2026 state guide · MS

How to become a notary in Mississippi

By NotaryRequirements.com · Source review July 19, 2026
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Official application ↗Your application checklist

Quick answer

Minimum age: 18 years; residency and other eligibility rules below
Required fees: $25 + variable costs
Exam / course: No exam required · No mandatory course
Bond coverage: $5,000 (you pay a premium, not this amount)
Commission term: 4 years
Remote status: Electronic RON not authorized

Mississippi notaries file a $25 application with the Secretary of State along with a $5,000 surety bond and a notarized oath of office — there is no exam or required course. Everything is filed at the state level, and the commission lasts four years.

Mississippi rebuilt its notary law on July 1, 2021, when the Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts took effect — so ignore older guides that describe the pre-2021 rules. The current process is entirely state-level: a $25 notarized application (Form NP 001), a $5,000 surety bond, and a constitutional oath of office all go to the Secretary of State's Business Services Division, with no county filing at all. The oath step has a twist you won't see in many states: you swear it before another Mississippi notary.

Costs and waiting are both light. Between the fee, bond premium, stamp, and journal you'll usually spend $75–$125, and the SOS says complete applications are processed in under a week, with your commission delivered by email. The four-year commission is pegged to your bond's expiration date, and each renewal is a full re-application — new bond and new oath included, filed starting 90 days before the old term ends.

The current rules require a journal and specify the stamp format. Electronic notarization requires separate approval and an in-person appearance. Do not confuse this with the emergency video-notarization arrangements introduced in 2020.

Who can become a notary in Mississippi?

Age: at least 18 years old.
Residency: You must be a Mississippi resident who has lived in your county of residence for more than 30 days before applying. Moving out of state is treated as an automatic resignation of the commission — you must notify the Secretary of State within 30 days.
Background: The application requires a sworn declaration that you have never been convicted of a felony and are not presently incarcerated or on parole. It also requires declaring you have never had a notary commission denied, revoked, suspended, or restricted in any state. If your record is complicated, talk to the Secretary of State's notary staff (601-359-1615) before paying.
U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident (green card holder).
Able to read and write English.
Your commission name must include your surname plus at least the initials of your first and middle names, and your application signature must be legible or accompanied by a printed name.

Your application checklist

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

Step 1. Complete the Application for Notary Public Commission (SOS Form NP 001) on the Mississippi Secretary of State's forms page. The application itself must be notarized, so you'll visit an existing notary along the way.
Step 2. Buy a $5,000 surety bond for a four-year term from a surety licensed by the Mississippi Department of Insurance. If you apply without the bond, the SOS can send you a pre-commission document showing the exact start and end dates the bond must cover. The bond must reach the SOS within 60 days of your application date or the application is rejected.
Step 3. Take the oath of office prescribed by Section 268 of the Mississippi Constitution in front of a Mississippi notary public and complete the oath form (filed with the Official Notary Public Bond paperwork, SOS Form NP 003).
Step 4. File the application, bond, oath, and $25 application fee with the Secretary of State's Business Services Division. The SOS says a complete package is typically processed in under a week, and since November 2021 commissions are delivered by email.
Step 5. After your commission arrives, order your official stamp from a vendor — you must give the vendor a copy of your commission certificate, and the stamp must show 'State of Mississippi,' your name as commissioned, 'Notary Public,' your county, your expiration date, and your commission number.
Step 6. Set up your journal before your first notarization. Mississippi requires every notarial act to be recorded in a journal (bound paper book or a compliant electronic journal).

How long it takes: Fast by state standards: the SOS says a complete application package (application, bond, oath, fee) is generally processed in less than a week, with the commission emailed to you.

What it costs in Mississippi

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

Known required fees: $25 + 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)

$25 · Source

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

Your actual charge (USD)

Application and oath notarization (required)

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Obtain the actual charge from your county, authority, or provider; do not assume it is included in the application fee.

Your quote (USD)

Surety bond premium (required)

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Enter the premium you pay, not the bond coverage amount. Ask whether a vendor package includes the filing fee or supplies.

Your quote (USD)

Required seal and supplies (required)

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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

Mississippi does not require an exam or a mandatory course. No training requirement. The SOS publishes rules and FAQs; private courses are optional.

Remote notarization in Mississippi

Electronic RON not authorized

Current SOS rules cover in-person electronic notarization. Historical emergency remote authority has expired.

The current SOS rules describe in-person electronic notarization, not a permanent remote video program. The 2020 remote-notarization order was temporary emergency authority. Do not rely on the historical Remote Notary Notification form as permission to notarize remotely today.

For in-person electronic notarization, submit the additional SOS application and receive approval before using a compliant electronic notarization system. The signer must still appear in person. Confirm any subsequent change in remote authority directly with the SOS before offering RON.

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Check your seal and recordkeeping requirements. Required on every paper notarization. Under the current SOS rules the stamp must show, in order: 'State of Mississippi,' your name as commissioned, 'Notary Public,' your county, your commission expiration date, and your SOS-assigned commission number. No abbreviations are allowed, the stamp must not contain the Mississippi state seal, and a non-inking embosser doesn't count as the official stamp. You may only order the stamp after you receive your commission — vendors require a copy of the certificate. Report a lost or stolen stamping device to the SOS within 10 days; the replacement must look different from the original. See the new-notary supplies checklist and Mississippi stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: Mississippi caps notary fees at $5 per signature. Consult the current SOS notary rules for the charge applicable to your act and for advance agreement on travel fees. Historical emergency remote-notary pricing should not be used as a current RON fee schedule.

E&O insurance: Not required. The $5,000 bond protects the public and the surety can recover from you personally, so optional errors-and-omissions coverage is what shields the notary.

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

Mississippi notary FAQ

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

The state application fee is $25. Add the premium on a $5,000 four-year surety bond, a stamp, and a journal, and most people land around $75–$125. There's no course or exam to pay for, and processing typically takes under a week once the SOS has your complete package.

Who administers the oath for a Mississippi notary applicant?

Another notary. Mississippi has you take the constitutional oath of office (Section 268) in front of an existing Mississippi notary public, and the application form itself must be notarized too. The signed oath is then filed with the Secretary of State along with your application and bond — no courthouse visit required.

Is a journal required for Mississippi notaries?

Yes. Since the Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts took effect on July 1, 2021, every notarial act must be recorded in a journal — either a bound paper book with numbered pages or a compliant tamper-evident electronic journal. When your commission ends, the journal goes to the circuit clerk of your county, so treat it as a permanent record, not scratch paper.

What has to be on a Mississippi notary stamp?

Six elements in order: 'State of Mississippi,' your name exactly as commissioned, 'Notary Public,' your county, your commission expiration date, and your commission number. Nothing may be abbreviated, and the stamp cannot include the state seal. You also can't order one early — vendors need a copy of the commission certificate the SOS emails you.

Can Mississippi notaries notarize remotely?

The SOS rules reviewed here authorize in-person electronic notarization. That is not a remote video session. The emergency remote-notary order and its old notification form do not establish a current permanent RON program; confirm new authority directly with the SOS before accepting remote work.

Official sources

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

Notaries & Apostilles — Mississippi Secretary of State
Notaries FAQs — Mississippi Secretary of State
Administrative Rules — Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts (Title 1, Part 5) — Mississippi Secretary of State
Application for Notary Public Commission (SOS Form NP 001) — Mississippi Secretary of State
Electronic notarization rules — Mississippi Secretary of State
End of the COVID emergency — Mississippi Secretary of State

Recent source checks

October 2, 2026 · Electronic notarization rules: Chapter 8 authorizes in-person electronic acts. Removed the unsupported permanent-RON claim and historical remote-fee guidance. Read the source.
October 2, 2026 · End of the COVID emergency: Official notice records the end of the emergency on November 20, 2021; the old emergency RON form is not current program authorization. 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 Mississippi Secretary of State.