To become a notary public in Missouri, you confirm you meet the state’s eligibility rules, read the Missouri Notary Public Handbook and pass an approved training course, buy a $10,000 surety bond, file a $25 application with the Secretary of State, and then appear at your county clerk’s office within 90 days to take your oath and file the bond. Once that’s done and you’ve purchased a compliant seal, you’re commissioned for four years. Most applicants finish the sequence in a few weeks, though state processing time varies.
Who Qualifies
Missouri’s eligibility list is short. You must be at least 18, able to read and write English, and either a Missouri resident or a non-resident who has a regular workplace in the state where your seal will be used. Non-citizens qualify if they hold permanent resident status under the Immigration and Nationality Act.1Missouri Secretary of State. General Qualifications
Two things can block you for five years. If your notary commission was previously revoked in any state, you cannot reapply until five years have passed from the revocation date.1Missouri Secretary of State. General Qualifications And if you’ve been convicted of, or pleaded guilty or no contest to, any felony or any crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude under state or federal law, the Secretary of State can deny your application for at least five years.2Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Revised Statutes of Missouri, RSMo Section 486.605 Moral turpitude is a broad legal category covering fraud, theft, and similar dishonest conduct. Any criminal history will be evaluated before a commission issues.
Read the Handbook and Pass the Course
Missouri requires two educational steps, and they are not interchangeable. First, read the Missouri Notary Public Handbook, which the Secretary of State publishes online. Second, complete an approved training course, offered online or as a written course.3SOS.MO.Gov. How to Become a Notary You do both.
The material covers the notarial acts you’re authorized to perform, prohibited conduct, how to identify signers, how to keep your journal, and the proper use of your seal. A written exam follows the course, and you have to pass it. The Secretary of State’s office issues a certificate of training completion, which you’ll include with your application.
Get a $10,000 Surety Bond
Every Missouri notary must obtain a $10,000 surety bond before the commission takes effect, and the bond covers the full four-year term.4Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Revised Statutes of Missouri, RSMo Section 486.615 Be clear about who the bond protects: it protects the public, not you. If someone suffers financial harm because of your negligence or misconduct, they can file a claim against your bond, and if the surety pays that claim, you owe the surety company back.
The bond must come from a surety company licensed in Missouri. The one-time premium usually runs between $25 and $100 for the four-year term, depending on the company. The surety will give you a bond document that you’ll need twice: once for your application to the Secretary of State, and again when you qualify at the county clerk’s office.
Errors and omissions insurance is a different product. It’s optional in Missouri and covers your own defense costs and damages if you’re accused of a mistake during a notarization. Notaries who handle real estate closings or high document volumes often buy it, because any claim against your bond that exceeds $10,000 falls on you personally.5Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Revised Statutes of Missouri, RSMo Section 486.805
File Your Application With the Secretary of State
The application form lives on the Secretary of State’s website. You’ll provide your legal name as you want it on your commission certificate, home address, county of residence, daytime phone, email, and employer information.6Missouri Secretary of State. Application for Commission as a Notary Public Get the name right. Your seal has to match it exactly later.
Submit the application with your training certificate, bond information, and a $25 non-refundable application fee. You can apply online or mail everything to the Commissions Division at P.O. Box 784, Jefferson City, MO 65102.7Missouri Secretary of State. Frequently Asked Questions After processing, the office sends you a commission letter with your commission number and expiration date.
Qualify at the County Clerk’s Office Within 90 Days
The commission letter starts a strict 90-day clock, and this is the single most important deadline in the process. Within those 90 days you must appear in person at the county clerk’s office in the county where you were commissioned. There you take an oath of office and file your $10,000 surety bond so it becomes part of the public record.8Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Revised Statutes of Missouri, RSMo Section 486.240
Miss the window and the county clerk returns your commission to the Secretary of State, who cancels it. You may also be barred from reapplying for anywhere from 30 days to a full year.8Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Revised Statutes of Missouri, RSMo Section 486.240 Put the date on your calendar the day the commission letter arrives.
Buy a Compliant Seal
Once the oath is on file, order a seal that meets Missouri’s specifications. You can use an engraved embosser, a black-ink rubber stamp, or an electronic stamp. The seal must include:
- Your exact commissioned name, spelled precisely as it appears on your commission certificate, along with your notary jurisdiction (county)
- Your commission number
- The words “Notary Seal” or “Notary Public,” “State of Missouri,” and “My commission expires” followed by your expiration date
- A rectangular or circular border no larger than one-sixteenth of an inch around the required text
Office supply vendors that specialize in notary products can produce a compliant seal from the information on your commission letter.9Missouri Secretary of State. Missouri Notary Handbook With the seal in hand and your oath filed, you are authorized to perform notarial acts anywhere in Missouri for the next four years.10Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Revised Statutes of Missouri, RSMo Section 486.610
A Note on Remote Online Notarization
A standard commission authorizes in-person notarizations only, with the signer physically present.11Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Revised Statutes of Missouri, RSMo Section 486.600 If you want to notarize for signers appearing by video, you have to hold an active Missouri commission first and then complete a separate online registration and training through the Secretary of State’s office, selecting from a list of approved software platforms.12Missouri Secretary of State. Electronic Notary Info It’s an add-on, not part of becoming a notary.
Four-Year Term and Renewal
Your commission lasts four years. Renewal mirrors the original application: meet the eligibility rules again, complete a training course (no earlier than six weeks before your current commission expires), buy a new surety bond, submit a reappointment application with the $25 fee, and qualify again at your county clerk’s office with an oath and bond filing.13SOS.MO.Gov. Notary Reappointments The six-week training window keeps your knowledge current. If you let the commission lapse before finishing these steps, you start over as a new applicant.