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

Requirements verified July 18, 2026 against Vermont Secretary of State — Office of Professional Regulation

Vermont notaries apply online to the Secretary of State's Office of Professional Regulation, pass an open-book exam, and pay $30. There is no bond and no training course. Every commission runs on the same fixed two-year cycle and expires January 31 of odd-numbered years.

Vermont rebuilt its notary system in 2019. The Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (Act 160, now 26 V.S.A. Chapter 103) took commissioning away from county assistant judges and handed it to the Secretary of State's Office of Professional Regulation, the same office that licenses barbers and engineers. Everything now runs through OPR's online portal — there is no paper application. You sign a notarized oath of office, pass a short open-book exam on the notary laws, and pay $30.

The practical version: create an OPR account, upload the notarized oath and your exam answer sheet, pay $30 by card or ACH, and wait about three to five business days for the email approval. No bond, no training course, and — unusual among states — no stamp requirement. You can notarize with just a pen if the certificate shows your name, commission number, expiration date, and the other required details. Total startup cost for most people is exactly $30.

Two Vermont quirks to know. First, commissions run on a fixed statewide cycle: everyone's expires January 31 of the next odd-numbered year, so an early commission can be far shorter than two years (though one issued in the final 90 days rolls into the following full cycle). Renewal costs $30 again and takes one hour of continuing education. Second, Vermont sets no cap on what a notary may charge per act, but because attorneys handle nearly all real estate closings here, notarizing tends to be a service you add to a day job rather than a stand-alone business.

Who can become a notary in Vermont?

• Age: at least 18 years old.
• Residency: You must live in Vermont, or have a place of employment or practice in Vermont. Someone with no Vermont connection at all cannot get a commission. You must also be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident.
• Background: There is no automatic felony bar, but 26 V.S.A. § 5342 lets the Office deny a commission for a felony conviction or any crime involving fraud, dishonesty, or deceit. First-time applicants must report all convictions with a written explanation and certified court records, and any new conviction must be reported within 30 days. OPR says a conviction will not necessarily prevent a commission — each case gets due process.
• Sign an Oath of Office/Affirmation in front of a notary and upload it with your application.
• Pass the Vermont jurisprudence exam unless you fall under an exemption (Vermont-licensed attorneys and judiciary employees skip the exam).
• You must be physically inside Vermont whenever you notarize under your Vermont commission.

How to apply: step by step

1. Create an account on the Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) online licensing system at sos.vermont.gov/opr/online-services. OPR does not accept paper applications.
2. Download the Oath of Office/Affirmation form from the Notary Forms & Instructions page, sign it in front of a notary, and keep the signed copy ready to upload. Sign it exactly the way you will sign notarizations.
3. Take the open-book Vermont Notaries Public Jurisprudence Examination — 30 multiple-choice questions drawn from the notary statutes and OPR rules. You can miss up to six; more than six wrong means a retake.
4. Log in, choose 'Apply for Individual License,' select Notaries Public, answer the application questions (including any conviction disclosures), and upload your notarized oath and the exam answer sheet.
5. Pay the $30 application fee by credit card, debit card, or ACH.
6. Wait about 3–5 business days for processing. When approved, print your commission from your online account — it shows your commission number and the January 31 expiration date.
7. If you want one, order an optional stamp after approval so it can show your new commission number. To notarize electronic records or do remote notarizations, apply separately for the $30 Special Endorsement.

How long it takes: OPR says to allow 3–5 business days for application processing. Approval arrives by email, and you print the commission yourself from your online account.

What it costs in Vermont

Exam and training

Exam: Required for new applicants since February 1, 2021. It is an open-book, 30-question multiple-choice exam on the Vermont notary statutes and OPR rules. You download it, complete it on your own, and upload the answer sheet with your application; more than six wrong answers means a retake. Vermont-licensed attorneys and judiciary-related employees are exempt.

No course is required before your first commission, and OPR itself offers no training. Renewal is different: you need at least one hour of approved continuing education per two-year cycle (attorneys and judiciary employees are exempt).

Can you notarize online in Vermont? RON allowed

Yes — Vermont authorizes remote online notarization (RON). Remote notarization was authorized by Act 171 of 2022 (26 V.S.A. § 5379), and OPR's permanent rules took effect February 26, 2025, replacing the earlier emergency COVID-era rules. Without the endorsement you may notarize only paper documents for people physically in front of you.

To add RON to your commission: You must first hold a regular commission, then apply through the OPR portal for a Special Endorsement ($30). You attest that your tamper-evident, communication, and identity-proofing technology meets OPR's standards — there is no state-published approved-vendor list, but providers must be registered to do business in Vermont. Every remote act must be recorded on audio-video and the recording kept at least seven years under OPR Rule 8-2(f).

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Get your stamp and journal. Vermont is one of the few states where no stamp is required. Every certificate must be signed and show the date, jurisdiction, the title 'notary public,' the notary's name, commission number, and commission expiration date — you may stamp that information, print or type it, or mix both. If you do use a stamp (ink or embosser, any shape), it must be copyable and show at minimum your name as signed on your oath, the word 'Vermont,' the title 'Notary Public,' and your commission number (last 7 digits is enough). The Vermont State Seal may not appear on a notary stamp. See the new-notary supplies checklist and Vermont stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: Neither 26 V.S.A. Chapter 103 nor the OPR notary rules set a maximum charge for a notarial act, so Vermont notaries may set their own fees. It is good practice to tell the signer the price before you start. Remember a notary may refuse service for any reason not otherwise prohibited by law (26 V.S.A. § 5372).

E&O insurance: Not required. Since Vermont has no bond either, optional errors-and-omissions insurance is the only financial backstop if a mistake leads to a claim against you.

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 Vermont (see the callout above), so weigh it before investing in training. Loan signing agent guide

Vermont notary FAQ