How to Become a Notary in New York: 10 Steps, $75 in State Fees, and the Exam That Decides It
The whole path to a New York notary commission, in one paragraph: confirm you qualify under Executive Law §130, sit the state’s walk-in written exam ($15), pass it (70%, pass/fail), then apply to the Department of State with a notarized oath and $60. After that, the Secretary of State issues your commission, the county clerk records it, your ID card arrives, and you practice under a four-year term. Two state fees, $75 total. One exam in the middle that under-prepared takers regret.
The exam is why this guide is exam-focused. The Department of State states that exam topics are “as outlined in the ‘Notary Public License Law’ booklet” (a free, 22-page document that is the literal question source), so becoming a New York notary is mostly the project of knowing that booklet exactly. (For the career-side view of the same journey, our sibling site NotaryStyle publishes a deeper New York guide; disclosure: the two sites share ownership.) Every step below is sourced to the booklet (March 2026 edition) and the Department of State’s current published process.
Step 1: Check that you qualify (Executive Law §130)
The eligibility rules, exactly as §130 states them (booklet pp. 5-6):
- Residency, one of two ways. You must be a New York resident or maintain an office or place of business in the state. The office path is how a New Jersey resident with a Manhattan office holds a New York commission. The office’s county becomes the county of qualification.
- Three findings the Secretary of State must make (this is where “equivalent of a common school education” comes from) unless you are exempt: that you are of good moral character, have the equivalent of a common school education, and are familiar with the duties and responsibilities of a notary public. That last finding is what the exam demonstrates.
- Criminal history is reviewed, not automatically fatal. A conviction does not bar appointment unless the Secretary finds, under Correction Law Article 23-A, that it constitutes a bar, weighing the offense, the time elapsed, age at the offense, rehabilitation, and the public interest. Convictions involving fraud, dishonesty, or false statements are the serious red flags.
- One absolute bar to memorize: sheriffs. New York prohibits the dual offices, so a sitting sheriff cannot hold a notary commission. (Removed commissioners of deeds and Selective Draft Act violators are barred as well.)
Step 2: Get the free booklet (it is the exam)
Download the Notary Public License Law booklet from the Department of State (March 2026 edition, 22 pages). Every exam question traces to it, weighted roughly 60% License Law, 25% definitions and general terms, 15% duties and functions. Read it twice: once for the shape of the law, once hunting every number. Its precision is the exam’s difficulty: exact dollar amounts, exact statutory wording, definitions that differ by one word. We walk all 22 pages in the booklet companion; the honest difficulty picture is in how hard is the NY notary exam.
Step 3: Sit the walk-in exam ($15)
The exam is 40 multiple-choice questions, one hour, closed book, 70% to pass, administered at Department of State exam centers statewide, walk-in and first-come first-served on scheduled dates. You bring a current government-issued photo ID, your $15 fee (check, money order, MasterCard, or Visa; no cash), and two #2 pencils. The current schedule lists 14 sites; New York City’s limited-seating site requires advance email scheduling. Full logistics are in NY notary exam-day logistics. The exam is offered in Spanish, Haitian-Creole, Italian, Korean, Russian, and Chinese; tell the proctor at check-in.
Step 4: Pass, and keep the pass slip (valid 2 years)
Results come by mail, typically two to three weeks, reported as pass or fail only, no numerical score either way. Two rules to carry forward:
- A passing result is valid for two years. If you do not submit your $60 application within that window, you retake the exam.
- Failing is a detour, not a wall. Unlimited retakes, no waiting period, $15 each sitting. Plenty of working notaries passed on attempt two or three.
Step 5: Apply with $60, the DOS-0033, and an oath you cannot give yourself
Per the Department of State’s current process:
1. Apply online through NY Business Express (the Notary Public Commission application, DOS-0033).
2. Complete the Oath of Office form (DOS-2201), then have it notarized. You cannot administer your own oath: find a commissioned notary, take the oath before them, and let them complete the jurat (the statutory jurat fee is $2, incidentally).
3. Upload the oath, submit your pass slip evidence and signature, and pay the $60 application fee, non-refundable whether the application is approved or denied.
The $60 is the last required payment: the booklet’s fee schedule (p. 22) shows it as the total commission fee, $40 for the appointment plus $20 for the county filing of the oath.
Step 6: The state issues, the county records
On approval, the Secretary of State issues your commission and transmits it, with your oath and official signature, to the County Clerk of your county of residence (or of your office, for non-residents) by the 10th day of the following month. The clerk indexes the commission and your signature: the public record against which every notarization you perform can be verified. Your county of qualification is set here, goes on every certificate you will ever complete, and never changes even if you move. The full mechanics (the $20 inside your $60, additional-county certificates, the five NYC counties) are in NY notary county registration, explained.
Step 7: Receive your ID card
The Department of State sends your notary identification card: name, address, county, and commission term. It is proof of status for signers who ask, not the commission itself. A lost or damaged card costs $10 to replace (§131(13)).
Step 8: Stamp, Statement of Authority, and protection
- The stamp is optional in law, standard in practice. New York does not require a seal or stamp; the Statement of Authority beneath your signature can be handwritten in black ink. But every working notary uses a stamp, because it guarantees the four elements §137 requires every time: your name; “Notary Public, State of New York”; your county of qualification; and your commission expiration date. (If you use a seal, DOS’s printed opinion is that only your name and “Notary Public for the State of New York” need appear on it.) New York City notaries also affix their clerk-assigned official number.
- E&O insurance is optional, and so is a bond. New York requires no bond. Errors-and-omissions coverage, typically from $10,000 in limits, is cheap personal protection if a notarization is ever challenged.
- Keep a journal from day one. Since January 2023, 19 NYCRR §182.9 requires contemporaneous records of each notarial act (date and approximate time, type of act, name and address, services, credential used) retained at least 10 years.
Step 9: Practice within the fee schedule
What you may charge is capped by Executive Law §136: $2 per notarial act (oath, acknowledgment per person, proof of execution, swearing a witness), with the protest calculation at $0.75 plus $0.10 per notice capped at five. You may charge less or nothing; you may never charge more, consent or no consent. Travel fees for mobile work are separate, agreed in advance, and itemized apart. The full decode, including the $25 electronic contrast, is in New York notary fees explained.
To notarize electronically, add the $60 electronic-notary registration before your first electronic act, with the Part 182 rules attaching: the $25 fee, the recording retention, remote identity verification. The walkthrough is in how to register as an electronic notary in New York.
Step 10: Renew at four years and stay current
Your commission runs four years. Renewal is reappointment: apply within the 90-day window before expiration (NY Business Express, form DOS-0026), pay $60 again, no re-exam for an on-time renewal, and stop all notarial acts the moment a commission expires if you let it lapse. The complete mechanics, including the six-month post-expiration rule, are in the New York notary renewal guide, and the running log of what has actually changed in the law is our NY notary law changes page.
Two exemptions: attorneys and court clerks
One group skips step 3 entirely. Attorneys admitted to practice in New York State may be appointed notaries without the written exam. And attorneys with a New York law office are deemed residents of the county where the office sits, even living out of state. Court clerks of the Unified Court System appointed after taking the civil-service promotional examination in the court-clerk series are also exam-exempt. The exemption is from the exam only: both still apply, take the oath, and pay $60.
What it costs, total
| Item | Cost | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Exam fee (per sitting) | $15 | Yes, once (unless you retake) |
| Commission application | $60 | Yes |
| County filing | Included in the $60 ($20 share) | Included |
| Stamp and supplies | Roughly $15 to $40 | Optional in law, standard in practice |
| E&O insurance | Modest annual premium | Optional (no bond required) |
| Electronic-notary registration | $60 | Only for electronic notarization |
| A prep course | $25 to $95 in this market | Optional; the booklet is free |
The exam-focused way to prepare
Because the question source is published, preparation is a solved problem: learn the current booklet exactly, then verify with realistic practice. Start with the free NY notary practice test: 20 questions from our verified bank, scored instantly, broken down by topic, with the booklet page cited for every answer. If the diagnostic shows gaps, the full course walks the booklet in 28 video lessons with 222 verified questions and a timed 40-question simulation, $69, with a pass guarantee.
For everything after the commission (turning it into a practice, a mobile business, or signing work), read NotaryStyle’s New York notary guide (same ownership as this site, disclosed).
Becoming a NY notary: FAQ
How long does it take to become a notary in New York?
The exam is offered year-round (most sites run sessions two to four times a month). Results arrive in about two to three weeks. The application and county filing follow. Most candidates go from first study session to commissioned within two to three months.
How much does it cost?
$75 to the state: $15 for the exam, $60 for the application (which includes the county oath filing). Everything else (stamp, insurance, a prep course, the $60 electronic registration) is optional.
Do I have to be a U.S. citizen or a New York resident?
Citizenship is not a stated qualification, and a non-resident who maintains a New York office or place of business qualifies through the office, filing in that county.
Can I become a notary with a criminal record?
Usually yes. Convictions are reviewed individually under Correction Law Article 23-A; only specific findings bar appointment. Fraud- and dishonesty-related convictions are the ones most likely to end in denial.
Do attorneys have to take the notary exam?
No. Attorneys admitted in New York, and qualifying Unified Court System court clerks, are exam-exempt. Everyone else, including out-of-state attorneys not admitted in New York, sits the exam.
Is the notary exam hard?
Not if you know the booklet exactly; brutally effective at catching approximation if you don’t. The honest data, including why we won’t repeat the famous “60% fail rate,” is in how hard is the NY notary exam.
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*NyNotaryExamPrep.com is an independent exam-prep publisher. We are not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the New York State Department of State. Procedures and fees reflect the March 2026 edition of the Notary Public License Law booklet and the Department’s published process as of September 2026; dos.ny.gov always controls. First step costs nothing: take the free NY notary practice test.*