2026 state guide · NJ
How to become a notary in New Jersey
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
- Not required
- Commission term
- 5 years
- Remote status
- Electronic RON available
New Jersey commissions notaries through the Department of the Treasury for a $25 fee, with no bond and no course tuition — but new non-attorney applicants must pass a state exam, and you must be sworn in at your county clerk's office within three months. The commission runs five years.
New Jersey is the only state in this region where your notary paperwork goes to the Treasury: commissions are issued by the Department of the Treasury's Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, not a Secretary of State. The process kept one old-fashioned quirk — every application still needs a legislative endorsement, handled inside the online system — while the 2021 overhaul (P.L. 2021, c.179) dragged everything else forward: mandatory e-filing, an exam for new non-attorney applicants, required journals and stamps, and legal authority for remote notarization.
The practical path: study the state manual, file online with $25, pass the portal exam if you're new and not an attorney, then get sworn in at your county clerk's office within three months — a hard deadline that cancels your commission if missed. With no bond to buy, most people are commissioned for well under $100 including the stamp and journal.
Know the fee math before you plan a business around it. New Jersey caps ordinary acts at $2.50 and bundles real estate signings into $15 and $25 flat maximums, among the lowest in the country. The upside of the 2021 law is remote notarization: any commissioned notary can add it by notifying the Treasurer and picking a compliant technology — no second commission and no separate state fee listed.
Who can become a notary in New Jersey?
- Age: at least 18 years old.
- Residency: You must be a legal resident of New Jersey, or have a place of employment or practice in the state. Non-residents certify their New Jersey office or employer in the online application and must report any change while commissioned.
- Background: The State Treasurer may deny an application based on your record — DORES guidance points to convictions involving dishonesty and first- or second-degree crimes as disqualifying. If you have a conviction, contact the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services before paying the fee.
- Applications must be endorsed by a member of the New Jersey Legislature — the online system handles routing this endorsement.
- Non-attorney notaries may not use titles implying they are lawyers, and foreign-language ads must carry a required 'I am not an attorney' notice.
Your application checklist
Work through the application in order. Check off completed steps; your progress is saved only in this browser.
How long it takes: DORES does not publish a fixed processing time for commissions. The oath clock is the deadline that matters: three months from your commission date to be sworn in at the county clerk, or the commission is canceled.
What it costs in New Jersey
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.
$25 · Source
First-time traditional commission. Fee exemptions may apply to certain applicants.
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Obtain the actual charge from your county, authority, or provider; do not assume it is included in the application fee.
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Obtain the actual charge from your county, authority, or provider; do not assume it is included in the application fee.
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Price and delivery depend on the approved provider. Obtain a quote before enrolling.
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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.
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: Required for first-time applicants who are not licensed New Jersey attorneys. It's taken online through the state's notary portal, based on the Notary Public Manual, and the Treasurer may charge up to $15 per test. Renewing notaries who already passed once don't retest.
Required course: The 2021 law requires new non-attorney applicants to complete a six-hour course of study approved by the State Treasurer plus the exam; in practice the portal directs applicants through the official manual and training-video series. Renewals call for a three-hour continuing education course. Confirm the currently approved study format with DORES before relying on a third-party class.
Remote notarization in New Jersey
Electronic RON available
A commissioned notary must meet the state-specific authorization, technology and recordkeeping rules below.
Authorized by P.L. 2021, c.179 (N.J.S.A. 52:7-10 et seq.), the same law that modernized the whole commissioning system. No separate state registration fee is listed — confirm current technology-notification instructions with DORES.
Any commissioned New Jersey notary can add remote and electronic notarization without a separate commission: before your first remote act you must notify the State Treasurer electronically, identify the communication technologies you'll use, and update your commission record through the portal's 'Remote/Electronic Notarization' option. Sessions require identity proofing through approved methods, an audio-visual recording, and retention of that recording for 10 years.
Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.
After you're commissioned
Check your seal and recordkeeping requirements. Every notarial act must be evidenced by a certificate and stamped. The official stamp must include your name, the title 'Notary Public, State of New Jersey', and your commission expiration date, and it must photocopy cleanly with the document. No shape or size is mandated. The stamping device legally belongs to you, not your employer — even if the employer paid for it. See the new-notary supplies checklist and New Jersey stamp requirements before you order.
What you can charge: New Jersey caps notary fees at $2.50 per notarial act. The official fee schedule is unusually low: $2.50 for administering an oath, taking an affidavit, proof of deed, or acknowledgment. Real estate work uses flat bundles instead — $15 for all grantor acknowledgments in a single property-transfer transaction and $25 for all mortgagor acts in a single financing transaction. These caps make ordinary walk-in notarization close to a courtesy service in New Jersey.
E&O insurance: Not required. Since New Jersey also has no bond, an optional errors-and-omissions policy is the only financial backstop a notary here can carry against claims over a mistake.
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
New Jersey notary FAQ
Do I need a state legislator to sign off on my New Jersey notary application?
State law still requires each application to be endorsed by a member of the Legislature, a rule New Jersey has kept even after its 2021 modernization. You don't chase down a signature yourself — the endorsement is built into the online application flow. It adds a routing step, not real work for you.
Is there a New Jersey notary exam?
Yes, for first-time applicants who aren't licensed New Jersey attorneys. The test is taken online through the Notary Public Application System, draws from the official Notary Public Manual and training videos, and can cost up to $15 per sitting. Once you've passed and hold a commission, renewals don't require retesting as long as your commission hasn't lapsed.
What happens if I skip the county clerk oath in New Jersey?
Your commission dies. You have three months from your commission date to take the oath before your county clerk (your work county if you live out of state), and the Treasurer must cancel any commission where the oath isn't taken in time. The clerk charges a modest fee — $15 in Bergen County — and forwards your qualification certificate to the state within 10 days.
Why are New Jersey notary fees so low?
The statutory schedule allows just $2.50 per ordinary act, with flat caps of $15 for all grantor acknowledgments in one real estate transfer and $25 for all mortgagor acts in one financing. That makes per-act income negligible — New Jersey notaries who earn from the commission do it through signing services, remote notarization platforms, or as part of a broader job.
Does New Jersey require a notary journal?
Yes, since the 2021 law took effect. You keep one journal — bound paper or tamper-evident electronic — logging every act with the date, document, signer, identification used, and fees charged, and you retain it for 10 years after the last entry. Attorneys admitted in New Jersey may rely on their law-practice records instead.
Official sources
Use these authority pages and publications to check the requirements. Review notes identify details that still need confirmation.
- Notary Public Program — NJ Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services
- New Jersey Notary Public Manual (PDF) — NJ Department of the Treasury
- Notary Public Law (P.L. 2021, c.179) overview — NJ Department of the Treasury
- Notary Public Application System — NJ Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services
- Notary Public commission registration (county oath step) — Bergen County Clerk
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 New Jersey Department of the Treasury — Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services.