How to Get a Notary License in NY: Exam, Application, and Fees

To get a notary license in NY, you pass a one-hour state exam, submit an application to the Department of State with a notarized oath of office and a $60 fee, and receive a commission that lasts four years and lets you notarize anywhere in the state. The whole process typically runs a few weeks from exam to commission.

Who Qualifies

You must be at least 18, live in New York or keep a business office in the state, show good moral character, and have at least the equivalent of a common school education.¹ You also need enough English to understand the relevant laws and perform notarial duties.

A criminal conviction does not automatically disqualify you. The Secretary of State reviews the conviction under Article 23-A of the Correction Law, weighing the nature of the offense, how much time has passed, and evidence of rehabilitation.¹ A Certificate of Relief from Disabilities or a Certificate of Good Conduct from the parole board helps your case.²

One narrow bar: sheriffs cannot hold the office of notary public, because the state constitution prevents them from holding any other public office.³

Pass the Notary Exam

The exam is a one-hour multiple-choice test given in person at locations around the state. You need 70% to pass. It covers your duties as a notary, the Notary Public License Law in Article 6 of the Executive Law, and ethical obligations like impartiality.⁴

The exam fee is $15, payable by check, money order, or Visa or MasterCard.⁵ No training course is required. The single most useful preparation is the official Notary Public License Law booklet published by the Department of State, which contains the actual statutes and definitions you will be tested on.

Two groups skip the exam: attorneys admitted to practice in New York, and Unified Court System court clerks appointed after passing a civil service promotional exam in the court clerk title series. Both groups still meet every other application requirement.¹

Submit Your Application

After you pass, send the Department of State an application with two attachments: your exam pass slip and a completed Oath of Office. The oath has to be signed in front of someone already authorized to administer oaths, such as a commissioned notary, and then notarized.⁶

The application fee is $60 and is non-refundable. Twenty dollars of that fee goes to your county clerk with your commission and oath.⁶ Use the exact name and signature you plan to use as a notary. Your residence address cannot be a P.O. Box.

The preferred route is online through the NY Business Express portal. Create a NY.gov account, then upload scans of your notarized oath and pass slip during the application.⁵ Paper applications go to the Division of Licensing Services, P.O. Box 22001, Albany, NY 12201-2001. Overnight and express deliveries go to 1 Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Avenue, 6th Floor, Albany, NY 12231.⁷

After You’re Approved

Once the Department of State approves your application, you receive an identification card showing your name, address, county of qualification, and four-year commission term.⁶ There is no separate filing step at the county clerk on your end. The Department of State transmits your commission, the original oath, and your signature to the appropriate county clerk by the tenth day of the following month.² The county clerk indexes the commission and signature so anyone can verify your appointment.

Your jurisdiction is statewide. Once commissioned, you can perform notarial acts anywhere in New York, not only in the county where you qualified.¹

Your Signature Block and Supplies

Every time you notarize a document, you have to print, type, or stamp certain information beneath your signature in black ink: your name, the words “Notary Public State of New York,” the county where you originally qualified, and your commission expiration date.³ If you filed a certificate of official character with a county clerk in New York City, add the official number that clerk assigned you. Attorneys who are also notaries can substitute “Attorney and Counselor at Law” for “Notary Public.”

A specific stamp is not mandated by law, but most working notaries buy one that includes all the required information. A basic stamp and a record-keeping journal together run roughly $30 to $50. Buy them before your first notarization.

What You Can Charge

New York caps notary fees at $2 per notarial act, whether you are administering an oath, taking an acknowledgment, or certifying a proof of execution. Each additional person on the same document is another $2, and swearing in each witness is $2.⁸ You can charge less or nothing at all, but you cannot exceed those amounts unless a different statute authorizes a higher fee.

Electronic notarization is a separate registration with its own rules and a higher fee ceiling of up to $25 per act.² You have to hold a standard commission first, then register your electronic capability with the Secretary of State.⁹

Know the Limits Before You Start

The line between notary services and legal practice is where new notaries get in trouble. Unless you are a licensed attorney, you cannot give legal advice, recommend which document a signer needs, tell someone how to fill out a form, or offer an opinion on a document’s legal effect. You can explain the difference between an acknowledgment and a jurat, but the signer chooses which act to perform. Send legal questions to an attorney or the receiving agency.

Advertising in a language other than English triggers a specific rule. You must include a notice in that language and in English stating: “I am not an attorney licensed to practice law and may not give legal advice about immigration or any other legal matter or accept fees for legal advice.” Using foreign-language words that imply attorney status, such as “abogado,” is prohibited and carries civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation. A second violation can lead to suspension, and a third can result in removal.³

Practicing fraud or deceit while acting as a notary is a misdemeanor, as is holding yourself out as a notary before you have been appointed.¹⁰

Renewing After Four Years

Your commission runs four years.¹ You can start the renewal 90 days before it expires, through the same NY Business Express portal.¹¹ The fee is $60 again, and you submit a new notarized oath.⁶ Apply before your current term ends and the Secretary of State can waive the good-character review, education verification, and familiarity testing that apply to first-timers.

If your name or address changes during your term, file a Change Notice (form DOS-1473-f) with the Department of State.¹¹ Moving out of New York without keeping a business office in the state automatically vacates your commission.

1
New York State Senate. New York Executive Law 130 – Appointment of Notaries Public
2
New York Department of State. Notary Public – Frequently Asked Questions
3
New York Department of State. NYS Department of State Notary Public License Law
4
New York State Senate. New York Executive Law Article 6
5
New York Department of State. Become a Notary Public
6
New York State Senate. New York Executive Law 131 – Procedure of Appointment, Fees and Commissions
7
New York Department of State. Division of Licensing Services
8
New York State Senate. New York Executive Law 136 – Notarial Fees
9
New York State Senate. New York Executive Law 135-C – Electronic Notarization
10
New York State Senate. New York Executive Law 135-A – Notary Public or Commissioner of Deeds, Acting Without Appointment, Fraud in Office
11
New York Department of State. Renew or Update Notary Public License