2026 state guide · NM

How to become a notary in New Mexico

By NotaryRequirements.com · Source review July 18, 2026
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Official application ↗Your application checklist

Quick answer

Minimum age: 18 years; residency and other eligibility rules below
Required fees: $30 + 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

New Mexico notaries apply online with the Secretary of State, pay a $30 filing fee, pass a state qualification course and exam (80% required), and file a $10,000 surety bond. The commission lasts four years, and remote online notarization is available for an extra $75 after a second course.

New Mexico rebuilt its notary law from the ground up when the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA) took effect on January 1, 2022. The old process is gone: everything now runs through the Secretary of State's online portal at enterprise.sos.nm.gov, and since October 2023 the office won't even accept paper filings. The bigger change for applicants is the mandatory qualification course and exam — you have to score at least 80% with the state's approved vendor before you can apply. New Mexico also kept its $10,000 surety bond, which now uploads with your application instead of being filed separately.

In practice, becoming a notary here means: pass the course and exam, buy the $10,000 bond and get your signature on it notarized, get your Oath of Office notarized, then file everything online with the $30 fee. Once approved, you have a hard 45-day deadline to register your official stamp — blow it and the Secretary of State must refer you to the State Ethics Commission. The commission runs four years, and every act you perform has to go in a journal you keep for ten years.

Fees are capped at $5 per acknowledgment, oath, or jurat, so walk-in notarizations alone won't pay much. The upside is that New Mexico is a title-and-escrow closing state with full remote online notarization: for a $75 amendment and a second course, a commissioned notary can notarize electronic records for signers anywhere, as long as the notary is physically in New Mexico.

Who can become a notary in New Mexico?

Age: at least 18 years old.
Residency: You must be a New Mexico resident or have a place of employment in the state. Out-of-state residents who work in New Mexico can qualify.
Background: The Secretary of State says you cannot have been convicted of a felony or a crime involving fraud, dishonesty, or deceit in the last five years, and you cannot have had a notary commission denied, suspended, or revoked in another state.
Able to read and write English.
Must pass the New Mexico Notary Qualification course and exam with a score of 80% or higher before applying.
Must have your Oath of Office and surety bond signature notarized by a current New Mexico notarial officer — you can never notarize your own signature, even with an active commission.

Your application checklist

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Step 1. Take the New Mexico State Notary Qualification course and pass the exam with at least 80%. The National Notary Association is the Secretary of State's approved vendor; you pay the course fee directly to the vendor.
Step 2. Buy a $10,000 surety bond from a surety licensed or authorized to do business in New Mexico. Sign it as principal and have your signature notarized by a current New Mexico notarial officer.
Step 3. Sign the Oath of Office and have it notarized by a current New Mexico notarial officer.
Step 4. File the Notary Public Application online at enterprise.sos.nm.gov and pay the $30.00 filing fee by e-check or credit card. Upload your course completion certificate, notarized oath, and notarized bond as PDFs — the Secretary of State stopped accepting paper notary filings on October 13, 2023.
Step 5. After approval, you receive a Certificate of Commission with your commission number and four-year expiration date.
Step 6. Within 45 days of approval, buy your official stamp and file a Notary Public Stamp Registration online. Miss the 45-day deadline and the Secretary of State must refer you to the State Ethics Commission.
Step 7. Set up a journal (paper or electronic) — New Mexico requires you to record every notarial act.

How long it takes: The Secretary of State does not publish an official processing time for notary applications. Filings are fully online at enterprise.sos.nm.gov, which keeps turnaround reasonably quick — contact the Business Services Division (505-827-3600) if you need a current estimate.

What it costs in New Mexico

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

Known required fees: $30 + 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)

$30 · Source

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

Your actual charge (USD)

Required education and assessment (required)

Get a quote · Source

Price and delivery depend on the approved provider. Obtain a quote before enrolling.

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

Exam: Yes. You must pass the state Notary Qualification exam with 80% or higher after completing the online course from the approved vendor (the National Notary Association). The certificate uploads with your application.

Required course: Required. The qualification course and exam come as one package from the Secretary of State's approved vendor, with the fee paid directly to the vendor. Renewing notaries who passed after January 1, 2022 don't retake it, as long as the commission hasn't been expired more than one year. Adding RON requires a separate RON course and exam.

Remote notarization in New Mexico

Electronic RON available

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

RON is part of New Mexico's Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA, NMSA Chapter 14, Article 14A), the 2021 SB 12 overhaul effective January 1, 2022. RON notaries handle electronic records only.

You must already hold a New Mexico commission, complete the separate Remote Online Notary Education course and exam, then file a RON application online at enterprise.sos.nm.gov as an amendment to your commission — uploading a PDF of your electronic stamp and paying a $75.00 filing fee. You must use a technology provider from the Secretary of State's approved list (about a dozen platforms), be physically located in New Mexico when performing the act, verify the signer's identity at the start of each session, and log the RON platform used in your journal.

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Check your seal and recordkeeping requirements. Your official stamp must contain the words 'State of New Mexico' and 'Notary Public', your legal name exactly as it appears on your Certificate of Commission, your commission number and expiration date, and the Great Seal of the State of New Mexico, in 10-point font. You must register the stamp with the Secretary of State within 45 days of commissioning (and again within 45 days of each renewal). Report a lost or stolen stamp within 30 days and register a replacement. See the new-notary supplies checklist and New Mexico stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: New Mexico caps notary fees at $5 per acknowledgment, oath/affirmation, or jurat. Caps from the Secretary of State's Notarial Officer Handbook: $5.00 per acknowledgment, $5.00 per person for oaths or affirmations without a signature, $5.00 per jurat, and $0.50 per page for copy certifications with a $5.00 minimum. You may add a travel fee only if agreed in advance and explained as separate from the notarial fee, and a technology fee up to $25 per act for acts performed electronically. Employers can't set higher fees than these.

E&O insurance: Not required. The $10,000 bond protects the public, not you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Optional errors-and-omissions insurance covers your own liability for mistakes.

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 Mexico notary FAQ

How much does it cost to become a notary in New Mexico?

The state filing fee is $30. On top of that you pay for the required qualification course and exam (fee goes directly to the state's approved vendor), a $10,000 surety bond premium, and an official stamp. Most people end up in the low-to-mid $100s all in.

Does New Mexico require a notary exam?

Yes. Since RULONA took effect in 2022, every new applicant must complete the state qualification course and pass the exam with a score of 80% or higher. The National Notary Association is the Secretary of State's approved vendor, and your completion certificate uploads with the application.

Is the $10,000 notary bond still required in New Mexico?

Yes. New Mexico kept the $10,000 surety bond when it adopted the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts. You buy it from a surety authorized in New Mexico, have your signature on it notarized, and upload it with your online application. You can only notarize while a valid bond is on file with the Secretary of State.

Do New Mexico notaries have to keep a journal?

Yes. Every notarial act must be recorded in a journal — paper or electronic — with the date, time, type of act, signer's name and address, how you identified them, and the fee charged. You must keep the journal for ten years after the last entry, even if your commission ends.

How do I become a remote online notary in New Mexico?

First hold a regular New Mexico commission. Then complete the separate RON course and exam, pick a platform from the Secretary of State's approved technology list, and file a RON application online with a $75 fee plus a PDF of your electronic stamp. You must be physically in New Mexico whenever you perform a remote notarization.

Can I be a New Mexico notary if I live in another state?

Yes, if you have a place of employment in New Mexico. The law requires you to be a resident of or employed in the state, so out-of-state commuters who work in New Mexico qualify.

Official sources

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

Become a Notary — New Mexico Secretary of State
New Mexico Notarial Officer Handbook (rev. July 2023) — New Mexico Secretary of State
Become a Remote Online Notary (RON) — New Mexico Secretary of State
Stamp Requirements — New Mexico Secretary of State
Training Resources — New Mexico Secretary of State

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 Mexico Secretary of State.