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

Requirements verified July 19, 2026 against Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions

Wisconsin notaries apply to the Department of Financial Institutions with a $20 fee, a $500 surety bond, and a passing score of 90% or better on the state's open-book online exam. The commission runs four years — except for Wisconsin attorneys, who can get a permanent commission for $50.

Wisconsin hands its notary program to the Department of Financial Institutions and asks more of applicants than most Midwestern states: a $500 surety bond, plus an exam you must pass at 90% or better. The sting is smaller than it sounds — the exam is open book, attached to DFI's free online tutorial, and the $500 bond is one of the tiniest in the country. The state fee is just $20 for a four-year commission, filed by mail on Form NOT 100 or through DFI's online notary system with a My Wisconsin ID.

Realistically you'll spend $20 plus a small bond premium and a stamp, and an hour or two with the tutorial. Two quirks are worth knowing before you start: Wisconsin does not require you to live in Wisconsin (any U.S. resident can apply), and Wisconsin-licensed attorneys bypass the whole cycle with a $50 permanent commission — no bond, no exam, no renewals.

The trade-off is on the earning side. Wisconsin caps the notary's fee at $5 per act, so nobody gets rich on stamps alone. Remote online notarization, legal here since May 1, 2020 under Act 125, requires registering with DFI, training through an approved technology provider, and using a platform from DFI's approved list.

Who can become a notary in Wisconsin?

• Age: at least 18 years old.
• Residency: You must be a United States resident — Wisconsin residency is not required, which makes Wisconsin unusually open to notaries who live in neighboring states.
• Background: The application asks you to demonstrate adherence to the law and to disclose arrests, citations, and convictions; the Department of Financial Institutions reviews records case by case rather than applying an automatic bar. If you have a record, contact DFI before applying.
• At least the equivalent of an eighth-grade education.
• Familiarity with the duties and responsibilities of a notary public, demonstrated by passing the DFI exam.
• Wisconsin-licensed attorneys skip the exam-and-bond track and qualify for a permanent commission under Wis. Stat. 140.02.

How to apply: step by step

1. Work through the free DFI Notary Public Tutorial online and take the exam at the end. You need 90% or better, passed no more than one year before your commission date, and the passing certificate goes in with your application. New and renewing applicants both take it.
2. Buy a $500 surety bond covering the four-year term from an insurer authorized in Wisconsin, and complete the DFI bond form.
3. Complete the four-year commission application (Form NOT 100 by mail, or the DFI online notary filing system, which requires a My Wisconsin ID account) along with the oath of office form.
4. Submit the application, oath, bond form, and exam certificate with the $20 fee — payable online, or by check to the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions if filing on paper.
5. Once DFI issues your certificate of appointment, buy an engraved seal or rubber stamp that says 'State of Wisconsin', 'Notary Public', and your name, including your full current last name.
6. Wisconsin attorneys instead file the attorney application with a $50 fee for a permanent commission — no bond and no exam.

How long it takes: DFI does not publish a fixed turnaround. Online filings through the notary filing system are generally faster than mailed paper applications — check current processing times with DFI at (608) 261-7577 or through the online system before planning a start date.

What it costs in Wisconsin

Exam and training

Exam: Required for every new and renewing non-attorney applicant. It is an open-book online exam attached to the DFI's free notary tutorial; you must score 90% or better, no more than one year before your commission or renewal date, and submit the certificate with your application.

Required course: The DFI's free online Notary Public Tutorial is effectively mandatory because the required exam sits at the end of it. There is no paid course requirement and no approved-provider list for standard commissions.

Can you notarize online in Wisconsin? RON allowed

Yes — Wisconsin authorizes remote online notarization (RON). Authorized by 2019 Wisconsin Act 125, with remote notarization effective May 1, 2020, codified in Wis. Stat. ch. 140 (140.145) and DFI-CCS 25 of the administrative code. DFI publishes the current list of approved platforms and guidance on which document types are excluded from remote notarization — check it before taking estate-planning work remote.

To add RON to your commission: You must register with the Department of Financial Institutions before performing remote notarizations. Registration requires completing training in remote-notarization standards offered through an approved technology provider and committing to use a DFI-approved communication platform — ordinary video calls do not qualify. Attorneys must register too, even though their underlying commission is permanent.

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Get your stamp and journal. An engraved official seal or official rubber stamp containing 'State of Wisconsin', 'Notary Public', and your printed name including your full current last name. Wisconsin does not put the commission expiration date on the seal — you write the expiration date near your signature when you notarize (attorneys with permanent commissions state that instead). No specific shape or size is mandated in the DFI's application instructions. See the new-notary supplies checklist and Wisconsin stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: Wisconsin caps notary fees at $5 per notarial act. Wisconsin law (Wis. Stat. 140.02) caps the notary's own charge at $5 per act — one of the lowest caps in the country. Separate technology or platform charges for remote notarization are not part of the notarial fee; confirm current treatment with DFI before itemizing extras.

E&O insurance: Not required. The $500 bond is small and protects the public, not you — optional errors-and-omissions coverage is what would protect the notary personally.

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

Wisconsin notary FAQ