How to Become a Notary Public in North Carolina: Course, Oath, Seal

To become a notary public in North Carolina, you need to be at least 18, meet a short list of eligibility rules, complete a state-approved course, pass the exam with a score of 80% or better, submit a $50 application to the Secretary of State, take the oath of office at your county Register of Deeds within 45 days of your commission, and buy a compliant seal. From enrollment to your first notarization, plan on several weeks.

Who Qualifies

North Carolina General Statute 10B-5 sets the eligibility rules. You must be at least 18 years old or legally emancipated, a legal resident of the United States, able to read and write English, and hold a high school diploma or its equivalent.¹

You do not have to live in North Carolina. You must either live in the state or have a regular place of work or business here. Someone commuting from Virginia or South Carolina qualifies as long as they work in North Carolina. Residents are commissioned in their county of residence; non-residents are commissioned in the county where they work.¹

One shortcut worth knowing: licensed members of the North Carolina State Bar are exempt from the education course and exam. Attorneys still file the application and complete every other step, but skip the classroom.¹

Take the Course and Pass the Exam

Every non-attorney applicant completes a notary public course approved by the Secretary of State. Community colleges across North Carolina offer it, and the course runs roughly six to seven hours of classroom instruction covering notarial laws, procedures for different document types, ethics, and how to identify signers. You will also buy the current edition of the North Carolina Notary Public Manual, which doubles as your study material and your reference once you are commissioned.

At the end of the course you take a written exam and need at least 80% to pass.² Miss that mark and you can retake the exam up to three times within 30 days. Fail all three attempts and you start the course over. The questions test practical scenarios, so read the manual seriously.

Submit the Application and $50 Fee

After passing, fill out the state’s application for initial appointment, downloadable from the Secretary of State’s website. Your course instructor signs the application to certify that you completed the course and passed the exam, which usually happens at the end of your class session.

The form asks for your full legal name, home and business addresses, phone numbers, email, and the county where you live or work. You also disclose any felony or misdemeanor convictions, pending criminal charges, and any prior denial, revocation, or suspension of a professional license or notary commission. These disclosures do not automatically disqualify you, but incomplete or dishonest answers will delay or sink the application.

Mail the application to the Secretary of State’s Notary Public Section in Raleigh with a $50 non-refundable fee. Processing generally takes a few weeks, longer during busy periods. If everything checks out, the state mails you a commission notice with your dates and instructions for the next step.

Take the Oath of Office Within 45 Days

The commission notice is not permission to start notarizing. Before your first notarial act, you must visit the Register of Deeds in the county listed on your commission and take the constitutional oath of office. You have 45 days from the date of your commission to do this.³

At the Register of Deeds office you sign the official register of notaries and pay a $10 recording fee.³ Once the oath is administered and recorded, you are authorized to notarize documents anywhere in North Carolina for a five-year term.⁴

Do not let this deadline slide. Miss the 45 days and the Register of Deeds returns your commission to the Secretary of State. You then reapply from the beginning, including another $50 fee.⁵

Order a Compliant Seal

You cannot notarize a document without an official seal, and G.S. 10B-37 is specific about what has to appear on it:

Your name exactly as it appears on your commission, with no variations or nicknames
The words “Notary Public”
Your commissioning county, including the word “County” or the abbreviation “Co.”
“North Carolina” or the abbreviation “N.C.” or “NC”

The seal can be circular or rectangular. Circular seals must be between 1.5 and 2 inches in diameter. Rectangular seals cannot exceed 1 inch high by 2.5 inches long. Either way, the imprint must have a visible border. The statute treats “seal” and “stamp” interchangeably, so an ink stamp or an embosser both work. Ink stamps tend to photocopy more reliably. Altering any information on the seal after it has been impressed on a document is prohibited.⁶

Multiple vendors sell compliant seals online and at office supply stores. Order yours as soon as your commission notice arrives so it is on your desk before you need it.

What You Can Charge and What You Cannot Do

Once commissioned, North Carolina caps what you can charge per notarial act. G.S. 10B-31 sets the ceiling at $10 per notarized signature for paper acknowledgments, jurats, or verifications, and $10 per person for paper oaths or affirmations with no signature. Electronic acts run higher, and remote online notarization is capped at $25 per notarized signature. Travel reimbursement is allowed at the federal business mileage rate, but only if the signer agrees in writing before you travel. You can charge less or nothing, but going above the caps can trigger discipline.⁷

The fastest way to lose the commission you just earned is to notarize a document you have a personal stake in. Under G.S. 10B-20, you cannot notarize a record if you are a signer, party, or beneficiary. You also cannot receive any financial benefit from the underlying transaction beyond the statutory notary fee, unless you are separately licensed as an attorney, real estate broker, motor vehicle dealer, or banker acting in that capacity. Non-attorneys cannot give legal advice or charge for it.⁸

Electronic and Remote Online Notarization Are Separate

The steps above cover the standard paper commission. If you want to perform electronic notarizations or remote online notarizations over live audio-video, those require additional coursework, a separate exam, and a separate $50 registration with the Secretary of State on top of your regular commission.⁹ You have to be a regular North Carolina notary first.

Renewal After Five Years

A commission runs for five years.⁴ When the time comes, you sign in to your notary account on the Secretary of State’s website, update your information, pay the $50 renewal fee, and take an online exam with the same 80% passing score and three attempts within 30 days. Print and mail the notarized renewal application, then take the oath again at the Register of Deeds within 45 days. Attorneys and notaries continuously commissioned since July 10, 1991 without lapse or discipline are exempt from the exam.²

Start the renewal process before your current commission expires. Let it lapse and you may have to go through the full initial appointment again, classroom course included.

1
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-5 – Qualifications
2
North Carolina Secretary of State. North Carolina Secretary of State – Notary Reappointment
3
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina General Statute 10B-10 – Oaths of Office and Commissioning
4
Justia Law. North Carolina Code 10B-9 – Length of Term and Jurisdiction
5
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code Chapter 10B – Article 1
6
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-37 – Seal Image
7
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-31 – Fees for Notarial Acts
8
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-20 – Prohibited Acts
9
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code Chapter 10B – Article 2