The Maryland Notary Public Handbook is not available as a free PDF. The Secretary of State publishes it only as a print book and sells it for $30 through the Notary Division’s website, shipped to the address you provide.1Maryland Secretary of State. SOS Handbook Order Form If you’ve found a downloadable file online claiming to be the current handbook, it isn’t the official version. The Secretary of State’s office has confirmed there is no digital edition.
How to Order the Print Handbook
You can order the handbook two ways. Pay by credit card through the Secretary of State’s online order form, or print the form and mail it in with a check. Either way, the cost is $30 and a physical book is sent to you.1Maryland Secretary of State. SOS Handbook Order Form
The current edition is dated July 2024.2Maryland Secretary of State. Notary Division Anything older predates significant changes to Maryland notary law and shouldn’t be relied on. Older PDFs floating around the internet — including one hosted on the Maryland State Archives site — are prior editions and don’t reflect current requirements.
Why You Need the Handbook Before Applying
New applicants are expected to order and review the handbook before starting the application.3Maryland Secretary of State. New Notary Applicant Information This isn’t a suggestion buried in fine print. Since October 1, 2021, every new and renewing notary in Maryland has been required to complete a course of study through an approved provider and pass an examination.4Maryland Secretary of State. Maryland Notary Public Handbook The handbook is the reference the coursework and exam are built around.
Before that 2021 change, no standardized education was required at all. If you were commissioned years ago and are coming back to renew, the process you remember no longer exists. The handbook is where the current rules live.
What’s Inside the Handbook
The handbook is the working reference for the duties, procedures, and ethical rules that govern Maryland notaries. Buying it and reading it end-to-end is the point of the $30. Here’s what it covers so you know what you’re paying for.
Application and Commission Basics
Eligibility, senator approval, the online application, the $25 application fee, and the 30-day deadline to appear before the Clerk of the Circuit Court for your oath of office. Miss that 30-day window and your commission is automatically revoked; you start over and pay the fee again.5Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code State Government 18-103 A commission lasts four years.
Journal Recordkeeping
Every notary must maintain a journal of all notarial acts and keep it for 10 years after the last entry. Physical journals must be bound with numbered pages; electronic journals must be tamper-evident.6Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code State Government 18-219 – Journal Each entry has to be made at the time of the act and record the date and time, type of act and record, the signer’s name and address, how you identified them, the fee charged, and whether the signer appeared in person or through communication technology. Lost or stolen journals must be reported to the Secretary of State.
Seal Requirements
Every notary must obtain a seal or stamp showing the notary’s name, the title, and the county (or Baltimore City) of residence. Each notarized document also has to show the commission expiration date.7Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code State Government 18-108 The seal is treated with the same legal weight as a public seal under Maryland criminal law, so it has to be kept secure and stopped from use the moment a commission ends.
Authorized Notarial Acts
The handbook walks through the four acts Maryland notaries can perform: acknowledgments, oaths and affirmations, signature witnessing, and verifications on oath or affirmation.8Cornell Law Institute. Maryland Code of Regulations 01.02.08.01 – Definitions Each has its own procedure, and applying the wrong one can invalidate the document. For all of them, the signer must appear before the notary and be properly identified.
Identifying Signers
Satisfactory evidence of identity means a government-issued photo ID like a passport or driver’s license, another government-issued ID bearing both a photo and a signature, or a credible witness who personally appears and can vouch for the signer.9Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code State Government 18-206 – Evidence of Identity Social Security cards, birth certificates, credit cards, and school IDs don’t count. If someone shows up without acceptable identification, the notary must refuse.
Fees
Maryland caps fees by regulation. The maximum for an in-person notarial act is $8. A remote notarial act performed through communication technology is capped at $30. For multiple copies of the same record signed simultaneously by the same person, the notary can charge $8 for the first copy and $4 for each additional copy.10Library of Maryland Regulations. Maryland Code of Regulations 01.02.08.02 – Charges and Fees The underlying statute allows the Secretary of State to set fees up to $25 for a standard act and $50 for a remote act, but current regulations sit well below those ceilings.11Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code State Government 18-107 – Notary Public Fees Every fee has to be recorded in the journal.
Remote Online Notarization
Notaries who want to perform remote acts must first submit a remote notary notification form through the Secretary of State’s portal and, if using an electronic platform, select from the state’s approved vendor list.12Maryland Secretary of State. Remote Notary Information Audio-visual recordings have to be stored with password protection or encryption, and electronic journals must meet the same tamper-evident standards required for in-person electronic records.6Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code State Government 18-219 – Journal Third-party storage is allowed, but the notary must keep access if the contract ends.
Renewals Follow the Same Path
Renewing notaries face the same handbook, the same course, and the same examination as new applicants. There’s no shortcut for experience.13Maryland Secretary of State. Renewal Applicant Information The same 30-day oath deadline applies after approval, and missing it revokes the commission just as it does for first-time applicants. If your last commission predates the 2021 education requirement, plan on ordering the current handbook and treating renewal as a fresh study project.
A Note on Bonds and Insurance
Maryland does not require notaries to carry a surety bond or errors and omissions insurance. Some notaries buy E&O coverage on their own as a personal safeguard, but the state doesn’t mandate it. That’s one of the few areas where the handbook confirms an absence of requirement rather than adding one.