To become a notary public in Colorado, you apply through the Secretary of State’s office: meet the eligibility rules, complete an approved training course, pass the state exam, get a Notary Public Affirmation signed in front of a current notary, and upload your documents with a $10 fee through the state’s online portal. A commission lasts four years, and the whole process runs online once your paperwork is ready.
Who Qualifies to Apply
You must be at least 18 years old, able to read and write English, and either a Colorado resident or someone who works in the state. You also need to be a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident, or otherwise lawfully present in the United States.1Justia. Colorado Code 24-21-521 – Commission as Notary Public – Qualifications – No Immunity or Benefit
Criminal history is the usual sticking point. Any felony conviction permanently disqualifies you. A misdemeanor involving dishonesty, such as fraud or theft, disqualifies you if it happened within the past five years.2Justia. Colorado Revised Statutes Section 24-21-523 – Grounds to Deny, Refuse to Renew, Revoke, Suspend, or Condition Commission of Notary Public
One Colorado quirk worth noting up front: the state does not require a surety bond. Your employer might, but the Secretary of State does not.
Complete the Training and Pass the Exam
Before the state will accept your application, you have to finish an approved training course and pass the Secretary of State’s exam. You can take the training through a state-approved vendor or through the free program the Secretary of State provides directly.3Colorado Secretary of State. Notary Training The curriculum is built around the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA), covering identification methods, journal-keeping, and the different types of notarial certificates you’ll be issuing.
The exam is open-book and covers Colorado notary law under RULONA, the statutes on recording instruments, and the Secretary of State’s administrative rules. Once you pass, keep your certificate of completion and exam results on hand. You’ll upload them with your application.
Gather Your Application Documents
You’ll need each of the following saved as a separate, legible PDF:
- The Notary Public Affirmation form (sometimes called the Danforth Affirmation), downloaded from the Secretary of State’s website. You must sign this in front of a currently commissioned Colorado notary, who notarizes your signature.4Colorado Secretary of State. Notary Public Affirmation Form
- Your training certificate of completion.
- Your exam certificate.
- A clear scan of valid government-issued identification, such as a Colorado driver’s license or U.S. passport.
Blurry scans get applications kicked back, and the $10 filing fee is non-refundable. Check each file opens cleanly before you upload.
Submit the Application Online
Everything goes through the Colorado Secretary of State’s website. Create a user account, open the new notary application, enter your personal information, and upload each PDF.5Colorado Secretary of State. Notary Home You pay the $10 fee by credit or debit card during the same session.
The state runs a background check and reviews your materials. Processing usually takes three to five business days, longer in busy periods. When you’re approved, your commission certificate arrives by email. Print a copy. Your four-year term starts on the approval date.6Colorado Secretary of State. Notary Public FAQs
Get Your Stamp and Journal Before Your First Act
A Colorado commission is not enough on its own. Before you perform any notarial act, you need a compliant stamp and a journal.
The stamp must be rectangular and include your name exactly as it appears on your commission, the words “Notary Public” and “State of Colorado,” your notary identification number, and your commission expiration date.7Justia. Colorado Revised Statutes Section 24-21-517 – Official Stamp Colorado prohibits embossers; it has to be a rubber ink stamp.
You also have to keep a journal of every notarial act. It can be a physical bound book with numbered pages or a tamper-evident electronic journal that complies with Secretary of State rules.8Justia. Colorado Revised Statutes Section 24-21-519 – Journal Each entry records the date and time of the act, the type of act performed, and identifying information for the person involved. You keep the journal for ten years after your last entry, even after your commission ends. If you don’t want to store it yourself, the Colorado State Archives will take journals from former notaries.9Colorado State Archives. Notary Journal Storage
What You Can Charge
Colorado caps in-person notarial acts at $15 each. That ceiling covers acknowledgments, jurats, and verbal oaths or affirmations.10Justia. Colorado Revised Statutes Section 24-21-529 – Fees Remote online notarizations are capped at $25 per notary signature.11Colorado Secretary of State. Notary Public FAQs – Remote Notarization Travel fees are not capped, so a mobile notary can charge for the trip on top of the per-act fee.
What You Can’t Do
Your commission authorizes you to witness signatures and administer oaths. It does not make you a lawyer. Colorado prohibits notaries from drafting legal documents, giving legal advice, or practicing law.12Justia. Colorado Revised Statutes Section 24-21-525 – Prohibited Acts You cannot act as an immigration consultant, and unless you’re also a licensed attorney, you cannot call yourself a “notario” or “notario publico,” because the title implies a far broader legal role in many Latin American countries. You also can’t notarize a document with blank spaces in its text, and you can’t hold onto someone’s original document after notarizing it.
Adding Remote Online Notarization
Once your commission is active, you can apply to perform remote online notarizations (RON). You cannot apply for RON from scratch; the state requires you already hold an active Colorado commission.
You complete a separate remote notary training course and exam, then log into your existing notary account on the Secretary of State’s site and select the option to become a remote notary. There’s an additional $10 fee. Whatever technology platform you plan to use has to be on the Secretary of State’s approved list.11Colorado Secretary of State. Notary Public FAQs – Remote Notarization
Remote work carries extra rules:
- You must be physically in Colorado when you perform the act, though the signer can be anywhere, including outside the United States if the documents concern U.S. property or transactions.
- You and the signer must see and hear each other continuously throughout the session.
- You must record the full audio-video session, get the signer’s verbal consent to record, and store the recording securely for ten years.
- Remote acts have to be logged in a tamper-evident electronic journal, even if your in-person work uses a paper book.
- The notarial certificate must state that the act was performed using audio-video technology.
Renewing When Your Four Years Are Up
Your commission expires four years after the approval date, and you can start the renewal process up to 90 days before that date.6Colorado Secretary of State. Notary Public FAQs Renewal mirrors the first application: finish the training, pass the exam, have a new affirmation form notarized, upload everything, and pay the $10 fee. If you let the commission lapse, there’s no shortcut back in; you start over as a new applicant. If you hold RON authorization and change your name, report it to the Secretary of State within 30 days or your remote approval expires automatically.