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

Requirements verified July 19, 2026 against Ohio Secretary of State

Ohio non-attorneys become notaries by passing a BCI criminal background check, completing a three-hour class and test ($130), and filing a $15 online application with the Secretary of State. There is no bond, and the commission lasts five years.

Ohio rebuilt its notary system in 2019: the Notary Public Modernization Act (SB 263) took commissioning away from the county courts, handed it to the Secretary of State, killed the old bond requirement, and made every filing electronic. What replaced the bond is screening — a fingerprint-based BCI background check, a mandatory three-hour class, and a test, all before you can file the $15 application at notary.ohiosos.gov.

Budget roughly $175–$225 to start: $130 to an authorized provider for the class and test (the price is set by state rule, so shopping around won't change it), the BCI check fee, $15 to the state, and a seal with the Ohio coat of arms. The commission runs five years — unless you're an attorney, in which case it never expires while you stay in good standing. Attorneys also skip the test and the background check, though they still sit through the class.

The economics are shaped by one of the lowest fee caps in the country: $5 per in-person notarial act, and you can't charge per signature. The upside is online notarization, allowed in Ohio since September 2019 — online acts are capped at $30 plus a $10 technology fee, which is why many Ohio notaries treat the $270 online add-on (course, exam, and state fee) as the real business decision.

Who can become a notary in Ohio?

• Age: at least 18 years old.
• Residency: You must be a legal resident of Ohio. The one exception is attorneys: a non-resident attorney admitted to practice law in Ohio can be commissioned if their principal place of business or primary practice is in Ohio (Ohio Revised Code 147.01).
• Background: Every non-attorney applicant must submit an Ohio BCI criminal records check completed within the previous six months showing no conviction or guilty/no-contest plea to a disqualifying offense under ORC 9.79 — broadly, offenses involving moral turpitude or directly related to the office. Attorneys and peace officers are exempt from the records check. If the Secretary of State ever revoked your commission, you cannot be reappointed.
• You must take an oath of office before a notary public or another officer authorized to administer oaths before starting your duties.
• Non-attorney applicants must pass the state-required education and test; attorneys take the class but skip the test.

How to apply: step by step

1. Get an Ohio BCI (Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation) criminal records check through an electronic fingerprinting location. The report must be less than six months old when you apply, and you pay the BCI fee directly. Attorneys and peace officers skip this step.
2. Complete the required three-hour education program and pass the test through an education and testing provider authorized by the Secretary of State — the SOS publishes the list of authorized providers on its website. Non-attorneys pay the provider $130 for the class and test; attorneys pay $75 for the class only.
3. Create an account and file your application online at notary.ohiosos.gov — Ohio law requires all notary filings to be submitted electronically. Upload your BCI report, your education/testing certificate of completion, and a sample signature.
4. Pay the $15 filing fee to the Secretary of State inside the online system.
5. Take the constitutional oath of office before a notary public or other authorized officer before you begin performing notarial acts.
6. Once your commission issues, buy your notary seal — a circular seal, three-quarters of an inch to one inch across, with the Ohio coat of arms — and consider a journal, which is good practice and mandatory if you later add online notarization authority.

How long it takes: The Secretary of State does not publish a standard turnaround for notary applications. Filing is electronic end to end, so most of the calendar time is gathering the BCI report and course certificate — confirm current processing times with the SOS Notary Unit if you are on a deadline.

What it costs in Ohio

Exam and training

Exam: Non-attorney applicants must pass a test administered by an SOS-authorized education and testing provider, usually right after the three-hour class. If you fail, you can retake it after 30 days; fail twice and you restart the whole application, including the $130 fee. Attorneys admitted in Ohio are exempt from the test (attorneys commissioned before September 20, 2019 are exempt from the class too).

Required course: A three-hour education program from an SOS-authorized provider is mandatory for all new applicants, including attorneys. The curriculum is set by state rule (OAC 111:6-1-02). Renewal requires a one-hour refresher course ($45) taken within twelve months before your commission expires.

Can you notarize online in Ohio? RON allowed

Yes — Ohio authorizes remote online notarization (RON). Online notarization was authorized by the Notary Public Modernization Act (SB 263), effective September 20, 2019 (ORC 147.60–147.66). State rules (OAC 111:6-1-05) require identity proofing and credential analysis through the online notarization system — ordinary video calls do not qualify. By statute, the online-notary course is administered by a single SOS-approved entity formed by Ohio bar associations.

To add RON to your commission: You must hold an active Ohio commission and be an Ohio resident. Then you complete a two-hour online-notary course and pass its exam ($250, paid to the authorized provider), and file a separate electronic application with the Secretary of State with a $20 fee, describing your chosen technology and including your electronic seal and signature details. The authorization expires with your underlying commission; renewing it takes a one-hour continuing-education course ($160) plus a $20 fee. Online notaries must keep a journal and retain audio-video recordings of each session.

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Get your stamp and journal. ORC 147.04 requires a seal showing the Ohio coat of arms inside a circle at least three-quarters of an inch and at most one inch in diameter, surrounded by 'Notary Public', 'Notarial Seal', or similar words, plus 'State of Ohio'. Ink stamp or embosser both qualify. Your name can appear on the seal itself or be printed, typed, or stamped legibly near your signature on each document. See the new-notary supplies checklist and Ohio stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: Ohio caps notary fees at $5 per notarial act. ORC 147.08 (as amended by HB 315, effective April 3, 2025) caps standard notarizations at $5 per act and online notarizations at $30 per act, and fees may not be calculated per signature. A notary may add a reasonable travel fee if it is agreed to before the act, and online notaries may charge a technology fee of up to $10 per online session.

E&O insurance: Not required. Since Ohio has no bond either, optional errors-and-omissions insurance is the only financial backstop an Ohio notary can carry against claims over a mistaken notarization.

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

Ohio notary FAQ