How to become a notary public in Kansas

Kansas notary public licenses

Kansas issues 2 notary public credentials. Each has its own section below; the table shows what each one covers and its headline requirements.

Applies to every license level

These rules are the same for every Kansas notary public license on this page, so they are shown once here. Each license's own section lists only what differs.

Requirements

Minimum age

18 years old¹

How to apply

Apply online

sos.ks.gov³

Application form

Form (PDF, sos.ks.gov)⁷³

Renewal

Renew online

sos.ks.gov³

Who needs a Notary Public license

Perform notarial acts (acknowledgments, oaths and affirmations, verifications, witnessing or attesting signatures, certifying copies, noting protests) anywhere in Kansas while physically in the state. Electronic (IPEN) and remote online (RON) notarizations need a separate authorization.¹

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Notaries must keep a journal of every notarial act and retain it for 10 years after the last entry.³

Requirements for a Notary Public license

The rules this license shares with every other level are under Applies to every license level.

Exam

Not required¹

Background check

Background check required²
No fingerprints required¹
Form NO asks about convictions and prior notary or license discipline; the SOS may deny a commission for a felony conviction or a crime of fraud, dishonesty or deceit (including diversion).²

Residency or citizenship

U.S. citizen; Kansas resident, or resident of a bordering state with a regular place of employment or practice in Kansas.¹

Surety bond

$12,000⁸

Also required

Buy an official stamp (ink stamp or embosser) showing the name exactly as on the application, "notary public" and "State of Kansas", and submit an impression with the application.³

Also required

Take the notary oath before another notary (Form NO section B or Form NO-O).³

Also required

Able to read and write English.¹

How much a Notary Public license costs

What a notary public may charge the public:

• Kansas regulation lets a notary charge a fee for a notarial act and sets no amount; any fee must be disclosed to and agreed by the signer before the act, collected when the act is performed, and recorded in the journal, and the notary must tell the signer the fee is permitted but not required by state law.⁹

How to apply

1. Check eligibility: 18+, U.S. citizen, Kansas resident (or bordering-state resident who works in Kansas), reads and writes English, not disqualified under K.S.A. 53-5a24.⁴
2. Buy a notary stamping device (ink stamp or embosser) with your name exactly as on the application, "notary public" and "State of Kansas".³
3. Buy a 4-year $12,000 commercial surety bond from an insurer licensed in Kansas; the surety completes section C of Form NO (or Form NO-S online).³
4. Take the notary oath before another notary (Form NO section B, or Form NO-O online).³
5. File Form NO by mail with the fee (check or money order), or file online through the SOS notary login and pay by credit card.⁷ sos.ks.gov³
6. Wait until your status shows active in the online Notary Search before notarizing; the SOS mails a notary certificate.³ sos.ks.gov³

Renewal and continuing education

How often

Every 4 years³

When it expires

Four-year commission set by the SOS; renewal is a new application, filed no sooner than 90 days before expiration; commissions are never renewed automatically.¹⁰

If it expires

No grace period: a renewal is a new application, and a notary may not notarize until the new appointment is active.¹

Moving to Kansas with a license from another state

These are the routes SOS publishes for the Notary Public license. The other notary public licenses have their own routes in their sections below.

Notary public authorization to perform notarial acts on electronic records (IPEN) and for remotely located individuals (RON)

Lets a commissioned Kansas notary notarize electronic records in person (IPEN) and/or for remotely located signers by audio-video (RON), using an SOS-listed technology provider; the notary must be physically in Kansas.³

Requirements

Education or training

SOS notary course of study on the laws, rules, procedures and ethics of electronic notarial acts (free, online)⁵
Who may teach it: Secretary of State or an entity it approves⁵

Experience

Must already hold an active Kansas notary commission (commission number is needed for the electronic stamp).³
License you must hold first: Ks-notary-public-commission³

Exam

Secretary of State notary test (IPEN/RON)¹¹
Given by: Kansas Secretary of State (online, no cost)³
Passing score: Minimum score is shown at the start of the exam (not published in the rule).¹¹
Retakes: Unlimited attempts.¹¹

Background check

No background check stated as required¹²

Also required

Choose an RON/IPEN technology provider on file with the SOS and get a digital certificate.³

Fees

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.

How to apply

1. Hold an active Kansas notary commission (commission number needed).³
2. Pick an RON/IPEN technology provider from the SOS provider list and get an electronic signature, electronic stamp and digital certificate.⁴
3. Complete the free SOS training and pass the test; save the certificate.³ sos.ks.gov³
4. Submit Form NC online with the training certificate, a copy of the electronic stamp and the fee ($20 for IPEN or RON; $40 for both).³ Form (PDF, sos.ks.gov)³

Renewal

When it expires

Expires with the commission; after the commission is renewed, file a new notification and fee to keep doing IPEN/RON.¹⁰

Renewal fee

$20⁶ (Per IPEN or RON notification)

From another state

The rules this license shares with every other level are under Applies to every license level.

City and county rules

Notary PublicNo local layer: the Kansas Secretary of State commissions notaries for the whole state; a commissioned notary may act in any county while physically in Kansas.⁴

Check a license or report a problem

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

Look up a license

sos.ks.gov³

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• K.S.A. 53-5a22
• K.S.A. 53-5a24 (grounds to deny or revoke)
• K.S.A. 53-5a18 (official stamp)
• K.S.A. 53-5a20 (journal)
• K.S.A. 53-5a25 (prohibitions; advertising)
• K.A.R. 7-43-10 (surety bond)
• K.A.R. 7-43-12 (renewal)
• K.A.R. 7-16-1
• K.A.R. 7-43-16
• K.S.A. 53-5a23 (course and exam)
• K.S.A. 53-5a21
• K.S.A. 53-5a15 (remotely located individuals)
• K.A.R. 7-43-8
• K.A.R. 7-43-9
• K.A.R. 7-43-11
• K.A.R. 7-43-12

Rule changes since January 2024

• February 27, 2026: K.A.R. 7-16-1 amended: SOS information and services fee for a notary public commission application listed as $22.00 (the SOS page and Form NO still show $25 total).¹³

Common questions

Notary public licenses in other states

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• 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