How to become a notary public in New Mexico

New Mexico notary public licenses

New Mexico issues 3 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 New Mexico 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.

Every license level except Automatic Notarial Officer

Requirements

Minimum age

18 years old²¹

Renewal

How often

Every 4 years¹

Renewal fee

$30⁸

Who needs a Notary Public license

A commissioned notary public may perform notarial acts in New Mexico (maximum fees set by statute, e.g. $5.00 per acknowledgment).¹

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Judges, attorneys licensed in New Mexico, court and county clerks/deputies and SOS staff act as automatic notarial officers without a notary commission.¹

Requirements for a Notary Public license

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

Education or training

New Mexico Notary Education course covering notarial laws, rules, procedures and ethics (via the SOS-approved provider).¹
Who may teach it: Secretary of State or an SOS-approved third-party vendor; the SOS names the National Notary Association as the approved provider.³

Exam

New Mexico State Required Training and Exam (Notary Education course exam)¹
Given by: National Notary Association (approved provider named by the NM Secretary of State)⁹
Passing score: 80% or higher³
Exam waived: Renewing notaries who took the exam after 01/01/2022 need not retake it unless the commission has been expired more than one year (or the SOS finds substantial law changes).¹⁰

Residency or citizenship

Resident of New Mexico or has a place of employment in New Mexico. The 2023 amendment removed the former US citizen / permanent legal resident requirement.¹

Surety bond

$10,000¹ (Bond amount (coverage), not a fee; premium set by the surety)

Also required

Execute an oath of office (notarized by another notarial officer) and submit it with the application.¹

Also required

Register the official stamp with the SOS within 45 days of approval and before the first notarial act; the commission is not active until then, and missing the deadline triggers a referral to the State Ethics Commission.³

How much a Notary Public license costs

You pay SOS (2 fees) and National Notary Association (exam fee).

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. Take the New Mexico State Required Training and Exam through the SOS-approved provider (National Notary Association, $30 paid to the vendor) and pass with 80% or higher.⁹ sos.nm.gov⁹
2. Buy a $10,000 surety bond from a surety authorized in New Mexico; sign it as principal and have your signature notarized by another notary.¹
3. Sign the SOS Oath of Office form in front of a New Mexico notarial officer.² Form (PDF, api.realfile.rtsclients.com)²
4. File the Notary Public Application online at enterprise.sos.nm.gov, upload the course certificate, oath and bond as PDFs, and pay the $30 fee.² enterprise.sos.nm.gov²
5. Within 45 days of approval, buy your stamp and file the free Notary Public Stamp Registration; you may not notarize until it is approved.³

Apply online

enterprise.sos.nm.gov²

Renewal and continuing education

When it expires

Four-year commission. Renew online any time before expiry to keep the same month/day; a lapsed commission can still be renewed, with a new expiry date from approval. SOS mails a notice at least 30 days before expiry. A new stamp registration is required within 45 days of renewal.¹⁰

If it expires

Expired more than one year: retake the training course and exam.¹⁰

Renew online

enterprise.sos.nm.gov¹⁰

Moving to New Mexico 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.

Automatic Notarial Officer

Judicial officers (state-court judges, court-appointed special commissioners, hearing officers and special masters, and court clerks and deputies), NM-licensed attorneys, county clerks and deputies, and the Secretary of State and full-time SOS staff may perform notarial acts as automatic notarial officers once they complete training and register an official stamp; clerks and SOS staff only within the scope of their duties.⁴

Requirements

Education or training

Automatic notarial officer course on laws, rules, procedures and ethics, before the stamp may be registered.¹
Who may teach it: SOS or an SOS-approved entity (National Notary Association named).¹

Exam

Notary Education course exam (same exam as notaries public)⁵
Given by: National Notary Association (approved provider named by the NM Secretary of State)⁹
Passing score: 80% or higher³

Also required

Upload the official stamp to the SOS before the first notarial act.³

How to apply

1. Complete the notarial officer training and exam with the approved provider (80% to pass).⁴
2. Buy an official stamp meeting the automatic notarial officer requirements and file the free Automatic Notarial Officer Stamp Registration online at enterprise.sos.nm.gov.¹²

From another state

Remote Online Notary (RON)

Authorises a notary public or automatic notarial officer to perform remote online notarizations while physically located in New Mexico, using an SOS-approved system provider.⁶

Requirements

Education or training

Remote Online Notary Education course (separate from the notary course).⁷
Who may teach it: SOS-approved provider: National Notary Association.⁹

Exam

New Mexico State-Required Remote Online Notary Training and Exam⁷
Given by: National Notary Association (approved provider named by the NM Secretary of State)⁹

Also required

Register the electronic RON stamp within 45 days of approval.⁷

Fees

You pay SOS (application fee) and National Notary Association (SOS-approved provider) (exam fee).

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. Hold an active NM notary public commission or automatic notarial officer registration.⁷
2. Complete the RON course and exam with the approved provider ($30 to the vendor).⁷
3. File the Remote Online Notary Application online, upload your electronic stamp and pay $75.⁷
4. Register your RON stamp within 45 days of approval.⁷

Renewal

When it expires

Renewing the notary commission renews the RON qualification without a new RON application; the renewal fee is the same as a notary renewal. If expired more than one year, a new RON application and fee are required.¹³

From another state

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

Check a license or report a problem

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

Look up a license

enterprise.sos.nm.gov¹⁴

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• NMSA 1978 ch. 14, art. 14A (Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, 14-14A-1 to 14-14A-32)
• 12.9.3 NMAC Notarial Procedures
• 12.9.4 NMAC Remote Online Notarization

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
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• 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