The Hawaii Notary Public Manual is the official study and reference guide published by the Department of the Attorney General, and you can download the current edition as a free PDF from the Attorney General’s notary resources page.1Hawaii Attorney General. Online Notary Public – Resources It is the primary source material for the state notary examination and the working reference for everything a commissioned notary does, so use the official version rather than a third-party summary.2Department of the Attorney General. Notary Public Manual
The manual tracks Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 456 and Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 5-11, which together set the rules for notary practice in the state. The Attorney General’s office updates it when those authorities change, so check the posted edition before relying on an older copy.
Who Qualifies for a Commission
HRS Section 456-2 sets four baseline qualifications. You must be at least 18 years old. You must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or authorized to work in the United States. You must reside in Hawaii at the time of appointment and throughout the full four-year commission term. And you must possess good moral character, which the Attorney General evaluates based on honesty, integrity, and financial responsibility.
The residency requirement is not a one-time check. If you move out of state during your commission, you lose eligibility.3Hawaii Notary Public. Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 456 – Notaries Public Expect your criminal history and any civil judgments to be reviewed closely under the moral character standard.
Application, Exam, and Fees
The application runs through the Attorney General’s online notary portal. You will provide personal information, employment history, residential addresses, and disclosure of any criminal history or legal judgments. Two letters go with the application. A letter of justification from your employer, or from you if self-employed, must explain why the commission is needed, the types of documents you expect to notarize, roughly how many transactions per month, and must acknowledge that a notary is a public officer who will serve the general public during normal business hours.4Department of the Attorney General. Notary Public Application A separate letter of character is also required.
Fees are paid in stages, not all at once:5Hawaii Attorney General. Online Notary Public
- Application fee: $20, non-refundable
- Examination fee: $10
- Commission fee: $100, paid after passing the exam
Once your application is approved, you schedule the written exam through the portal.6Hawaii Notary Public. Hawaii Notary Public – Examinations It consists of 25 multiple-choice questions drawn from the manual and HRS Chapter 456, and you need at least 20 correct answers (80%) to pass. The questions track closely to the manual’s content and the specific statutory language it covers, which is why the manual is the preparation resource that actually matters.
What You Still Have to Do Before Notarizing
Passing the exam and paying the $100 commission fee gets you a commission certificate, but you cannot notarize anything yet. Three steps remain.
First, obtain a $1,000 surety bond to protect the public against financial harm caused by errors or misconduct. Second, file the following with the clerk of the circuit court in the circuit where you live: a photocopy of your commission, an impression of your notary seal, a specimen of your official signature, and the original bond, which must be approved by a circuit court judge.7Hawaii Attorney General. Help – Online Notary Public Third, purchase a notary seal that meets the state’s design specifications. Your four-year commission term begins only after all of these are complete.3Hawaii Notary Public. Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 456 – Notaries Public
What a Hawaii Notary Can and Cannot Do
The manual authorizes several categories of official acts, and the list is narrower than many new notaries expect:
- Taking acknowledgments, confirming that a signer appeared before you, that you verified their identity, and that they signed voluntarily
- Administering oaths and affirmations for affidavits, depositions, and sworn statements
- Witnessing signatures made in your presence after identity verification
- Noting protests of negotiable instruments like checks or promissory notes
One boundary catches new notaries off guard. Hawaii notaries generally cannot certify copies of documents. The authority to certify copies is limited to copies of the notary’s own journal entries.2Department of the Attorney General. Notary Public Manual If a client asks you to certify that a photocopy of a birth certificate or diploma is a true copy of the original, decline. Several other states allow general copy certification; Hawaii does not.
Journal, Seal, and Fee Rules
Every notarial act must be recorded in a sequential journal at the time you perform it. HRS Section 456-15 requires each entry to include the type, date, and time of the act; the title or type of document and the nature of the transaction; the full printed name and address of each person whose signature is notarized, with their signature if the journal is on paper; how you identified the signer (personal knowledge, or a description of the identification credential including its number and expiration date); and the fee charged.3Hawaii Notary Public. Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 456 – Notaries Public A complete, contemporaneous entry is the strongest protection you have if a notarization is challenged later.
Hawaii Administrative Rules Section 5-11-5 requires a circular rubber stamp seal with a serrated or milled edge border, between one and two inches in diameter, showing your name, your commission number, and the words “notary public” and “State of Hawaii.”8Department of the Attorney General. Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 5 Chapter 5-11 Notaries Public You may possess only one rubber stamp seal at a time and are responsible for safeguarding it.
HRS Section 456-17 caps what you can charge for each act:9Justia. Hawaii Revised Statutes 456-17 – Fees
- Taking an acknowledgment: $5 per signing party, plus $2.50 per person for each duplicate original beyond the first copy
- Administering an oath, including the certificate: $5, plus $2.50 for affixing the certificate to each duplicate original beyond four
- Depositions or official certificates: $5
- Noting a protest of mercantile paper: $5
- Each notice and certified copy of a protest: $5
- Remote online notarization: $25 per act, other than affixing a certificate to a duplicate original
- Administering an oath of loyalty: no charge
Charging more than these amounts violates state law.
Remote Online Notarization
Hawaii authorizes notarial acts for signers who are not physically present, using audio-video communication technology. Under HRS Section 456-23, a remote act is valid only if you are located in Hawaii when you perform it; you verify the signer’s identity through personal knowledge, a credible witness, or at least two different types of identity proofing; you can confirm the document on your screen is the same one the signer executed; and you create an audiovisual recording of the entire act.
Before performing your first remote notarization, you must notify the Attorney General and identify the technology platforms you plan to use.10Justia. Hawaii Revised Statutes 456-23 – Notarial Act Performed for Remotely Located Individual When the signer is outside the United States, the document must relate to a matter under U.S. jurisdiction, involve property in the U.S., or involve a transaction with an FDIC-insured bank, and the act of signing cannot be prohibited by the foreign country where the signer is located.
Renewing and Ending a Commission
Hawaii commissions run four years. The Attorney General’s office offers online renewal through the same portal used for the initial application; if you have already submitted a paper renewal form, do not duplicate it online.11Hawaii Attorney General. Renew Your Notary Public Commission
When a commission ends for any reason, whether expiration, resignation, or revocation, you must surrender your rubber stamp seal to the Attorney General within 90 days. Failure to do so carries a $200 administrative fine.8Department of the Attorney General. Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 5 Chapter 5-11 Notaries Public Acting as a notary without a current commission, or advertising yourself as one after it has lapsed, is prohibited under Hawaii Administrative Rules Section 5-11-2, and the Attorney General has authority to revoke or suspend a commission after a hearing and to impose administrative fines for violations of Chapter 456 or the rules. Your journal belongs to you as the commissioned notary, not to your employer, and you are responsible for preserving it so that past notarizations can be verified if questions arise.