To become a notary in Arkansas, you need to meet a short list of eligibility rules, pass an online exam through the Secretary of State, buy a $7,500 surety bond, submit an online application with a $20 fee, and then file your oath of office at your county recorder before returning it to the Secretary of State. Once that final oath is on file with the state, your commission is active for ten years.1Arkansas Secretary of State. Notary Public and eNotary Handbook 2025
Who Can Apply
You have to be at least 18, able to read and write English, and either an Arkansas resident, a resident of an adjoining state who works or runs a business in Arkansas, or the nonresident spouse of a U.S. military service member working or running a business in Arkansas. Military spouses submit a copy of their Uniformed Services ID card with the application.2Justia. Arkansas Code 21-14-101 – Appointment and Commission
You also have to be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident alien. Permanent residents file a recorded Declaration of Domicile with the application.2Justia. Arkansas Code 21-14-101 – Appointment and Commission
Two things will stop an application cold: a felony conviction at any point in your life, or a notary commission revoked within the past ten years. There is no waiver.2Justia. Arkansas Code 21-14-101 – Appointment and Commission
Pass the Exam
Every applicant takes a multiple-choice exam through the Secretary of State’s online portal. You need an 80% to pass. Free study materials — a training module, FAQs, and the official Notary Handbook — are on the Secretary of State’s website, and it is worth working through them before you sit for the exam.1Arkansas Secretary of State. Notary Public and eNotary Handbook 2025
Buy a $7,500 Surety Bond
Arkansas requires a $7,500 surety bond from an insurance or bonding company authorized to do business in the state. The bond covers your full ten-year commission.2Justia. Arkansas Code 21-14-101 – Appointment and Commission Your out-of-pocket cost is far less than the face amount, usually around $50 depending on the bonding company.
Keep in mind what the bond actually does. It protects the public, not you. If a signer loses money because of a mistake or misconduct in a notarization, they can claim against your bond; the bonding company pays and then collects from you. One practical consequence: the name you put on the bond has to match the name you will use on your seal and commission exactly, so settle on that name before you order the bond.
File the Application
Applications go through the Secretary of State’s online portal. You enter your personal and employment information, and whatever name you type becomes the name on your commission and your seal, so check it carefully. The filing fee is $20, non-refundable, paid by debit or credit card at submission.3Arkansas Secretary of State. AR SOSE System Manual A rejected application has to be resubmitted with another $20.
You also send the original surety bond to the Secretary of State. The signatures on your bond and application need to match. Mismatched names are one of the most common reasons applications get rejected.4Arkansas Secretary of State. Notary Public Frequently Asked Questions
Activate the Commission at the County and State
Approval from the Secretary of State is not the end of the process. You will receive two oath of commission certificates, and both have to be handled before you can notarize anything.5Arkansas Secretary of State. Notary Public and eNotary Handbook
- County step. Take both certificates to the recorder of deeds in your county of commission. In most Arkansas counties that is the circuit clerk; in some it is the county clerk. You take your official oath of office there, the clerk signs both certificates, and the clerk keeps one for county records.
- State step. Send the remaining signed certificate back to the Secretary of State by mail or in person. Your commission is not valid until this certificate is on file.
The handbook does not give a hard deadline; it says to file the oath “as soon as possible.” Do not sit on it. Until the Secretary of State has your completed oath, you have no authority to notarize.5Arkansas Secretary of State. Notary Public and eNotary Handbook
Order Your Seal
Once your commission is active, buy a seal. Most Arkansas notaries use a rubber stamp; a metal embosser is allowed if the impression is also inked so it reproduces on photocopies. Impressions must be in blue or black ink. Every seal has to show:6Justia. Arkansas Code 21-14-107 – Seal
- Your name as it appears on your commission
- The words “Notary Public”
- The word “Arkansas”
- The county where your bond is filed
- Your commission expiration date
- Your commission number
Have the commission certificate in front of you when you order so every detail on the seal matches the state’s record. Small discrepancies cause problems later.
How Long the Commission Lasts and How to Renew
An Arkansas commission runs for ten years.1Arkansas Secretary of State. Notary Public and eNotary Handbook 2025 Renewals go through the same Secretary of State online portal you used the first time.7Arkansas Secretary of State. Notary – Arkansas Secretary of State
If your name changes mid-term — marriage, divorce, court order — file a Change of Personal Information form with the Secretary of State and attach a certified copy of the document that authorized the change. Address changes go through the same form or through the online portal.8Arkansas Secretary of State. Changes to Personal Information for Notary Public A new legal name also means a new seal, because the seal has to match the commission.
A Few Things to Know Before You Start
Electronic notarization is a separate credential. If you want to notarize documents electronically, you apply for an eNotary commission on top of your traditional one, with its own training, exam, and $20 fee. You have to hold a traditional commission in good standing first, and losing the traditional commission ends the electronic one automatically.9Legal Information Institute. Rules for Electronic Notarial Acts in the State of Arkansas
Errors and omissions (E&O) insurance is not required in Arkansas, but it is the thing that actually protects you if a signer sues over a notarization. Your surety bond pays the claimant and then bills you back; an E&O policy covers your defense costs and any damages. Policies for notaries typically run a few hundred dollars per year, and are worth pricing out if you plan to notarize regularly or handle real estate closings.