To become a notary public in Idaho, you file an application with the Secretary of State, post a $10,000 surety bond, pay a $30 filing fee, and take an oath of office before another commissioned notary. Your commission runs for six years. The requirements and process come from Idaho Code Title 51, Chapter 1, and the Secretary of State accepts applications online through sosbiz.idaho.gov.
Who Can Apply
Idaho Code 51-121 sets four requirements:1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 51-121 – Commission as Notary
- You are at least 18 years old.
- You are a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident.
- You live in Idaho, or you work or practice professionally in the state.
- You can read and write in English.
The residency rule is broader than many people assume. You don’t have to live in Idaho so long as your workplace or professional practice is here. The statute does not limit this to residents of bordering states, though in practice most out-of-state applicants do live near the border.
The Steps to Get Commissioned
1. Get a $10,000 Surety Bond
Before you file, obtain a $10,000 surety bond from a company licensed to do business in Idaho. The bond protects the public from financial harm caused by a notary’s mistakes or misconduct, and you must sign the bond yourself before it is submitted. An unsigned bond, or one issued for less than $10,000, will get your application rejected.
The bond does not protect you. If a claim is paid out, the bonding company pursues you for reimbursement. Errors and omissions insurance, which covers your own defense and liability, is optional in Idaho and separate from the bond.2Idaho Secretary of State. Notary Public FAQ – General
2. Complete the Notary Public Application
The Secretary of State publishes the application form online. You can fill it out and submit it electronically through sosbiz.idaho.gov, or you can print and mail the paper version. File online if you can: paper applications carry an extra $20 manual processing fee on top of the $30 filing fee.3Idaho Secretary of State. Notary Forms and Fees Government employees are exempt from both fees.4Idaho Secretary of State. Idaho Notary Public Application
3. Take the Oath of Office
The application includes an oath. You swear or affirm that you will uphold the U.S. Constitution and the Idaho Constitution and faithfully perform the duties of a notary public. You must take this oath in front of another commissioned notary, who notarizes your signature. You cannot notarize your own oath.
4. Pay the $30 Filing Fee and Submit
Standard filing is $30. Add $20 if you file on paper. Submit the signed application, the signed bond, and payment together.
5. Receive Your Certificate of Commission
Once the Secretary of State approves your application, you receive a Certificate of Commission. That certificate is your authorization to purchase a notary stamp, and your commission runs for six years from the date of issuance.5Idaho Secretary of State. Notary Public Instructions
6. Buy a Compliant Stamp
Idaho Code 51-117 is specific about the stamp. It must include your name as it appears on the commission certificate, the words “Notary Public” and “State of Idaho,” your state-issued commission number, and a serrated or milled-edge border. The stamp can be rectangular (no larger than 2.25 inches by 1 inch) or circular (no larger than 1.75 inches in diameter), and it must produce an inked impression. You may optionally include the words “my commission expires” followed by your expiration date, but nothing else is allowed.6Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 51-117 – Official Stamp The Secretary of State also publishes a separate stamp specification sheet with these dimensions.7Idaho Secretary of State. Notary Stamp Information
The stamp is yours personally, not your employer’s. If an employer paid for it and will not let you take it when you leave, the Secretary of State’s office recommends asking that it be destroyed and then purchasing a replacement.
What Your Commission Lets You Do
Idaho Code 51-102 defines the acts you are authorized to perform:8Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 51-102 – Definitions
- Take acknowledgments, where the signer confirms they signed voluntarily and for the document’s intended purpose.
- Administer oaths and affirmations, placing someone under a legal obligation to tell the truth.
- Take a verification on oath or affirmation, where a person swears or affirms that the statements in a document are true.
- Witness or attest a signature made in your physical presence.
- Certify or attest that a copy is an accurate reproduction of the original.
- Note a protest of a negotiable instrument, a formal declaration that a check, promissory note, or similar instrument was dishonored.
Before performing any of these, you must know who the signer is. Idaho Code 51-107 lets you rely on personal knowledge from prior dealings or on satisfactory evidence, which in practice means checking a passport, driver’s license, or government-issued ID. The ID can be expired, but not by more than three years. A credible witness who is personally known to you can vouch for a signer who has no qualifying ID, provided the witness appears before you with their own ID. Bank cards, credit cards, and Social Security cards do not count.9Idaho Secretary of State. Idaho Notary Public Handbook
Idaho does not require you to keep a notary journal. The Secretary of State’s office calls journal-keeping “strongly recommended” and a “notary best-practice,” and if a notarization is ever disputed, a detailed journal is your best defense.
What You Must Not Do
Idaho Code 51-104 prohibits you from notarizing when you are the signer, when your spouse is the signer, or when you have any beneficial interest in the document. The beneficial-interest rule is the broadest of the three: if the transaction could benefit you financially in any way, you must decline and send the signer to another notary.
Idaho Code 51-133 caps your fee at $5 per notarial act. You can charge less or nothing, but you cannot exceed $5 for a single notarization. If you travel to a signer’s location, you may collect reimbursement for actual and reasonable travel expenses on top of that cap.
Adding Remote Online Notarization
Idaho authorizes remote online notarization, which lets you notarize for a signer who appears through live, two-way audio and video rather than in person. You must already hold an active Idaho commission to add it.
To add the authority, file an “Addition of Electronic or Remote Online Notary” amendment with the Secretary of State. Filing online through sosbiz.idaho.gov costs nothing; a paper filing carries the usual $20 manual processing fee. You also need to select a tamper-evident technology platform that complies with IDAPA 34.07.01, the administrative rule governing electronic and remote notarization standards. Compliant platforms handle identity verification through credential analysis of the signer’s ID and knowledge-based authentication quiz questions, and they maintain a live video connection with enough resolution for you to verify identity and observe the signing.10Idaho Secretary of State. Electronic Notary Public FAQ
Recommissioning at the End of Six Years
Idaho does not technically renew a commission. You apply for an entirely new six-year commission, which means a new $10,000 surety bond, a new application, and another $30 filing fee. You can start up to 90 days before your current commission expires. The Secretary of State does not send renewal reminders, so tracking your own expiration date is on you.
If your existing stamp still meets the current specifications and your name has not changed, you can keep using it with the new commission.