Becoming a notary in Florida costs somewhere between $94 and $209 up front, and most first-time applicants land around $120 to $160. The only piece of that total fixed by law is the $39 state application fee. Everything else — your education course, surety bond, and stamp — varies by provider, which is why the range is so wide.
The $39 State Application Fee
This is the one charge you can’t shop around on. Florida law sets it at $39, payable by check or money order to the Department of State, and it applies to first-time applicants and renewals alike.1Executive Office of the Governor. Notary Veterans with a wartime service-connected disability rating of 50 percent or more are exempt from $10 of it.2Online Sunshine. Florida Code 117.01
Education Course: $0 to $65
First-time applicants have to complete a three-hour course on notary duties and electronic notarization within the year before applying.3Florida Department of State. Notary Education Program Approved providers range from free to about $65, so this is the easiest place to save money. The Executive Office of the Governor publishes the list of approved providers.4Executive Office of the Governor. Notary Education
You only pay this once. Renewals skip the course entirely.1Executive Office of the Governor. Notary
Surety Bond: $35 to $55
Every Florida notary has to carry a $7,500 surety bond for the full four-year term.2Online Sunshine. Florida Code 117.01 You don’t front $7,500. You pay a premium to a surety company, and that premium typically runs $35 to $55 for the entire four years. Your credit and choice of provider determine where you fall in the range.
The bond exists to protect the public. If you make a mistake or commit misconduct while notarizing, the bond pays the person you harmed, not you. Most bonding agencies sell the bond, application handling, and stamp as a bundle. That’s convenient, but it makes it harder to price the pieces individually.
Notary Stamp: $20 to $50
Florida requires a rubber stamp seal on every notarized paper document. It has to include “Notary Public–State of Florida,” your name exactly as commissioned, your commission expiration date, and your commission number, applied in photographically reproducible black ink.5Online Sunshine. Florida Code 117.05 A compliant stamp runs $20 to $50. You can add an embosser if you want the traditional impression, but it can’t replace the rubber stamp.
Notary Journal: $10 to $30 (Optional)
Florida doesn’t require a journal. Keeping one anyway is cheap insurance: a written record of every notarial act protects you if a notarization is ever challenged. Paper journals run $10 to $30. Electronic options are around $19 per year.
E&O Insurance (Optional)
Your surety bond protects the public from your mistakes. Errors and omissions insurance protects you from them. If you’re sued over a notarization error, an E&O policy covers your defense costs and any judgment up to the policy limit.
A $10,000 policy might cost $30 to $50 per year. A $50,000 policy runs closer to $100 to $150 annually. A basic policy is usually enough for someone doing a few notarizations a month; higher coverage makes more sense if you regularly handle real estate closings or loan signings, where the dollar amounts in play are much larger.
Total Cost to Become a Florida Notary
Here’s the itemized picture for a first-time commission:
- State application fee: $39
- Education course: $0 to $65
- Surety bond premium: $35 to $55 (four-year term)
- Rubber stamp seal: $20 to $50
- Notary journal: $10 to $30 (optional)
Add up the mandatory pieces — state fee, course, bond, and stamp — and you’re at $94 on the low end and $209 on the high end. Most first-time applicants spend $120 to $160 after picking a mid-range course and stamp. Bundled packages from bonding agencies are often priced competitively against buying the pieces separately.1Executive Office of the Governor. Notary
What Renewal Costs Four Years Later
Your commission lasts four years, and renewing is cheaper than the first commission because the education course is a one-time requirement.1Executive Office of the Governor. Notary You’ll still pay the $39 state fee, a new bond premium, and a new stamp with the updated expiration date. Most renewals come in between $94 and $144. Start the process well before your expiration date, because notarizing on an expired commission can expose you to legal consequences and leave your documents open to challenge.
Adding Remote Online Notarization
If you want to notarize by video, that’s a separate registration on top of your traditional commission — you have to already hold an active Florida notary commission before you can apply.6Florida Division of Corporations. Remote Online Notary Public (RON) The extra costs are:
- $10 registration fee to the Department of State
- A larger $25,000 surety bond instead of the standard $7,500, which raises the premium7Florida Division of Corporations. Registration for Online Notary
- A contract with an approved technology platform for identity verification, audio-video conferencing, and electronic seals; pay-per-session pricing on platforms like BlueNotary and NotaryCam starts around $15 to $25 per session
- An additional online notary education course, separate from the standard three-hour course
The tradeoff is a higher fee cap. Online notaries can charge up to $25 per remote act.5Online Sunshine. Florida Code 117.05
What You Can Charge to Recover the Cost
Florida caps traditional notary fees at $10 per notarial act, and that’s per act rather than per document, so a document with two notarizations generates two fees.5Online Sunshine. Florida Code 117.05 Charging over the cap can get your commission suspended. Notaries who solemnize marriages can charge the same fee as the clerk of the circuit court, $30. One service you cannot charge for at all: witnessing a vote-by-mail ballot when a voter asks. At the $10 traditional rate, roughly a dozen notarizations recoup your first-year outlay.