How to become a notary public in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania notary public licenses

Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 old²

How to apply

Apply online

notaries.pa.gov¹⁵

Who needs a Notary Public license

A public official appointed by the Department of State for a four-year term to take acknowledgments, administer oaths and affirmations, take verifications, witness or attest signatures, certify copies and note protests, anywhere in Pennsylvania, with a stamp and journal. Notaries may not give legal advice or act as "notario".¹

Requirements for a Notary Public license

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

Education or training

At least 3 clock hours²
Department-approved notary public basic education course (interactive or classroom), at least 3 hours, completed within the 6 months before you apply; attach the certificate of education.²
Who may teach it: Only courses preapproved by the Department (approved for initial appointment); DOS publishes the list of approved education providers and audits class rosters.²
Alternative: No exemption: DOS states there is no exemption to the mandatory education requirement.⁶

Exam

Pennsylvania notary public examination (computer-based, Pearson VUE)³
Given by: Pearson VUE³
Passing score: Scaled score of 75 or higher⁷
When you can take it: Only after DOS reviews and approves the application; Pearson VUE instructions come by email.⁷
Retakes: Unlimited retakes within the 6-month authorization, no more than once per 24 hours. One-time option to test online from home/office; after a failed attempt, retakes must be at a Pearson VUE test center.⁷
Time limit: Pass within 6 months of authorization, or retake the basic course and reapply; results valid 1 year.³
Exam waived: Not required for a notary whose current commission is still unexpired when DOS receives the reappointment application; required again after even one day of lapse.⁸

Background check

Background check required⁴
Felony or fraud/dishonesty/deceit misdemeanor conviction or ARD within 5 years before applying creates a presumption of ineligibility (rebuttable only in extraordinary circumstances by clear and convincing evidence of rehabilitation); older offenses can still be weighed.⁹

Residency or citizenship

U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident; must live in Pennsylvania or have a place of employment or practice there (non-residents must keep an established PA office able to receive mail); must read and write English. Members of Congress, federal salaried office-holders and members of the PA General Assembly may not serve.²

Surety bond

$25,000⁷ (Bond coverage amount (not the premium). Notaries commissioned before March 28, 2026 may keep their existing bond until that commission expires.)

Insurance

Errors and omissions insurance is optional, not required.¹⁰

Also required

Within 45 days of appointment: take the oath, record bond/oath/commission with the county Recorder of Deeds, and register your signature (Prothonotary, Recorder of Deeds, or Clerk of Courts in second-class counties); otherwise the commission is void.⁸

Also required

Name on the application: full first and last name (middle optional) or first initial + full middle + last name; no nicknames or initials only.⁸

Also required

New seal format required for notaries appointed or reappointed on or after March 28, 2026.¹¹

How much a Notary Public license costs

You pay the Pennsylvania Department of State, Office of Notaries, Commissions & Legislation (application fee), Pearson VUE (exam fee), Philadelphia Department of Records (other fee) and Allegheny County Department of Real Estate (registration (Allegheny County notary registration)).

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 you qualify: 18+, U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident, live in PA or work/practice in PA (non-residents need a PA office), read and write English, and no disqualifying record.²
2. Complete a 3-hour DOS-approved notary education course within the 6 months before you apply and keep the certificate.⁴
3. Apply online at notaries.pa.gov (or mail the paper application) with the $42 fee and proof of education.⁸ notaries.pa.gov¹
4. After DOS approves the application, schedule and pass the Pearson VUE exam ($65) within 6 months.³
5. Once appointed, within 45 days buy the $25,000 surety bond, take the oath, record bond/oath/commission at the county Recorder of Deeds and register your signature. Missing the 45 days voids the commission.¹
6. Within 90 days of recording, a copy of the bond and oath must be filed with DOS; then buy your official stamp (new format) and journal.²

Application form

Form (PDF, pa.gov)⁴

Processing time

Generally 2 to 4 weeks (DOS notary page, 2026).¹

Renewal and continuing education

How often

Every 4 years²

When it expires

Four-year term from appointment; apply for reappointment up to 90 days before expiry (DOS suggests 2-3 months ahead) and before the commission expires to avoid the exam.⁷

Renewal fee

$42²

Continuing education

At least 3 hours each renewal period²

Required topics

Course must cover maintenance and enhancement of the skill, knowledge and competency needed to perform notarial acts; interactive or classroom.²

Approved courses

DOS-preapproved courses only (courses approved for initial appointment or for reappointment).⁶

Exemptions

None.⁶

If it expires

No grace period: if DOS receives the application after expiry (even one day), you are treated as a new applicant and must pass the exam again.³
On reappointment you again record bond, oath and commission with the county Recorder of Deeds.²

Renew online

notaries.pa.gov⁸

Moving to Pennsylvania with a license from another state

These are the routes the Pennsylvania Department of State, Office of Notaries, Commissions & Legislation publishes for the Notary Public license. The other notary public licenses have their own routes in their sections below.

Electronic notary public

An add-on authorization for a commissioned PA notary: electronic notarization (signer physically present, electronic record) and remote online notarization (signer appears by audio-video). The notary must be in Pennsylvania; the signer may be elsewhere.⁵

Requirements

Education or training

No additional training beyond the commission course.¹⁴

Experience

Must hold a current, unrestricted Pennsylvania notary commission.¹⁵
License you must hold first: Pennsylvania notary public commission (pa-notary-public-commission)¹⁵

Background check

Background check required¹⁵

Also required

Use only a DOS-approved electronic or remote notarization technology provider; FaceTime, Zoom or Skype alone are not acceptable.⁷

Also required

Keep the audio-visual recording of each remote notarization for at least ten years.¹⁴

Fees

What a notary public may charge the public:

• Electronic and remote notaries may charge up to $20 per act on top of the standard notarial fee.⁷

How to apply

1. Hold a current PA notary commission.¹⁵
2. Submit the Electronic/Remote Notarization Application at notaries.pa.gov (same form for both).¹⁵ notaries.pa.gov⁵
3. After DOS approval by email, select one or more approved technology providers at notaries.pa.gov.¹⁵
4. Buy the technology from the provider; when the provider reports it, you show as "e-notary capable". Repeat at the start of each new commission.¹⁵

Renewal

When it expires

Ends with the notary commission; notify DOS again at the beginning of each new commission.⁷

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 notary license, but a county step is mandatory: within 45 days of appointment you record the bond, oath and commission with the Recorder of Deeds of the county where you keep your office and register your signature there (or with the Prothonotary; Clerk of Courts in Allegheny County, the second-class county). Counties set their own recording fees.²

Check a license or report a problem

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

Look up a license

notaries.pa.gov¹

File a complaint

pa.gov¹

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• 57 Pa.C.S. Chapter 3 (Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts), esp. §§ 321, 322, 323, 329.1
• 4 Pa. Code Chapter 167 (Notaries Public), added March 27, 2026, effective March 28, 2026, 56 Pa.B. 1672
• 4 Pa. Code § 161.1

Rule changes since January 2024

• March 28, 2026: New notary regulations (4 Pa. Code ch. 167, 56 Pa.B. 1672) took effect: bond raised to $25,000 for new commissions, new seal format, $5 fee for witnessing a signature, up to $20 extra per electronic/remote act, itemised receipts.⁷

Common questions

Notary public licenses in other states

• Alabama
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• District of Columbia
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