How to become a notary public in Louisiana

Louisiana notary public licenses

Louisiana issues 4 notary public credentials. Each has its own section below; the table shows what each one covers and its headline requirements.

Rules shared by several license levels

These rules are the same for several of the Louisiana notary public licenses on this page, so they are shown once here, with the licenses they apply to. Each license's own section lists only what differs.

1. Every license level except Notary Public Ex Officio (nonresident attorney)

Requirements

Minimum age

18 years old¹

2. Every license level except Remote Online Notary registration

Fees

How to apply

Application form

Form (PDF, sos.la.gov)³⁷

3. Notary Public and Notary Public (attorney notary)

Requirements

High school diploma or GED

High school diploma, BESE-approved home-study diploma or high school equivalency (GED/HiSET) diploma.¹

Background check

Background check required¹
Unpardoned felony bars appointment. Answers that question good moral character, integrity or sober habits send the application to the district court of the parish for judicial review of character and fitness.¹

Residency or citizenship

Resident citizen or resident alien of Louisiana; a citizen must be a registered voter of the parish of residence. Non-attorney non-residents cannot be commissioned.¹

Social Security number

Last four digits of the SSN are requested on the Application to Qualify.⁸

Also required

Must read, write and speak English.¹

Also required

Two Oaths of Office and an Official Signature page are filed (one oath with the SOS, one with the parish clerk of court) before the commission issues.⁹

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.

What a notary public may charge the public:

• No statutory fee schedule: Louisiana does not limit what a notary may charge.⁴

How to apply

Apply online

coraweb.sos.la.gov²

4. Notary Public and Notary Public Ex Officio (nonresident attorney)

Fees

5. Notary Public (attorney notary) and Notary Public Ex Officio (nonresident attorney)

Requirements

Exam

Not required¹⁵

Who needs a Notary Public license

Louisiana civil-law notary: prepares and passes authentic acts and other notarial acts in the parish of commission and reciprocal parishes; statewide if the exam was passed on or after June 13, 2005. Remote online notarization needs separate SOS registration. The notary's signature is the seal.¹

Requirements for a Notary Public license

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1, group 2, group 3 and group 4 under Rules shared by several license levels.

Exam

Notary Exam Pre-Assessment (LSU; no passing score)²

Exam

Louisiana Notary Public Examination¹⁰
Passing score: ¹⁰

Surety bond

$50,000⁴ (Non-attorney notaries)

Also required

Must not be under interdiction or incapable of serving because of mental infirmity.¹

Also required

No course is required by law; exam-prep providers must register with the SOS.⁴

How much a Notary Public license costs

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

How to apply

1. Check eligibility: 18+, Louisiana resident citizen (registered voter in your parish) or resident alien, high school diploma or equivalent, no unpardoned felony.¹
2. File the Application to Qualify ($35) online or by mail/fax; wait for the approval notice.⁹
3. Register for and take the online Notary Exam Pre-Assessment through LSU ($30); no passing score needed.⁹
4. Register for the state notary exam ($100) at least 30 days before an exam date; optionally buy the 2026 study guide ($100).¹⁰
5. Pass the four-hour computer exam at LSU Baton Rouge (scaled score 70).¹⁰
6. Obtain a $50,000 surety bond (or personal surety approved by the parish clerk) and file it with two Oaths of Office, the Official Signature page and the $35 commission fee with the Secretary of State; file the second oath with the parish clerk of court.⁹
7. Start notarizing on the commission date shown in the Notary Database; file an annual report each year by your commission anniversary and renew the surety bond every 5 years.⁴

Processing time

Application to Qualify approval plus pre-assessment scoring take about one week; file at least 37 days before the chosen exam date.²

Renewal and continuing education

When it expires

Commission is for life; it stays active while the $50,000 bond is kept current (renewed every 5 years) and an annual report is filed by each commission anniversary. Late or missing reports or bonds suspend the commission.¹¹

If it expires

Annual report more than 60 days late: commission automatically suspended until current report filed and accrued fees (up to 3 years) paid. Bond lapse: automatic suspension until a new bond is filed ($20).⁴
Notaries aged 70+ may elect retirement (inactive) status: no bond or annual report while inactive.¹²

Moving to Louisiana 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

A Louisiana-licensed attorney commissioned as notary for the parish of residence; may act in every parish.¹

Requirements

Also required

Admitted to practice law in Louisiana; submit an original Louisiana Supreme Court certificate of good standing issued within the past 30 days.⁹

How to apply

1. File the Application to Qualify ($35), checking the attorney exemption box.⁸
2. After approval, file two Oaths of Office, the Official Signature page, a Supreme Court certificate of good standing (within 30 days) and the $35 commission fee; file the second oath with the parish clerk of court.⁹

Renewal

When it expires

Commission for life. The annual report duty applies only to non-attorney notaries, and attorneys file no bond.¹²

If it expires

A disbarred or suspended attorney may not exercise notarial functions (R.S. 35:14); moving parish requires a new commission for the new parish of residence.⁴

From another state

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1, group 2, group 3 and group 5 under Rules shared by several license levels.

Notary Public Ex Officio

A non-resident Louisiana-licensed attorney with a Louisiana law office may exercise all notarial powers, but only in the parish or parishes where that office is open to the public; uses the title "notary public ex officio".⁵

Requirements

Residency or citizenship

Not a Louisiana resident, licensed to practice law in Louisiana, with a Louisiana law office.⁵

Surety bond

$50,000⁷

Also required

Certificate of good standing from the Louisiana Supreme Court issued within the past 30 days; apply separately for each parish.⁷

Fees

How to apply

1. File the Application for Non Resident Ex Officio Status with an executed Oath of Office, Supreme Court good-standing certificate (within 30 days), Official Signature form, $50,000 notary bond and the $35 fee.⁷

Renewal

When it expires

Keep current office and residence addresses on file with the SOS.⁵

From another state

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 2, group 4 and group 5 under Rules shared by several license levels.

Remote Online Notary registration

Authorises a commissioned Louisiana notary to perform remote online notarizations via approved technology. Not allowed for testaments, trusts, donations inter vivos, matrimonial agreements or final spousal support waivers, and a RON act cannot be an authentic act.⁶

Requirements

Exam

RON course quiz⁶

Residency or citizenship

Must reside in Louisiana and hold a current commission.⁶

Also required

Choose one or more remote notary technology providers (SOS list) and contract with them directly.⁶

Fees

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

How to apply

1. Complete the online RON course and quiz; save the PDF certificate.⁶
2. Pick an approved remote notary technology provider.⁶
3. Submit the RON registration in your online notary account with the certificate and the $100 fee; wait for approval.⁶

Apply online

sso.sos.la.gov⁶

Renewal

When it expires

One-time registration, tied to the underlying commission.⁶

From another state

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1 under Rules shared by several license levels.

City and county rules

Notary Public (attorney notary)Louisiana commissions are parish-based: the Secretary of State commissions you for your parish of residence (plus at most one other parish where you keep an office). Statutory groups of reciprocal parishes extend authority; notaries who passed the exam on or after June 13, 2005 and attorney notaries may act in every parish. A copy of the oath goes to the parish clerk of court. No city or parish license is issued.¹

Check a license or report a problem

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

Look up a license

sos.la.gov⁴

File a complaint

sos.la.gov³

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• La. R.S. 35:191 (appointment; qualifications; examination; parish jurisdiction)
• La. R.S. 35:191.1
• La. R.S. 35:191.2
• La. R.S. 35:71
• La. R.S. 35:192 (filing of bond)
• La. R.S. 35:201 (granting of commission; prerequisites)
• La. R.S. 35:202
• SOS Forms & Fee Schedule
• La. R.S. 35:201
• SOS Ways to File
• La. R.S. 35:412
• SOS Nonresident Attorney Ex-Officio Status
• La. R.S. 35:623 (instruments excluded from RON)
• SOS RON Requirements

Rule changes since January 2024

• February 1, 2026: Act 258 of 2025 (HB 259) raised the notary bond / personal surety from $10,000 to $50,000, ended acceptance of errors-and-omissions policies, and dropped clerk-of-court approval for surety-company bonds.⁹

Common questions

Notary public licenses in other states

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