How to become a notary public in Texas

Texas notary public licenses

Texas issues 3 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 several of the Texas 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 (all 3)

Requirements

Minimum age

18 years old²¹

Exam

Notary Education Assessment (SOS Notary Portal)³⁶⁷
Given by: Texas Secretary of State (SOS Notary Portal)³⁶⁷
When you can take it: After watching all four course videos; must be passed before submitting a new or renewal application.³⁶⁷
Time limit: 30 minutes for the assessment; the whole course within 90 days of paying.³⁶⁷

Background check

Background check required⁴
Ineligible if convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude (including Class A and B misdemeanors) unless the conviction has been set aside, pardoned or citizenship rights restored. Class C misdemeanors are not counted, and deferred-adjudication dismissals are not convictions. Applicants with a conviction other than Class C must upload the court order, sentencing papers and a statement. The SOS runs background checks on all applicants.²

Residency or citizenship

Texas resident. Exception: a qualified escrow officer who lives in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas or Louisiana. No citizenship requirement is stated.²

Social Security number

Required: the application must give the applicant's Social Security number and driver's license or state ID number.²

Fees

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

How to apply

Apply online

webservices.sos.state.tx.us⁴

Renewal

How often

Every 4 years²

Continuing education

Up to 2 hours each renewal period²

2. Every license level except Online Notary Public

Requirements

Education or training

Up to 2 clock hours²
SB 693 education requirement (effective September 1, 2025): before applying or renewing, complete the Secretary of State's Traditional Notary Education course in the SOS Notary Portal. Pay the non-refundable fee, watch all four videos, then pass a timed 30-minute assessment, all within 90 days of payment. Only the SOS course counts.³⁷
Who may teach it: Texas Secretary of State only.²

Renewal

Renewal fee

$10¹

Who needs a Notary Public license

A public officer commissioned by the SOS for four years, with statewide jurisdiction. A notary takes acknowledgments, administers oaths, witnesses signatures, protests instruments, takes depositions and certifies copies of non-recordable documents. Fees are capped by Gov't Code 406.024: $10 for the first signature of an acknowledgment plus $1 for each additional signature, $10 for an oath with certificate and seal, and $10 for other certificates and unlisted acts.⁴

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Notary signing agents are not separately commissioned or registered by the SOS.⁵
• A traditional notary may notarize electronically (electronic signature and seal) when the signer is physically present; remote notarization needs the online commission (tx-notary-public-online).⁵

Requirements for a Notary Public license

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1 and group 2 under Applies to every license level.

Surety bond

$10,000² (All notaries except state officers/employees qualifying without bond)

Insurance

Errors and omissions insurance is optional; it protects the notary, not the public.⁵

Also required

Sign the commission under oath (statement of officer and oath) before another notary or authorized official; you cannot notarize your own oath.⁴

Also required

Keep a record book of every notarization (whether or not a fee is charged), without ID numbers. From SB 693, keep records until the 10th anniversary of the notarization.⁸

Also required

Report address changes to the SOS within 10 days.⁸

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+, Texas resident, no felony or crime of moral turpitude.⁴
2. Create an SOSPortal account, then complete the Traditional Notary Education course and assessment in the SOS Notary Portal.⁴
3. Buy a $10,000 notary surety bond from a Texas-licensed bonding company and have it complete Form 2301-B (Proof of Bond).⁴ Form (PDF, sos.texas.gov)⁹
4. Submit the application in the SOS Notary Portal, uploading the 2301-B and any conviction papers, and pay the statutory fees: $10 commission fee, $10 bond approval and filing fee and $1 fee.⁴
5. When approved, download the commission (one-time download), sign the oath before another notary, then get your seal and record book.⁵

Renewal and continuing education

When it expires

Four years from qualification. Renew with a new application (same form and fees, new bond) no earlier than 90 days before expiry, received by the expiry date. The SOS continuing-education course must be completed first. If you are not reappointed by the expiry date, the new term runs four years from the new qualification date.¹

If it expires

No grace period: the commission ends on the expiry date. A late renewal is a new appointment with a new four-year term from qualification.²

Renew online

webservices.sos.state.tx.us⁴

Moving to Texas 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.

Online Notary Public

A traditional notary who also holds an SOS online commission may notarize by two-way audio-video conference. The notary may charge up to $25 per online notarization on top of the 406.024 fees.⁴

Requirements

Education or training

Up to 2 clock hours²
SB 693 education requirement (effective September 1, 2025): before applying or renewing, complete the Secretary of State's Online Notary Education course in the SOS Notary Portal. Pay the non-refundable fee, watch all four videos, then pass a timed 30-minute assessment, all within 90 days of payment. Only the SOS course counts.⁶
Who may teach it: Texas Secretary of State only.²

Experience

Must hold a Texas traditional notary commission before being appointed online notary.¹
License you must hold first: Texas traditional notary public commission (tx-notary-public-commission)¹

Also required

Get an X.509-compliant digital certificate and an electronic seal from a third-party provider; both are uploaded with the application and must be used for every online notarization.⁴

Also required

Keep the electronic record and the audio-video recording for five years.⁵

Fees

How to apply

1. Hold (or obtain) a Texas traditional notary commission.¹
2. Complete the Online Notary Education course in the SOS Notary Portal.⁶
3. Obtain an X.509 digital certificate and electronic seal from a third-party company.⁴
4. Submit the online notary application in the SOS Notary Portal: upload the seal, sign the statement with your digital certificate and pay the $50 fee.⁴

Renewal

When it expires

Runs at the same time as, and expires with, the traditional commission. Renew the traditional commission first, then the online commission.¹

Renewal fee

$50¹

From another state

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1 under Applies to every license level.

State Employee Notary Public

A traditional notary commission without a bond for an officer or employee of a Texas state agency or university. The notary may notarize only for their official state duties, and the seal carries the extra line "Notary without Bond".¹

Requirements

Education or training

The employing agency must also require a notary training class (internal or external).¹

Experience

Must be an officer or employee of a Texas state agency (Gov't Code 2052.101 definition) or university.¹

Also required

Sign the SORM-203 State Employee Notary Acknowledgement Form and have the agency pay through an Interagency Transfer Voucher (ITV, RTI#307200).⁴

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.

How to apply

1. Complete the Traditional Notary Education course in the SOS Notary Portal (the agency can pay by ITV).⁴
2. Complete the SORM-203 Acknowledgement Form and get the agency's Interagency Transfer Voucher.⁴
3. Submit the state employee application in the SOS Notary Portal.⁴

Renewal

When it expires

Same as the traditional commission: reapply no earlier than 90 days before expiry and complete continuing education first.¹

From another state

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1 and group 2 under Applies to every license level.

City and county rules

Notary Public (Traditional Notary Public)No city or county license: apply only to the Secretary of State. A commission is valid in every Texas county.⁵

Check a license or report a problem

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

Look up a license

texas-sos.appianportalsgov.com⁴

File a complaint

sos.texas.gov¹⁰

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• Tex. Gov't Code § 406.004 (eligibility: 18+, Texas resident, no felony or crime of moral turpitude)
• Tex. Gov't Code §§ 406.005-406.008
• Tex. Gov't Code § 406.010
• Tex. Gov't Code § 406.011 (reappointment no earlier than 90 days before expiry; continuing education)
• Tex. Gov't Code § 406.023(d)
• Tex. Gov't Code § 406.024
• SB 693 (89R, 2025), effective September 1, 2025
• 1 TAC §§ 87.2, 87.10, 87.12, 87.13, 87.15 (application, eligibility, adjacent-state escrow officers, issuance, renewal)
• Tex. Gov't Code §§ 406.101-406.113 (Online Notary Public), esp. § 406.105 (application) and § 406.111
• 1 TAC §§ 87.4, 87.11, 87.14, 87.15
• Tex. Gov't Code § 406.010(f) (no bond for state officers/employees)
• 1 TAC §§ 87.20-87.22 (notary without bond)

Rule changes since January 2024

• September 1, 2025: SB 693 (89R) made SOS education a condition of appointment and SOS continuing education a condition of reappointment (max 2 hours each). It also added the offense of notarizing for someone who does not personally appear, and a 10-year record retention rule. People appointed before September 1, 2025 do not take the initial-appointment course.²

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 Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming