2026 state guide · MO

How to become a notary in Missouri

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: Exam required · Training required
Bond coverage: $10,000 (you pay a premium, not this amount)
Commission term: 4 years
Remote status: Electronic RON available

Missouri makes you study before you apply: every applicant must read the state's notary handbook or take the free Secretary of State training course and score at least 80% on the state's exam. After that it's a $25 application, a $10,000 surety bond, and a swearing-in at your county clerk's office for a four-year commission.

Missouri is one of the minority of states that checks whether you actually learned the rules before commissioning you. Since the notary law was rewritten in 2020 (HB 1655, effective August 28, 2020), every applicant attests to reading the Missouri Notary Public Handbook or completing the Secretary of State's training — a free online course or a written version — and must score at least 80% on the state's exam. It sounds heavier than it is: the course is short, free, and the quiz is open-book.

The money side is ordinary: $25 to the state, a $10,000 surety bond for the four-year term, and a seal and journal. The step people miss is the finish line — approval from the SOS doesn't make you a notary. You have 60 days to appear at your county clerk's office with the bond, take the oath, and leave a specimen signature; under RSMo 486.615 the commission only becomes effective once the clerk has your oath and bond in hand.

Missouri caps notarial fees at $5 per signature, so single documents are pocket change — signing agents and remote online notaries are where commissions earn. RON has been live since August 2020: it takes a second state-approved course and exam plus a registration with the Secretary of State, and you must be standing on Missouri soil for every remote session.

Who can become a notary in Missouri?

Age: at least 18 years old.
Residency: You must live in Missouri or have a regular place of work or business in the state. Non-residents who work in Missouri can be commissioned (using the non-resident application, Comm. 53) if they will use the seal in the course of that employment and authorize the Secretary of State to accept service of legal papers for them.
Background: Under RSMo 486.605 the Secretary of State may reject applicants for a material misstatement on the application, for felony convictions or offenses involving dishonesty (a five-year waiting period applies), for civil findings involving deceit, or for prior discipline against a notarial or professional license. It is a case-by-case review rather than a lifetime ban — contact the SOS Commissions Division if you have a record.
Able to read and write English.
Must reside legally in the United States.
Must pass the Secretary of State's examination with a score of 80% or better (RSMo 486.630).

Your application checklist

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

Step 1. Read the Missouri Notary Public Handbook, then complete the state's training: the free online notary training course on the Secretary of State's website or the written course (Comm. 59). The law requires you to attest to having read the handbook or received the prescribed training.
Step 2. Pass the Secretary of State's examination — the quiz that follows the course — with a score of at least 80%. You attest to this on the application.
Step 3. Submit the Application for Commission as a Notary Public (Comm. 51 for residents, Comm. 53 for non-residents who work in Missouri) online through the SOS notary portal or by mail, with the $25 non-refundable fee payable to the State Director of Revenue.
Step 4. Wait for the SOS to approve the application and send your commission paperwork to your county clerk. The SOS instructs you to appear at the county clerk's office within 60 days of approval — confirm your deadline in your approval notice.
Step 5. Buy a $10,000 surety bond from a Missouri-licensed surety covering the four-year term, and take it to the county clerk. The clerk administers the oath of office, takes your handwritten specimen signature, and you receive your commission — it isn't effective until the oath and bond are presented to the clerk (RSMo 486.615). Counties may charge a small swearing-in fee.
Step 6. Order your official seal (rectangular or circular, with your name, commission number, 'Notary Public,' 'Notary Seal,' 'State of Missouri,' and your expiration date) and a journal — Missouri requires a journal of every notarial act (RSMo 486.700).

How long it takes: The Secretary of State doesn't publish a fixed turnaround for approving applications, but the commission isn't active until you complete the county clerk swearing-in — and the SOS gives you 60 days from approval to do that, so the overall timeline is partly in your hands.

What it costs in Missouri

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.

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County swearing-in (required)

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Required education and assessment (required)

No separate fee · Source

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Surety bond premium (required)

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Required seal and supplies (required)

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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

Exam: Yes — but it's an open-book quiz, not a proctored sitting. RSMo 486.630 requires a score of 80% or better on an examination administered by the Secretary of State, taken after the state's online or written training course. Most applicants pass on the first try.

Required course: Required. Every applicant must attest to having read the Missouri Notary Public Handbook or completed training prescribed by the Secretary of State — in practice, the SOS's free online course or its written course (Comm. 59) — before the exam and application.

Remote notarization in Missouri

Electronic RON available

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

Authorized by HB 1655 (2020), effective August 28, 2020 (RSMo 486.1100–486.1205). The remote registration must be renewed when the underlying commission is renewed.

You must be a commissioned Missouri notary, complete an additional SOS-approved course of instruction on remote online notarization and pass its exam (RSMo 486.1125), and register your remote capability with the Secretary of State before performing any remote acts — you can file the RON registration together with a new commission application. You must be physically inside Missouri when performing a remote act, use compliant technology with a registered electronic signature and seal, and keep an electronic journal. Any registration fee or approved-course pricing isn't spelled out in the statute — confirm details with the SOS Commissions Division.

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Check your seal and recordkeeping requirements. Required on every certificate. Under RSMo 486.730 the seal must be a sharp, legible, permanent, photographically reproducible image placed near your signature, with a rectangular or circular border no thicker than 1/16 inch, showing: your name exactly as commissioned, your commission number, 'Notary Public,' 'Notary Seal,' 'State of Missouri,' and 'My commission expires [date].' An embosser may be used only in addition to the inked seal, never instead of it, and the seal can't be placed over writing. See the new-notary supplies checklist and Missouri stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: Missouri caps notary fees at $5 per signature. RSMo 486.685 caps charges at $5 per signature for acknowledgments, jurats, and signature witnessings, and $1 per certified page (with a $3 minimum total). Charging less or nothing is allowed. Travel fees are permitted if agreed in advance. Electronic notarizations follow the separate fee provision in RSMo 486.960.

E&O insurance: Not required. The bond exists to compensate the public for notary misconduct, and the surety can recoup payments from the notary, so optional errors-and-omissions insurance is what protects you.

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

Missouri notary FAQ

Does Missouri really require a notary test?

Yes, but keep it in perspective. RSMo 486.630 requires every applicant to attest to reading the Missouri Notary Public Handbook (or completing the state's training) and to score 80% or better on the Secretary of State's exam — in practice the quiz attached to the SOS's free online or written course. It's open-book, unproctored, and the course itself costs nothing.

What happens after Missouri approves my notary application?

You're not a notary yet. The SOS sends your paperwork toward your county clerk, and you have 60 days from approval to show up there with your $10,000 surety bond. The clerk administers the oath of office and takes a handwritten specimen signature; only when the oath and bond are presented does the commission become effective under RSMo 486.615.

How much does a Missouri notary commission cost?

The state fee is $25, and the required training and exam are free from the Secretary of State. Add the premium on a $10,000 four-year bond, a possible small county swearing-in fee, and a seal plus journal, and most people spend $75–$150 total.

What are the rules for a Missouri notary seal?

It must photocopy cleanly and sit near your signature, inside a rectangular or circular border no thicker than 1/16 inch. Required wording: your commissioned name, commission number, 'Notary Public,' 'Notary Seal,' 'State of Missouri,' and 'My commission expires' with the date. An embosser is allowed only on top of the inked seal, never as a substitute.

How do I become a remote online notary in Missouri?

Get (or hold) a standard commission, complete a separate SOS-approved remote-notarization course and pass its exam, then register your remote capability with the Secretary of State — you can file it with a new commission application. You must be physically in Missouri for every remote act and re-register when your commission renews. Course providers and any registration fee: check current details with the SOS.

Do Missouri notaries have to keep a journal?

Yes. RSMo 486.700 requires a journal of notarial acts, and remote online notaries must additionally keep an electronic journal of remote sessions. That's stricter than many neighboring states, so build the habit from your very first notarization.

Official sources

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

How to Become a Notary — Missouri Secretary of State
Missouri Notary Public Handbook — Missouri Secretary of State
RSMo § 486.630 — Application, training attestation, examination — Missouri Revisor of Statutes
RSMo § 486.615 — Bond; commission effective when oath and bond presented to county clerk — Missouri Revisor of Statutes
RSMo § 486.605 — Qualifications and grounds for denial — Missouri Revisor of Statutes
RSMo § 486.685 — Maximum fees — Missouri Revisor of Statutes
RSMo § 486.730 — Official seal — Missouri Revisor of Statutes
RSMo § 486.1125 — RON course of instruction; § 486.1120 — RON registration — Missouri Revisor of Statutes

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 Missouri Secretary of State (Commissions Division).