists a $30 IPEN endorsement and a separate $30 remote endorsement. Remote applicants need one year as a DC notary, the IPEN endorsement, recognized remote training, an authorized vendor, and an endorsement oath with digital-seal and signature evidence. Wait for authorization before remote acts; the notary must be in DC.
Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.
After you're commissioned
Check your seal and recordkeeping requirements. 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
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
District of Columbia notary FAQ
Can I become a DC notary if I live in Maryland or Virginia?
Yes, through a business or government commission. You must have your primary place of business or employment in the District, and your application needs a supervisor's letter on company letterhead describing how notarial services will be provided. The $75 fee and $2,000 bond still apply.
What supplies does a DC notary have to buy?
More than in most states: an embossing sealer with your official seal, an impression inker to blacken the raised seal so it photocopies, a jurat or acknowledgment certificate stamp, and a journal. You cannot order any of it until ONCA sends your Appointment Notice, and you must bring the jurat stamp and journal to your oath appointment.
How much can a notary charge in Washington, DC?
Up to $5 per notarial act, and you can add agreed, actual travel costs. Notaries commissioned solely on behalf of the DC or federal government cannot charge anything. The low cap means most paid notary work in DC is built around volume or remote online sessions rather than single stamps.
Does DC require a notary class or test?
No test, but training is built in: every new applicant must attend ONCA's mandatory orientation session after the application is approved, and you cannot finish commissioning without it. If your old commission lapsed more than a year, you take orientation again.
Can DC notaries notarize online?
Yes, after ONCA grants the remote endorsement. See the remote section above for the one-year commissioning prerequisite, IPEN endorsement, fees, training and authorization steps.
Official sources
Use these authority pages and publications to check the requirements. Review notes identify details that still need confirmation.
- Notary Commissions — Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia
- DC Notary Public Handbook (August 2023) — Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications
- D.C. Code § 1-1231.13a — Notarial act performed for remotely located individual — Council of the District of Columbia
- Electronic Notarization Handbook — Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications
Recent source checks
- October 2, 2026 · Remote endorsements and office address: ONCA publishes an operational remote endorsement process, including one year of commissioning, a prior IPEN endorsement, and a $30 remote endorsement fee. Its service address is 899 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 8100. Read the source.
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 Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications, Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia.