Applying to become a notary public in North Carolina takes four steps: confirm you meet the eligibility rules, complete a six-hour approved course and pass its exam, submit an NC notary application with a $50 fee to the Secretary of State, and take your oath before the Register of Deeds within 45 days of your commission being issued. The commission lasts five years and lets you notarize anywhere in the state.1North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-9 – Length of Term and Jurisdiction
Who Qualifies
You must be at least 18 (or legally emancipated), reside legally in the United States, and either live in North Carolina or have a regular place of work or business in the state.2North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-5 – Qualifications You must also read, write, and speak English, and hold a high school diploma or equivalent.
The residency-or-workplace rule matters if you live near the state line. Commuting into North Carolina from Virginia or South Carolina for work qualifies you. Wanting a commission with no other tie to the state does not.
What Can Disqualify You
The Secretary of State reviews your background and can deny an application even when you meet the basic qualifications. A felony conviction, or any conviction involving dishonesty, bars you for at least 10 years after you complete prison, probation, or parole, whichever ends last.2North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-5 – Qualifications A civil fraud judgment, a revoked professional license in any state, or a finding of official misconduct can also cost you the commission.
If a prior notary commission was revoked or suspended anywhere in the country, you must wait at least five years after completing every condition of the discipline before reapplying. The application requires you to disclose convictions and professional discipline, and hiding that history is itself grounds for denial.
Training and Exam
Before applying, you need to buy the current North Carolina Notary Public Guidebook and complete an approved course of study. The guidebook stays with you as a reference once you’re commissioned.
The course must be at least six hours and approved by the Secretary of State. Community colleges around the state offer it on a regular schedule.3North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-8 – Course of Study and Examination Pay attention to the timing: you must finish the course within three months before you submit your application. A course taken in January expires before a June filing, and you’ll have to take it again.
At the end of the class you sit for a written exam on notarial laws, procedures, and ethics. You need to answer at least 80% correctly to pass.3North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-8 – Course of Study and Examination Licensed members of the North Carolina State Bar are exempt from both the course and the exam for an initial commission, though they still buy the guidebook.
Building Your Application Package
Once you pass the exam, download the application form from the Secretary of State’s website. It asks for your personal contact information, employment details, and the disclosures about criminal history and professional discipline.4North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-6 – Application for Commission
Three additional items have to accompany your own information:
- A signed instructor certificate confirming you completed the training and passed the exam.
- A recommendation signed by one publicly elected official in North Carolina.
- Your signature on the application, acknowledged before a currently commissioned North Carolina notary who verifies your identity and witnesses your signing.
The elected-official signature catches people off guard. Any publicly elected official in the state qualifies, from a city council member to a county commissioner to a state legislator. You don’t need a personal relationship, but they are attesting to your fitness, so line this up early rather than the day before you mail.
Filing and the Fee
Mail the completed, notarized application to the Notary Public Division at the Department of the Secretary of State in Raleigh. Include the $50 nonrefundable application fee by check or money order made out to the North Carolina Secretary of State.5North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-13 – Application Fee
Check every field before it goes in the envelope. Incomplete or illegible applications cause processing delays, and a rejection costs you the $50 and sends you back to the start.
The 45-Day Oath Deadline
After the Secretary of State approves your application, you’ll receive a notification letter with instructions. This is the hardest deadline in the process: you have 45 days from the date your commission is issued to appear before the Register of Deeds in your commissioning county and take the oath of office.6North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-10 – Commission and Oath of Office Your commission is not active until you take that oath, and any notarial act you perform before the oath is invalid.
The Register of Deeds charges a $10 recording fee to administer the oath.7North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings. North Carolina Administrative Code Title 18 Chapter 07 Subchapter C – Notary Public Division Once sworn in, the register records your commission, delivers it to you, and notifies the Secretary of State.
Miss the 45 days and the Register of Deeds returns your commission to the Secretary of State. You’ll need to reapply. One small consolation: if you reapply within a year, the Secretary may waive the education requirements, so you skip retaking the course and exam.6North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-10 – Commission and Oath of Office You’ll still pay the $50 fee again.
After You’re Commissioned
Before performing any notarial act, order an official seal. State law requires it to show your name exactly as commissioned, the words “Notary Public,” your commissioning county, and “North Carolina” or its abbreviation, all within a visible border.8North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-37 – Seal Image Order from a commercial vendor after your commission arrives so the details match. Expect to pay roughly $10 to $30.
North Carolina does not require notaries to keep a journal of their acts.9North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings. North Carolina Administrative Code Title 18 Chapter 07 Subchapter I – Records Keeping one is still sensible: it creates a contemporaneous record if a notarization is challenged later. If you keep a journal, it must stay securely stored and under your exclusive control, and it belongs to you rather than your employer.
When It’s Time to Renew
A commission runs five years and covers the entire state, not just your commissioning county. You can start the reappointment process up to 10 weeks before your expiration date. Renewing notaries skip the six-hour classroom course but most must pass an online reappointment exam of 20 questions, 30-minute limit, same 80% threshold.3North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 10B-8 – Course of Study and Examination Letting the commission lapse and coming back later means running the full initial application again.