2026 state guide · MA

How to become a notary in Massachusetts

By NotaryRequirements.com · Source review July 19, 2026
Official sources & review notes · Report a correction

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: 7 years
Remote status: Enacted; implementation pending

Massachusetts notaries are appointed by the Governor with the Governor's Council's consent: you mail a four-page paper application with a resume and four reference signatures (one from an attorney), then pay a $60 commission fee to the Secretary of the Commonwealth when you're sworn in. No bond, no exam, no course — and the commission lasts seven years.

Becoming a Massachusetts notary still works the way it did when the State House was new: you petition the Governor on paper, four respected people — one of them a lawyer — vouch for you in writing, and the Governor's Council consents to your appointment. There's no exam, no course, no bond, and nothing to pay until you're approved, when a $60 fee to the Secretary of the Commonwealth and an oath at the State House (or the Fall River or Springfield office) make it official for seven years.

Budget-wise it's one of the cheaper commissions in the country — about $60 plus a seal and journal — but read the fine print on what the commission earns. Massachusetts is an attorney-closing state: the courts treat real estate closings as the practice of law, so the loan-signing-agent path that drives notary income elsewhere is mostly closed. Standard notarizations, on the other hand, have no statutory fee cap outside a few antique protest fees.

The rulebook is G.L. chapter 222, rewritten effective January 2017 (goodbye Executive Order 455): a seal with the state's coat of arms is mandatory, and so is a journal unless you're an attorney or work for one. Remote online notarization is the awkward part — a 2023 law authorized it as of January 1, 2024, but the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office was still building the registration form, training, and vendor rules as of mid-2026, so Massachusetts notaries remain in-person-only for now.

Who can become a notary in Massachusetts?

Age: at least 18 years old.
Residency: You must live in Massachusetts or have a place of work or business in the Commonwealth — the state's own application form is 'valid for out-of-state applicants' who work in-state.
Background: There is no fixed conviction bar in the statute; instead the application makes you disclose any criminal convictions, professional license discipline, and dismissals for misconduct, and the Governor's office weighs suitability case by case. False statements on the application are prosecutable and grounds for revocation.
Four references must sign your application certifying your character, and one of them must be a Massachusetts bar member in good standing.
Your signed applicant statement must itself be notarized by a current Massachusetts notary.
You must certify that you have read G.L. chapter 222 as amended by chapter 289 of the Acts of 2016 and agree to comply with it.

Your application checklist

Work through the application in order. Check off completed steps; your progress is saved only in this browser.

Step 1. Get the Notary Public application (a four-page PDF from the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website, or by mail from the Notary Public Office). It is a petition to the Governor — Massachusetts has no online application for new notaries.
Step 2. Fill it out completely: personal history, ten years of addresses, occupation, and an explanation of why you want the commission. Attach an up-to-date resume (required) and a business card if you have one.
Step 3. Sign the sworn statement in front of a current Massachusetts notary — the form includes the notarial certificate — and collect signatures from four references who know you, one of whom must be an attorney in good standing with the Massachusetts bar.
Step 4. Mail the stapled application and resume to the Notary Public Office, Room 184, State House, Boston, MA 02133. Do not send any money with it.
Step 5. Wait for appointment. Your petition goes through the Governor's office and requires the advice and consent of the Governor's Council, which is why the state says allow up to about 18 days for the approval notice.
Step 6. When approved, follow the instructions in your notice: pay the $60 commission fee to the Secretary of the Commonwealth and take the oath of office at one of the Secretary's offices (Boston, Fall River, or Springfield).
Step 7. Buy your official notarial seal or stamp and a journal (unless you're an attorney or attorney employee, the journal is required by G.L. c. 222 § 22), then start notarizing.

How long it takes: The state says allow up to about 18 days from mailing your application to receiving the approval notice, because of the Governor's Council schedule. Add time for the swearing-in trip and fee payment before you can act — plan on several weeks end to end.

What it costs in Massachusetts

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

Paid after approval at commissioning, rather than with the initial application.

Your actual charge (USD)

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.

Your quote (USD)

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

Massachusetts does not require an exam or a mandatory course. No course is required. You must certify that you have read the notary law (G.L. c. 222, as rewritten by chapter 289 of the Acts of 2016), which took effect January 4, 2017 and replaced the old Executive Order 455 standards.

Remote notarization in Massachusetts

Enacted; implementation pending

The law is enacted; required training and notification are not yet available according to the Secretary.

Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2023 added a remote online notarization framework effective January 1, 2024, replacing the pandemic-era video notarization law — but the program is not operational yet. As of mid-2026 the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office says the required training and the online notification form are still not available, so Massachusetts notaries cannot legally perform remote online notarizations today. Implementation is pending while the Secretary, the Governor's office, and the Governor's Council finish rules and vendor review. Check the Secretary's Remote Online Notarization page before relying on it.

Once the program is live, the 2023 law (G.L. c. 222 §§ 23–33) will require a would-be remote notary to register with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, identify the communication technology to be used, and complete any required training (capped at three hours) before performing remote acts. Wills, codicils, and electoral documents are excluded from RON.

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Check your seal and recordkeeping requirements. Required. Under G.L. c. 222 § 8 the official seal or stamp must show your name exactly as commissioned, 'notary public', 'Commonwealth of Massachusetts' (or 'Massachusetts'), 'My commission expires [date]', and a facsimile of the state seal. Ink stamp or embosser both work; the seal is your exclusive property. See the new-notary supplies checklist and Massachusetts stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: Massachusetts has no general fee cap for standard notarizations — the only statutory fee schedule (G.L. c. 262 § 41) covers protests of bills and notes at amounts fixed generations ago (in the $1–$2 range). The application does warn notaries to charge only statutory amounts where they exist, so keep protest work at the listed figures and set reasonable, disclosed fees for everything else.

E&O insurance: Not required. With no bond in Massachusetts, optional errors-and-omissions insurance is the only financial protection a notary carries here.

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

Massachusetts notary FAQ

Who actually appoints Massachusetts notaries?

The Governor, with the advice and consent of the Governor's Council — your application is literally addressed 'To His Excellency the Governor.' Day to day, the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Commissions Section maintains the appointments, administers your oath, and collects the $60 fee; questions about a pending application go to the Governor's Executive Council at 617-725-4016.

Can I make money doing loan signings with a Massachusetts commission?

Very little. Massachusetts real estate closings must be conducted by attorneys — the Supreme Judicial Court confirmed in REBA v. NREIS (2011) that conveyancing closings are the practice of law — so the independent signing-agent model common in title-company states doesn't operate here. Notary income comes from general notarizations, which have no statutory cap, and from work supporting attorneys.

Is remote online notarization working in Massachusetts yet?

The law exists; the system doesn't. A 2023 law added G.L. c. 222 §§ 23–33 effective January 1, 2024, allowing fully remote notarization after registration and training. But the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office says the training and notification form still aren't available and notaries shouldn't perform remote notarizations until they are. Watch the Secretary's RON page for the rollout.

Why do I need an attorney to sign my notary application?

The application requires four references who certify under the pains and penalties of perjury that you're of high standing and fit for the office — and one of the four must be a member of the Massachusetts bar in good standing. You'll also need a sitting Massachusetts notary to notarize your own sworn statement, plus an attached resume.

Do Massachusetts notaries need a journal and seal?

Both, with one carve-out. G.L. c. 222 § 8 requires a seal or stamp bearing your name, 'notary public,' the Commonwealth, your expiration date, and a facsimile of the state seal. Section 22 requires a chronological journal of notarial acts — unless you're an attorney admitted in any jurisdiction or you work for one, in which case the journal is optional.

Official sources

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

Notary Public — General Information — Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Notary Public Application (PDF, with instructions) — Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Remote Online Notarization (implementation status) — Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Notary Public Renewals — Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
G.L. c. 222 § 8 — Official notarial seal or stamp — Massachusetts General Court
G.L. c. 222 § 22 — Journal of notarial acts — Massachusetts General Court
G.L. c. 262 § 41 — Notaries public; enumeration of fees — Massachusetts General Court

Recent source checks

October 2, 2026 · Remote program implementation: The Secretary still says the required training and notification form are unavailable. The statute exists, but notaries should not perform remote acts yet. 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 Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts — Commissions Section.