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

Requirements verified July 18, 2026 against New Hampshire Secretary of State

New Hampshire notaries are appointed by the Governor and Executive Council for a five-year term. You mail a $75 application endorsed by two current NH notaries and one registered NH voter — there is no bond, no exam, and no required training.

New Hampshire treats a notary commission like a small public office. You are not approved by a clerk — the Governor and the five-member Executive Council nominate you at one meeting and appoint you at another, which is why the state quotes an 8–10 week wait. Before your paperwork even gets there, three people must vouch for you on the form itself: two current New Hampshire notaries public in good standing and one registered New Hampshire voter. You also swear to your answers in front of a notary or justice of the peace, and the State Police check your record.

The practical part is simple and cheap by national standards: print the two-sided application, gather your three endorsers, complete the criminal-record acknowledgement, and mail the original with $75 to the Secretary of State in Concord. There is no bond, no exam, and no required class. Once appointed, you take an oath before two notaries or justices of the peace (or one of each), send it back to the state, and buy a stamp with your name, 'Notary Public, New Hampshire', and your expiration date. The commission runs five years.

Two things worth knowing before you count on notary income here. Fees are capped at $10 per act — $25 for remote online notarizations, which New Hampshire has allowed since February 6, 2022, once you register your technology with the Secretary of State. And while no New Hampshire law forces real estate closings through attorneys, closings here are customarily run by law offices and title companies, so signing-agent work depends on how those companies staff their tables.

Who can become a notary in New Hampshire?

• Age: at least 18 years old.
• Residency: You must be a New Hampshire resident. Residents of an abutting state (Maine, Massachusetts, or Vermont) can also apply if they are regularly employed or run a trade, business, or practice in New Hampshire and already hold a notary commission in their home state.
• Background: The application asks under oath whether you have ever been convicted of a crime (other than a minor traffic violation) that a court has not annulled, and the Secretary of State runs your record through the N.H. State Police database. A conviction is not an automatic bar: the application is held while you request approval from the Executive Councilor for your district, and only then goes to the Governor and Council.
• Two New Hampshire notaries public in good standing must endorse your application.
• One registered New Hampshire voter must also endorse it — three endorsers total.
• You must sign the application under oath in front of a notary public or justice of the peace (someone other than yourself).
• The Acknowledgement of Criminal Record Check on the back of the form is mandatory — the application is not processed without it.

How to apply: step by step

1. Print the Notary Public Application from the Secretary of State's site (or request one at 603-271-3242 / administration@sos.nh.gov). Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont residents use the out-of-state version plus an Affidavit of Employment.
2. Answer the criminal-conviction question, then sign the applicant's sworn statement in front of a notary public or justice of the peace — you cannot notarize your own form.
3. Collect three endorsement signatures on the form: two New Hampshire notaries public in good standing and one registered New Hampshire voter.
4. Complete the Acknowledgement of Criminal Record Check on the back of the form, also signed before a notary or justice of the peace.
5. Mail the ORIGINAL application with the $75 fee (the form says checks go to 'Treasurer, State of New Hampshire') to the Secretary of State's Office, State House Room 204, 107 North Main Street, Concord, NH 03301.
6. Wait 8–10 weeks. The Governor and Executive Council first nominate you at one meeting, then appoint you at a later meeting; your five-year commission runs from the confirmation date.
7. When your commission packet arrives, sign and take the oath of office in front of two justices of the peace, two notaries public, or one of each, and return the oath to the Secretary of State. You cannot act as a notary until your oath is on file (RSA 92:2).
8. Order a rubber stamp or embosser showing your name, 'Notary Public, New Hampshire', and your commission expiration date — the state does not provide one.

How long it takes: The Secretary of State says processing takes 8–10 weeks. The wait is built in: after the criminal record check, the Governor and Executive Council must first nominate you at one meeting and then appoint you at a later meeting. Your commission, oath form, and official manual arrive within about a week after appointment.

What it costs in New Hampshire

Exam and training

New Hampshire does not require an exam or a mandatory course. No required course. Every new notary receives the free official Notary Public and Justice of the Peace Manual from the Secretary of State, prepared with the Attorney General under RSA 455:17.

Can you notarize online in New Hampshire? RON allowed

Yes — New Hampshire authorizes remote online notarization (RON). Remote and electronic notarization took effect February 6, 2022, through amendments to RSA 456-B (2021 session, Chapter 206). There is no separate state registration fee listed, and remote acts have their own $25-per-act fee cap.

To add RON to your commission: Before your first remote act you must notify the Secretary of State of the communication technology and identity-proofing services you will use — the office publishes a 'Users of E-Notarization' form for this. You must remain physically in New Hampshire, verify the signer with two types of identity proofing (or personal knowledge/credible witness), make an audio-visual recording of each remote act, and keep it at least 10 years. The Secretary of State says a journal is required for electronic and remote notarizations.

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Get your stamp and journal. Since February 6, 2022, RSA 455:3 requires every notarial act on a record to be made under an embossed official seal or the legible imprint of a rubber or electronic official stamp showing your name, the words 'Notary Public, New Hampshire', and your commission expiration date. Whenever you sign as a notary you must also type, print, or stamp your name and state your commission expiration on the document. No shape or size is specified, and the state does not supply the stamp. See the new-notary supplies checklist and New Hampshire stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: New Hampshire caps notary fees at $10 per oath, witness, service, or certification. RSA 455:11 caps standard acts at $10. Remote notarizations under RSA 456-B:6-a are capped higher at $25 per act. Deposition work is paid at justice-of-the-peace rates under RSA 517:19 (the Secretary of State describes this as $5 up to $50, plus $0.20 per mile of travel to swear in witnesses), and you cannot charge anything to administer oaths of office to town officers.

E&O insurance: Not required. Optional errors-and-omissions insurance can cover claims over notarial mistakes; since New Hampshire has no bond, E&O is the only financial backstop a notary can carry.

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

New Hampshire notary FAQ