How to Become a Notary in Nebraska (2026): Requirements, Cost & Steps

Requirements verified July 19, 2026 against Nebraska Secretary of State

Nebraska notaries must pass a 20-question state exam (85% to pass), post a $15,000 surety bond, and file a $30 online application with the Secretary of State. The commission lasts four years, and the minimum age is 19 — one year higher than most states.

Nebraska takes notary screening more seriously than most of its neighbors: you must pass a real 20-question exam with 85% before you can even apply, and the minimum age is 19 rather than 18. Everything now runs through the Secretary of State's Online Notary Portal — the office stopped accepting paper notary filings at the end of 2023 — and your $15,000 bond is uploaded to the state rather than recorded at a courthouse.

The money side is simple: $30 to the state, a premium on the four-year bond, and an ink stamp once you're approved. What you can charge is the catch — Nebraska caps the acknowledgment fee at $5, so the commission itself is cheap but the per-signature income is small. Notaries here build income through signing work, travel mileage, and volume.

If you want remote work, Nebraska runs a two-track system: an In-Person Electronic Notary registration for e-signing face to face, and an Online Notary Public registration for true remote notarization. The online track costs $50 and requires the state's own training course plus a second exam, with your electronic seal issued through an approved technology provider.

Who can become a notary in Nebraska?

• Age: at least 19 years old.
• Residency: You must be a Nebraska resident, or live in a bordering state and keep a regular place of work or business in Nebraska. You must also be a U.S. citizen or a qualified alien.
• Background: The Secretary of State's qualification list says you must not have been convicted of a felony, or of a crime involving fraud or dishonesty, within the previous five years. Older convictions are not an automatic bar under that standard — call the SOS Notary Division if you're unsure how your record applies.
• You must sign an oath of office on your bond in front of another notary public before you apply.
• Nebraska's minimum age is 19, matching the state's age of majority — 18-year-olds cannot be commissioned.

How to apply: step by step

1. Take and pass the Nebraska Notary Exam online through the ClassMarker link on the Secretary of State's website. It has 20 questions, the passing score is 85%, and you get three attempts. Save the digital passing certificate as a PDF — it's only valid for 90 days.
2. Buy a $15,000 notary surety bond from a Nebraska-licensed insurance agent or an online surety provider, using the exact name you will notarize under and your home address.
3. Sign the bond twice: once as the bond's principal, and a second time in front of another notary public when you complete the oath of office printed on the bond.
4. Create an account on the Secretary of State's Online Notary Portal and complete the initial commission application. Paper filings are no longer accepted — everything goes through the portal.
5. Upload your exam certificate and executed bond, then pay the $30 filing fee by card or eCheck. Track your application in the portal's Notary Work Queue; the office emails you when it's processed.
6. After approval, download your Commission Certificate from the portal and take it to any office-supply or stamp vendor to order your ink stamp seal engraved with 'State of Nebraska', 'General Notary' (or 'General Notarial'), your commissioned name, and your expiration date.

How long it takes: The Secretary of State does not publish a turnaround time. You track your application in the portal's work queue and get an email when it's processed; ask the Notary Division for current timing if you're on a deadline.

What it costs in Nebraska

Exam and training

Exam: Yes — Nebraska is one of the few states with a true pre-commission exam. It's 20 questions, taken online through ClassMarker via the SOS website, and you need 85% to pass. You get three attempts; fail all three and you are no longer eligible. A passing score stays valid for 90 days, so don't test until you're ready to apply.

No course is required for a standard commission — the SOS points applicants to its statutes, FAQ, and rules pages to study for the exam. A separate SOS-administered training course is mandatory only if you register as an Online Notary Public for remote notarization.

Can you notarize online in Nebraska? RON allowed

Yes — Nebraska authorizes remote online notarization (RON). Nebraska also offers a separate In-Person Electronic Notary registration for e-signing with the signer physically present. Remote notarization operates under the state's Online Notary Public Act; the SOS's online-notary rules took effect July 1, 2021. Confirm the current approved-provider list with the SOS.

To add RON to your commission: You must hold an active Nebraska commission (you can apply for both at once), complete the SOS-administered online notary training course, pass a separate 20-question online notary exam with 85% (three attempts, certificate valid 90 days), and file the Online Notary Public registration through the portal with a $50 fee. Approved registrants get an approval letter — not a certificate — which you give to your chosen technology provider, and your online seal (with an identifying number) is set up through that approved solution provider.

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Get your stamp and journal. An ink stamp seal is required, engraved with four elements: 'State of Nebraska', the words 'General Notary' or 'General Notarial', your name exactly as commissioned, and your commission expiration date. The SOS instructions don't prescribe a shape or size — any office-supply store can make one from your commission certificate. See the new-notary supplies checklist and Nebraska stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: Nebraska caps notary fees at $5 for taking an acknowledgment. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 33-133 caps the fee for taking an acknowledgment of a deed or other instrument at $5, and the SOS has warned notaries that the only amount they may add is the state mileage rate for travel. With caps this low, Nebraska notaries earn on volume and travel, not per-signature fees. Confirm current per-act amounts for other acts with the SOS.

E&O insurance: The SOS states plainly that an errors-and-omissions policy is optional and you don't file proof of it. The bond protects the public, not you, so some Nebraska notaries add E&O for their own protection.

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

Nebraska notary FAQ