How to become a notary public in Connecticut

Who needs a Notary Public license

Notarial acts: taking acknowledgments, administering oaths or affirmations, witnessing or attesting signatures and completing copy certifications, anywhere in Connecticut; remote notarization by audio-video is allowed under § 3-95b with listed exclusions.³

Requirements for a Notary Public license

Minimum age

18 years old³

Education or training

No pre-licensing course is required; applicants study the Notary Public Manual, which the application exam tests.¹

Exam

Notary public examination (built into the online eLicense application)²
Given by: Office of the Secretary of the State (in the eLicense application; no outside vendor)¹
Passing score: All questions must be answered correctly²

Background check

No background check stated as required³
The Secretary may deny for a felony or a crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude, a revoked/suspended notary or professional license, or official misconduct; renewal applicants swear they have not been convicted of a crime since the last appointment.²

Residency or citizenship

Connecticut resident, or principal place of business in Connecticut, at application and appointment. No citizenship requirement is stated in § 3-94b.³

Insurance

Errors and omissions insurance is optional²

Also required

Certificate of Character: signed by a public official or reputable business/professional person, unrelated to you, who has known you at least one year¹

Also required

Jurat and Writing Sample in your own handwriting, notarized, uploaded with the application¹

Also required

A valid email address is required; all correspondence is sent by email²

Also required

Take the oath of office before performing any notarial act²

How much a Notary Public license costs

You pay SOTS (3 fees) and Town clerk of the town of residence (filing fee for recording the notary's commission and oath (town clerk)).

Each line is a separate charge as the board lists it. The board does not publish a combined total, so none is shown here.

The board's pages we cite do not list the exam fee.

Fee waivers and reductions:

• State police majors, captains, lieutenants and sergeants may be appointed without an application fee, but may act only on official police matters and may not charge for services.³
• Active state employees applying for notary appointment for use in their official duties can have the application fee waived (subject to audit).¹

How to apply

1. Read the Connecticut Notary Public Manual; the application includes an exam on it and every answer must be correct.¹ Form (PDF, portal.ct.gov)¹
2. Complete the Jurat and Writing Sample in your own handwriting and have the jurat sworn before a person authorized to give oaths.¹ Form (PDF, portal.ct.gov)⁴
3. Have an unrelated public official or business/professional person who has known you at least a year complete the Certificate of Character.¹ Form (PDF, portal.ct.gov)⁵
4. Create an account on eLicense.ct.gov, choose Online Services > Initial Application > Notary Public Certification, upload the documents, take the exam and pay the $120 fee by card or ACH.¹
5. When the certificate arrives by email, take the oath of office and record the certificate and oath with your town clerk within 30 days.¹

Apply online

elicense.ct.gov¹

Processing time

Typically 3-5 business days after the application is received (per SOTS)¹

Renewal and continuing education

How often

Every 5 years¹

When it expires

Term runs from the appointment date to the last day of the month of appointment five years later³

Renewal fee

$60¹

Late renewal

Reinstatement fee: $120²

If it expires

Renew online in the 90 days before or the 90 days after expiration; you may not notarize while lapsed.¹
After 90 days the commission is inactive and you must apply for reinstatement (same requirements as a new application, $120) by emailing [email protected].¹
Each renewal term needs a new oath and town clerk recording.²

Renew online

elicense.ct.gov¹

Moving to Connecticut with a license from another state

These are the routes SOTS publishes for the Notary Public license.

City and county rules

After appointment, record the certificate and oath with the town clerk of your town of residence (non-residents: town of principal place of business) within 30 days.³

Check a license or report a problem

Before you hire a notary public in Connecticut, you can confirm the license is current on the board's own search. Every board we cover in Connecticut is on the Connecticut license lookup page.

Look up a license

elicense.ct.gov¹

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 3-94a to 3-95b (ch. 33, notaries public)
• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 3-94b
• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 3-94c
• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 3-94d
• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 3-95b
• Conn. Public Act 26-81, § 13

Rule changes since January 2024

• July 1, 2026: Public Act 26-81 raised the maximum notary fee from $5 to $10 per act and tied mileage to the IRS business standard mileage rate (signed May 26, 2026).¹

Common questions

Notary public licenses in other states

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming