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

Requirements verified July 18, 2026 against New York Department of State, Division of Licensing Services

New York keeps it lean: pass a $15 walk-in exam, apply online with a $60 fee, and you're commissioned for four years — no bond, no mandatory course, no seal requirement. Attorneys skip the exam entirely.

New York hands out one of the cheapest notary commissions of any big state — about $75 gets you there — but it's the only one of the big four that makes everyone (except attorneys) pass a real exam first. The test is a $15 walk-in written exam drawn entirely from the state's free License Law booklet; score a pass slip, get your oath notarized, and file the $60 application online through NY Business Express. No bond, no mandatory course, and no seal — just a required block of text in black ink under your signature.

Practically: study the booklet, pass the exam, apply, and expect your ID card four to six weeks after the Division of Licensing Services gets your application. Budget $75 plus a rubber stamp. The catch is on the earning side — New York caps paper notarizations at $2 per act, the lowest cap among major states, and closings here customarily run through attorneys, which shrinks the freelance loan-signing market.

The 2023 electronic notarization law changed the math and the paperwork. Registered electronic notaries ($60 registration) can charge up to $25 per remote act, and — easy to miss — the same rulebook now requires every New York notary, paper or electronic, to keep ten years of records of each notarization.

Who can become a notary in New York?

• Age: at least 18 years old.
• Residency: You must be a New York State resident, or a non-resident with an office or place of business in New York. Non-residents keep the commission only while they keep the NY office; a resident who moves away but keeps a NY office stays commissioned.
• Background: The Secretary of State must find you of good moral character with the equivalent of a common school education. A felony conviction (or certain listed offenses) is disqualifying unless you have an executive pardon or a certificate of relief from disabilities/certificate of good conduct.
• New York attorneys and court clerks of the Unified Court System are exempt from the exam.
• You must be familiar with the duties of a notary — the exam tests the Notary Public License Law booklet.

How to apply: step by step

1. Study the free Notary Public License Law booklet from the Department of State — the exam comes straight from it.
2. Take the written exam at one of the walk-in exam sites scheduled around the state ($15, payable at the exam). Results come back as a pass slip. Attorneys and Unified Court System court clerks skip this step.
3. Download and complete the Oath of Office form, have it notarized, and scan it.
4. Apply online through New York Business Express (Notary Public Commission, form DOS-0033), uploading your pass slip and notarized oath, and pay the $60 application fee to the Division of Licensing Services.
5. Wait for approval. The Department of State commissions you in your county of residence (or qualification) and forwards your commission, oath, and signature to that county clerk, which is where anyone can verify your official signature.
6. Optionally buy a rubber stamp with your required statement of authority — New York requires the information under your signature, not a seal, but a stamp makes it painless. Your notary ID card arrives within four to six weeks.

How long it takes: The Department of State says a newly appointed notary receives the ID card within four to six weeks of the Division of Licensing Services receiving the application. Add time up front for scheduling and passing the exam.

What it costs in New York

Exam and training

Exam: A written, proctored multiple-choice exam on the Notary Public License Law, offered walk-in at sites around the state; $15 per attempt and results are reported pass/fail (the passing standard is 70 percent). Your pass slip goes in with the application. NYS attorneys and Unified Court System court clerks are exempt.

No course is required. Private exam-prep classes exist, but the free official License Law booklet is the actual exam syllabus.

Can you notarize online in New York? RON allowed

Yes — New York authorizes remote online notarization (RON). New York's permanent electronic/remote notarization law, Executive Law 135-c, took effect at the end of January 2023, with electronic-notary registration open since February 1, 2023. Electronic notaries may charge up to $25 per electronic notarial act. Note that since 2023, ALL New York notaries — traditional included — must keep records of every notarial act for ten years (19 NYCRR 182.9).

To add RON to your commission: You must hold a New York commission, then register your electronic notarization capability with the Secretary of State through NY Business Express and pay a $60 registration fee (19 NYCRR 182.11). You must use technology that meets the state's identity-proofing, credential-analysis, and audio-video requirements, and keep the recording of each remote session for at least ten years.

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Get your stamp and journal. No seal or stamp is legally required. Instead, Executive Law 137 requires that beneath your signature you print, typewrite, or stamp in black ink: your name, the words 'Notary Public State of New York', the county where you qualified, and your commission expiration date (plus any county where your certificate of official character is filed). Nearly everyone buys a rubber stamp with this statement to avoid writing it out each time. See the new-notary supplies checklist and New York stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: New York caps notary fees at $2 per act (oath or acknowledgment). Executive Law 136: $2 for administering an oath or affirmation, and $2 per person for taking an acknowledgment or proof of execution. Electronic notarial acts are the exception — the Department of State allows up to $25 per electronic act. The $2 cap makes stamp-only income negligible; New York notaries earn through jobs that need the credential or through electronic notarization.

E&O insurance: Not required. With no bond in the picture you are personally exposed for mistakes, so E&O coverage is worth considering if you notarize professionally.

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. That path is limited in New York (see the callout above), so weigh it before investing in training. Loan signing agent guide

New York notary FAQ