Florida Notary Handbook PDF: Bond, Fees, and RON Rules

The Florida Notary Handbook PDF, officially titled the Governor’s Reference Manual for Notaries Public, is available as a free download from the Executive Office of the Governor’s notary resources page.¹ The Florida Department of State’s notary page links to the same file.² Either source gets you the same document at no cost.

One caveat before you rely on it. The current edition is dated December 17, 2019, and Chapter 117 of the Florida Statutes has been amended since then.³ When the handbook and the statute disagree, the statute controls. Use the handbook as a plain-language guide and check the current statute text for anything you plan to act on.

What the Handbook Covers

The manual walks through the whole life cycle of a Florida notary commission: who qualifies, how to apply, how to perform each notarial act, what to charge, marriage ceremonies, remote online notarization, advertising restrictions, penalties for misconduct, and renewal. The sections below summarize the working rules most notaries need on the job.

Who Can Become a Florida Notary

To qualify, you must be at least 18, a legal resident of Florida, and able to read, write, and understand English. Permanent resident aliens can apply if they file a recorded Declaration of Domicile with the application. Residency must hold for the full four-year term, and you can perform notarial acts only while physically inside Florida unless you separately register for remote online notarization.³

First-time applicants must complete at least three hours of interactive or classroom instruction on notary duties, including electronic notarization, within the year before applying. The Department of State offers a free online course that satisfies the requirement.¹ Renewals don’t require the course again.

Application Fee and Surety Bond

The state application fee is fixed at $39, covering the commission fee and the Notary Education Trust Fund. You also need a $7,500 surety bond from an insurance company authorized in Florida; the bond protects the public against harm caused by notary misconduct and must remain in force for the entire commission.⁴ Most applicants use a bonding agency that bundles the application, state fees, bond, and seal into one package. The $39 is set by law; the bond premium and seal are priced by the agency, and most people spend roughly $80 to $150 all in.¹

How to Identify a Signer

You cannot notarize a signature unless you personally know the signer or you review satisfactory evidence of identity. Acceptable ID must be current or issued within the last five years and must bear a serial or identifying number. Any of the following works:⁵

Florida driver license or ID card
U.S. passport
Foreign passport stamped by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Driver license or ID from another U.S. state or territory, Canada, or Mexico
U.S. military ID from any branch of the armed forces
Veteran health identification card from the VA
Inmate ID from the Florida Department of Corrections (issued on or after January 1, 1991) or the federal Bureau of Prisons
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ID card

If the signer has none of these, the statute allows identification through credible witnesses: one witness personally known to you, or two witnesses whose identities you verify through acceptable ID, providing a sworn written statement. Witnesses must attest that obtaining standard ID would be very difficult or impossible for the signer, and no witness may have a financial interest in the transaction.³

Acknowledgments Versus Jurats

The two acts you’ll perform most often are acknowledgments and jurats, and confusing them is a common beginner mistake. In an acknowledgment, the signer appears before you and declares that they signed the document voluntarily; they don’t have to sign in your presence. In a jurat, the signer must sign in your presence and take an oath or affirmation that the contents are truthful. Section 117.05 provides the standard certificate forms.

Every notarial certificate must include:⁵

Venue in the format “State of Florida, County of ___”
The exact date of the notarial act
Whether the signature was “sworn” (jurat) or “acknowledged”
The identification method used: personal knowledge or the specific ID type
Your official signature

Your official seal must be affixed to every notarized paper document. It must be a rubber stamp reading “Notary Public–State of Florida” and include your name, commission number, and commission expiration date.⁶

Fee Cap and Conflict of Interest

A Florida notary may charge no more than $10 for any single notarial act performed under Part I of Chapter 117. You cannot charge anything to witness a vote-by-mail ballot, and you must witness one if an elector requests it.⁷ Online notarizations and marriage ceremonies have separate fee allowances.

You cannot notarize any document in which you have a financial interest or to which you’re a party, which also means you never notarize your own signature.⁸ The statute doesn’t explicitly bar notarizing for close family, but when a relative has a financial stake, hand it to another notary.

Marriage Ceremonies

Florida is one of the few states that lets notaries solemnize marriages. Under F.S. 117.045, you can officiate a wedding as long as the couple already has a valid marriage license issued by an authorized Florida official. The ceremony must take place inside Florida, and you cannot marry a couple whose license was issued by another state.⁹ Never certify that a ceremony took place if it didn’t; that’s criminal exposure.

Remote Online Notarization

Part II of Chapter 117 authorizes remote online notarization, where the signer appears through live audio-video communication instead of in person. It requires a separate registration on top of your standard commission, and the bar is higher.¹⁰ To register as an online notary you must:

Hold a current commission under Part I of Chapter 117
Complete an additional course on online notarization duties, obligations, and technology
Obtain a $25,000 surety bond payable to anyone harmed by a breach of duty
Carry errors and omissions insurance of at least $25,000
Identify your RON service provider and the platform you’ll use for audio-video communication, credential analysis, and identity proofing
Pay a registration fee and submit a signed, sworn registration to the Department of State

Online identity verification runs in two steps: credential analysis to confirm the signer’s government-issued ID is genuine, and identity proofing to confirm the person on screen matches the ID, usually through knowledge-based authentication or biometric comparison.¹¹ Online notaries must also keep a secure electronic journal of every online act.

Advertising in Languages Other Than English

Advertise notary services in any language other than English and Florida law requires a conspicuous notice, in both English and the ad’s language, stating that you are not an attorney licensed in Florida, cannot give legal advice, and cannot accept fees for legal advice.⁶

You also cannot literally translate “Notary Public” into another language in any advertisement. Non-attorney notaries are specifically banned from using terms like “notario público,” “notario,” “immigration assistant,” “immigration consultant,” or “immigration specialist” in any language. In many Latin American countries a “notario” is an attorney with substantial legal authority, and the restriction exists to prevent immigrants from being misled about what a Florida notary can do.

Penalties for Notary Misconduct

Consequences run from administrative to criminal. The Governor can suspend or revoke a commission for cause. Several specific violations carry criminal charges:⁶

Unauthorized use of a notary commission (such as notarizing while knowingly lacking authority) is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.
Unlawful possession of a notary seal or notarial papers is a second-degree misdemeanor.
Impersonating a notary public while not lawfully commissioned is a second-degree misdemeanor.
Knowingly acting as a notary after your commission has expired is a second-degree misdemeanor.

These penalties sit on top of civil liability. If misconduct causes a financial loss, the $7,500 surety bond can be used to pay the injured party, and you can be sued personally for damages beyond the bond amount.

Renewing Your Commission

Commissions run four years. Renewal doesn’t require retaking the three-hour education course. The process mirrors the initial application: work with a bonding agency, complete the form, pay the $39 state fee, and obtain a new $7,500 surety bond.¹

One detail catches people out: keep using your current seal until your current commission actually expires. Don’t switch to the new seal until the first day of the new term, and destroy the old seal once the prior commission is over so it can’t be misused.

1
Executive Office of the Governor. Notary
2
Florida Department of State. Notaries
3
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code Chapter 117 – Notaries Public
4
Florida Department of State. Notary Commissions and Certifications / Apostilles
5
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission; Unlawful Use; Notary Fee; Seal; Duties; Employer Liability; Name Change; Advertising; Photocopies; Penalties
6
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission; Unlawful Use; Notary Fee; Seal; Duties; Employer Liability; Name Change; Advertising; Photocopies; Penalties
7
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission; Unlawful Use; Notary Fee; Seal; Duties; Employer Liability; Name Change; Advertising; Photocopies; Penalties
8
Florida Department of State. Financial Interest in the Transactions Being Notarized
9
Florida Department of State. Marriage Ceremony
10
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 117.225 – Online Notarizations
11
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 117.201 – Online Notarizations