2026 state guide · ND
How to become a notary in North Dakota
Quick answer
- Minimum age
- 18 years; residency and other eligibility rules below
- Required fees
- $36 + variable costs
- Exam / course
- No exam required · No mandatory course
- Bond coverage
- $7,500 (you pay a premium, not this amount)
- Commission term
- 4 years
- Remote status
- Electronic RON available
North Dakota commissions notaries for four years through a $36 application in the Secretary of State's FirstStop portal, backed by a $7,500 surety bond filed with the state. There is no exam and no training requirement, but you can't notarize until your stamp impression is verified and your commission's start date arrives.
North Dakota runs a lean commissioning process with one distinctive control: the stamp itself is part of the approval loop. You apply through the FirstStop portal with $36, a $7,500 surety bond, and a notarized oath — no exam, no course — but you can't just start work when approved. The state first sends a Certificate of Authorization letting you buy a stamp, then you mail back an impression for verification, and only after your commission certificate's commencement date can you notarize anything.
In dollars: about $100–$150 covers the state fee, a four-year bond premium, and the stamping device, and each four-year renewal repeats the whole kit — new bond, new oath, and a newly purchased stamp with the updated expiration date. The bond is filed with the Secretary of State directly; counties play no role here.
Two rules define daily practice. Fees are capped at a flat $5 per act — overcharging is an infraction, not just a rule violation — with travel and technology fees allowed only when agreed and explained up front. And remote notarization is refreshingly cheap to add: no second commission and no listed state fee, just an amendment in FirstStop naming your technology provider, plus the recording and journal duties that come with notarizing someone over video.
Who can become a notary in North Dakota?
- Age: at least 18 years old.
- Residency: You qualify if you're a North Dakota resident or have a place of employment or practice in the state. There's also a reciprocity option: residents of a county that borders North Dakota, in a state that extends the same courtesy to North Dakotans, may be commissioned — those applicants appoint the Secretary of State as their agent for service of process.
- Background: N.D.C.C. § 44-06.1-21 gives the Secretary of State discretion to deny a commission for anything showing a lack of honesty, integrity, competence, or reliability — including relevant convictions or false statements on the application. There is no automatic lifetime bar written into the qualification list; contact the SOS if your record raises questions.
- You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident.
- You must be able to read and write English.
- The name on your application must exactly match the name you'll sign when notarizing.
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: The Secretary of State doesn't publish a standard processing time. Watch FirstStop for your Certificate of Authorization and remember the commission certificate's commencement date controls when you may start notarizing.
What it costs in North Dakota
First-time, non-attorney applicant for a traditional commission. Government appointments, attorney exemptions, renewals and remote authorization may differ.
Known required fees: $36 + 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.
$36 · Source
First-time traditional commission. Fee exemptions may apply to certain applicants.
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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.
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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
North Dakota does not require an exam or a mandatory course. No required training either. Optional courses from notary associations exist, but North Dakota's Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts imposes no education requirement for a commission.
Remote notarization in North Dakota
Electronic RON available
A commissioned notary must meet the state-specific authorization, technology and recordkeeping rules below.
Remote notarization operates under N.D.C.C. § 44-06.1-13.1, part of the state's Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts chapter. The same amendment process covers in-person electronic notarization.
No separate commission or state fee: before your first remote act you must notify the Secretary of State that you'll be performing notarial acts for remotely located individuals and identify the technology you'll use — filed as a Notary Public Amendment in the FirstStop portal naming your software provider. Remote acts require identity proofing, an audio-visual recording retained for at least ten years, and a journal chronicling every remote act.
Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.
After you're commissioned
Check your seal and recordkeeping requirements. The official stamp must include your name, the jurisdiction ('Notary Public' and 'State of North Dakota'), and your commission expiration date, and it must photocopy with the document. Size limits: circular stamps up to 1-5/8 inches in diameter, rectangular up to 7/8 by 2-5/8 inches. Two timing quirks: you buy the stamp only after the state sends your Certificate of Authorization, and you must return an impression for verification before your commission is finalized. Destroy or deface the device when your term ends or the stamp is replaced. See the new-notary supplies checklist and North Dakota stamp requirements before you order.
What you can charge: North Dakota caps notary fees at $5 per notarial act. N.D.C.C. § 44-06.1-28 caps the charge at $5 per notarial act, and exceeding it is an infraction — as is any third party tacking on its own notarization charge. Travel fees are allowed if agreed in advance and explained as separate and non-mandated; a technology fee for electronic or remote acts is allowed on the same agree-and-disclose terms.
E&O insurance: Optional. The $7,500 assurance protects people harmed by notarial misconduct — errors-and-omissions coverage is the separate, voluntary policy that protects you.
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
North Dakota notary FAQ
Does North Dakota have a notary exam or class?
No to both. The commission rests on paperwork: a $36 application in the FirstStop portal, a $7,500 surety bond on form SFN 19355, and an oath of office signed before an existing notary. That makes North Dakota one of the simpler commissioning states — the stamp-verification step is the only part people don't expect.
Why can't I buy my North Dakota stamp right away?
Because the state controls the sequence. First your application is approved and the Secretary of State issues a Certificate of Authorization; only then can a vendor sell you the stamping device. You then send an impression back on the verification form, and your commission certificate follows. Notarizing before your certificate's commencement date isn't allowed.
Can Minnesotans or Montanans near the border become North Dakota notaries?
Possibly — North Dakota commissions residents of counties that border the state when their home state extends reciprocity to North Dakota's border-county residents. Border-county applicants appoint the Secretary of State as their agent for service of process. If you work or practice anywhere in North Dakota, you qualify on that basis instead, regardless of reciprocity.
What can a North Dakota notary charge?
Up to $5 per notarial act — charging more is legally an infraction, and so is any outside party adding its own notarization fee. You can add a travel fee if the customer agrees in advance and you explain it's separate and not set by law, and remote or electronic acts can carry a disclosed technology fee. The realistic upside is volume and travel, not the per-act rate.
How does remote online notarization work in North Dakota?
You keep your regular commission and simply file a Notary Public Amendment in FirstStop before your first remote act, telling the Secretary of State which software provider you'll use. The law then requires identity proofing of the remote signer, an audio-visual recording of each session kept at least ten years, and a journal of your remote acts — a journal is not required for ordinary in-person notarizations.
Official sources
Use these authority pages and publications to check the requirements. Review notes identify details that still need confirmation.
- Become a Notary Public — North Dakota Secretary of State
- Maintain Notary Commission — North Dakota Secretary of State
- N.D.C.C. Chapter 44-06.1 — Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (PDF) — North Dakota Legislative Branch
- Notary Bond form SFN 19355 (PDF) — North Dakota 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 North Dakota Secretary of State.