CT Notary Public Manual: Requirements, Acts, and Renewal

The Connecticut Notary Public Manual is the official study guide published by the Secretary of the State, and you can download the current edition as a free PDF from the Secretary of the State’s website before you apply.¹ The manual covers eligibility, the application and exam, the notarial acts you are authorized to perform, and the conduct rules you must follow. It is updated when the legislature changes the law, most recently to incorporate Public Act 23-28 on remote online notarization, so grab the version directly from the Secretary of the State rather than an older copy posted elsewhere.

Download it before you start the application. The exam is drawn directly from its contents.

Who Can Become a Connecticut Notary

Eligibility is set by CGS § 3-94b. You must be at least 18 years old, live in Connecticut or have your principal place of business in the state at both application and appointment, pass the Secretary of the State’s written exam, and provide a personal recommendation from someone who has known you for at least one year and is not a legal relative.

The Secretary of the State can deny an application based on a felony conviction, a conviction for a crime involving dishonesty, revocation or suspension of a notary commission or professional license in any state, or official misconduct.² The application asks character and fitness questions covering those areas, and any misstatement or omission is itself grounds for denial.

How to Apply and Take the Exam

All new applications go through the Secretary of the State’s eLicense online portal. You will need an email address to create an account and $120 for the non-refundable statutory fee, payable by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, or ACH from a checking account.¹ Have your recommender’s details on hand before you start, because the portal asks for them as part of the application.

The exam is built into the application itself. It is open-book, so you can reference the manual and statutes while answering. Do not let that lull you. You must answer every question correctly before the system will let you submit, so there is no partial passing score.¹ Questions cover prohibited acts, proper identification procedures, the different types of notarial acts, and recording requirements. Reading the manual carefully before you open the application saves considerable time.

After Approval: Oath and Recording

Once your application is approved, you receive a certificate of appointment by email. Before you can perform any notarial acts you must take an oath of office and record both the oath and the certificate with your local town clerk. Residents file with the town clerk where they live; non-residents whose principal place of business is in Connecticut file with the clerk of that municipality.³ Town clerks are authorized to administer oaths, so you can usually be sworn in on the same visit when you file.¹ If your residence and principal place of business are in different towns, you may also record with the second town clerk for convenience.

You have 30 days from receiving your certificate to complete the recording. The statute does not say that missing the 30 days voids your commission or invalidates acts you perform afterward, but recording is legally required, and skipping it means town clerks cannot certify your authority when someone needs to verify a document you notarized.³

Commission Term and Renewal

A Connecticut commission lasts five years, ending on the last day of the month in which you were originally appointed.³ It can end sooner if the Secretary suspends or terminates it, you resign, or you stop being a Connecticut resident without maintaining a principal place of business here.

About 90 days before expiration, the Secretary’s office sends a renewal notice by email or mail with a PIN for fast-track renewal through eLicense. You do not retake the exam. The renewal window runs from 90 days before expiration to 90 days after. If your commission has been expired more than 90 days, you need to contact the Secretary’s office to request reinstatement.¹ Even on renewal, you take a new oath and record the certificate with your town clerk within 30 days.

The Four Notarial Acts

CGS § 3-94a defines four categories of notarial acts. The manual tests you on them, and using the wrong certificate wording can get a document rejected.

Acknowledgment. The signer appears before you and confirms they signed the document voluntarily for its stated purpose. You verify identity but do not place them under oath. Common for deeds and powers of attorney.
Jurat. The signer appears, signs in your presence, and takes an oath or affirmation that the contents are true. Typical for affidavits and sworn statements.
Oath or affirmation. You certify that a person made a vow on penalty of perjury in your presence. An oath invokes a Supreme Being; an affirmation does not, as allowed under CGS § 1-23.
Copy certification. You compare a copy to the original and certify the copy is accurate and complete. You cannot do this for vital records like birth certificates, documents that state or local government employees are required to record, or federal documents prohibited from being copied.

⁴

Identifying the Signer

Every notarial act requires you to confirm the signer’s identity through personal knowledge of the individual or satisfactory evidence.⁴ Personal knowledge means you have interacted with the person enough to have no reasonable doubt who they are. For acknowledgments, CGS § 1-32 reinforces the same standard.⁵

In practice, most verification is a current government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport. If a signer has none, a credible witness who personally knows the signer and can present valid ID may vouch under oath. That credible witness cannot have a financial interest in the document and cannot be named in it.

Seal, Certificate, and Journal

Connecticut does not require a notary seal. If you use one, it must include your name, the words “Notary Public,” and “Connecticut”; adding your commission expiration date is optional but common. If you do not use a seal, legibly print or type “Notary Public” and your commission expiration date near your signature on every notarized document.

Every notarial act must carry a certificate that includes the venue (state and county), the date of the act, your signature, and any required seal or printed information. The certificate wording must match the act performed. Using acknowledgment language on a document that needs a jurat, or the reverse, can cause courts or recording offices to reject the document.⁶

A journal is not required in Connecticut, but keeping one protects you if a notarization is later challenged. A useful entry records the date and time, the type of document, the signer’s name and address, the identification presented with its serial number and expiration date, and any fee charged. Years later, that entry may be your only evidence that the act happened the way you say it did.

Remote Online Notarization

Since October 1, 2023, Connecticut notaries have been able to perform remote online notarizations under Public Act 23-28. The signer appears through live audio-video technology instead of in person. You and the signer must be able to see and hear each other simultaneously in real time, and the platform must accommodate signers with vision, hearing, or speech impairments where applicable.

Remote acts carry additional requirements beyond traditional in-person notarizations, including identity verification through the technology platform and secure recording of the session. Before offering remote services, work through the current manual and the Secretary of the State’s guidance on platform approval, recording retention, and electronic signatures.

Fees and Conduct That Can Cost You Your Commission

Connecticut law caps the fee for a notarial act at $5. A 2025 legislative proposal sought to raise the cap to $10; confirm the current limit with the Secretary of the State’s office before charging more than $5.

Notaries serve the public and cannot unreasonably refuse to perform a notarial act for someone who requests one and pays the fee. The manual and statutes flag several categories of conduct that can lead to suspension or revocation:

Notarizing documents you are a party to.
Notarizing documents in which you have a financial interest or that benefit you personally.
Giving legal advice if you are not a licensed attorney, including advice on the legal effect of a document or on immigration matters. Non-attorney notaries serving communities where “notario público” implies attorney-level authority need to be especially careful here.
Any false or incomplete information on an original application or renewal.

Official misconduct under CGS § 3-94a includes performing a prohibited act, failing to perform a required act, or carrying out notarial duties negligently or against the public interest.⁴

If You Move

Notify the Secretary of the State in writing within 30 days of any address change, providing both your old and new addresses with a $15 fee. If you move to a different municipality, the Secretary issues a replacement certificate, and you record it with the town clerk in the new town within 30 days of receiving it.² Moving out of Connecticut ends your commission unless you maintain a principal place of business in the state.³

1
Connecticut Secretary of the State. Notary Public Licensing
2
Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 33 – Secretary
3
Justia. Connecticut Code 3-94c – Term of Office of Notary, Recording of Certificate and Oath
4
Justia. Connecticut Code 3-94a – Notaries Public, Definitions
5
Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut Code Chapter 6 – Uniform Acknowledgment Act
6
Justia. Connecticut Code 1-34 – Certificate of Officer