How to Become a Notary in Connecticut: 5-Year Term, Exam

How to become a notary public in Connecticut: a 5-year commission, an exam, remote online notarization — verified from Connecticut Office of the Secretary of the State.

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Connecticut Office of the Secretary of the State, Business Services Division (official site) and last verified August 12, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

From the Secretary of the State's 'Notary Public Licensing' page (New Applicant Steps) and C.G.S. 3-94b and 3-94c: (1) review the Connecticut Notary Public Manual - 'The application contains an examination that tests your understanding of the material contained in the manual. You must answer each question correctly before you will be provided a notary commission'; (2) complete a Jurat and Writing Sample - required for all new applications and reinstatements, with the writing sample in the notary's own handwriting and the jurat 'subscribed and sworn to before a person authorized to administer an oath' (the Secretary warns that an incorrect or incomplete Jurat and Writing Sample is the most common cause of delay); (3) have a Certificate of Character completed and signed by 'a public official or a reputable business or professional person who must be unrelated to you and have personally known you for at least one year' - the statutory form of this is 'the recommendation of an individual who has personally known the applicant for at least one year and is not legally related to the applicant' (C.G.S. 3-94b(b)(4)(B)); (4) be prepared to pay the nonrefundable statutory application fee of $120.00 by card or ACH; (5) register at eLicense.ct.gov; (6) once logged in, choose 'Online Services', 'Initial Application' and 'Notary Public Certification', complete the application (which contains the examination, completed under oath) and upload the required documents - approval typically takes 3-5 business days and the certificate arrives by email; (7) after appointment, take the oath of office before an official authorized to administer oaths (town clerks are authorized and are convenient because the same visit can be used for recording), and (8) record the certificate of appointment and the subscribed oath with the town clerk of the town of residence - or, for non-residents, of the Connecticut town of the principal place of business - within thirty days of receiving the certificate (C.G.S. 3-94c(c)); the town clerk's recording fee is $20.00 under C.G.S. 7-34a per the Notary Public Manual. Recording in a second town where a resident notary's principal place of business sits is optional. Failure to record does not invalidate acts performed after appointment (C.G.S. 3-94c(c)), but 'All notaries, whether new or renewal appointments, must take an oath of office before they can perform any notarial acts' (Notary Public Licensing page).

Legal basis

Connecticut Office of the Secretary of the State, Business Services Division commissions notaries public in Connecticut. Every figure below is verified against the commissioning authority’s own official pages and dated.

What it’s called

The statutory nouns are ’notary public’ and ‘appointment’ - C.G.S. 3-94b is captioned ‘Appointment and qualifications of notary’ and what the Secretary issues is a ‘certificate of appointment’ (3-94b(d)). Connecticut’s own agency vocabulary is mixed, and it is worth knowing which is which: the Secretary of the State’s page is titled ‘Notary Public Licensing’, uses ’notary commission’ throughout (‘The fee for a new notary commission is $120’), and the eLicense application item is called ‘Notary Public Certification’ - so in Connecticut the folk words ’license’ and ‘certification’ are actually used by the agency’s own systems even though the statute says appointment and certificate of appointment. Renewal is statutorily ‘reappointment’ (C.G.S. 3-94d). ‘Notary signing agent’ and ’loan signing agent’ are private credentials that Connecticut does not issue and that appear nowhere in C.G.S. chapter 33 or the Notary Public Manual (Rev. 2023-2). On foreign-language titles, Connecticut legislates directly: C.G.S. 3-95a(b) provides that ‘A notary public shall not assume, use or advertise the title of notario or notario publico, unless such notary public (1) has been admitted as an attorney under the provisions of section 51-80, or (2) indicates in any advertisement or otherwise provides written notice that such notary public is not licensed as an attorney in this state’, and a violation is treated as a violation of C.G.S. 51-88 (unauthorized practice of law); the Notary Public Manual adds that Connecticut notaries ‘should never use a foreign language term to describe their office.’

Types of notary commission

Notary public appointment (single commission type) — Anyone 18 or older who resides in Connecticut or has a principal place of business in Connecticut Connecticut issues ONE notary appointment; there is no separate electronic-notary or remote-notary registration. Appointed by the Secretary of the State for five years (C.G.S. 3-94c(a)); $120 nonrefundable application fee (C.G.S. 3-94b(b)(4)(A)); the applicant must pass an examination that is embedded in the online eLicense application. Every appointee - new or renewing - must take an oath of office and, within thirty days of receiving the certificate of appointment, record the certificate and oath with the town clerk of the municipality of residence (or of the principal place of business, for non-residents) (C.G.S. 3-94c(c)).
State police notary appointment (fee-waived, restricted scope) — State police majors, captains, lieutenants and sergeants C.G.S. 3-94e: the Secretary may appoint any number of such officers and ‘shall not charge any such person an application fee’. Authority is restricted to ’the administration of oaths and affirmations and the taking of acknowledgments as pertain to official police matters’; ’the seal of the state police shall be the notarial seal and such notary public shall not charge a fee for such notary’s services as a notary public’. The appointment must be resigned immediately on terminating state police employment. Separately, the Secretary of the State’s licensing page says active state employees generally may apply online and that answering ‘yes’ to application question 18 waives the application fee, subject to audit.
Remote notarial acts under C.G.S. 3-95b (a permission, not a separate credential) — Any commissioned Connecticut notary who chooses to notarize for a remotely located individual No registration, no separate application, no fee and no approved-vendor list. ‘Notaries are not required to offer remote notarization but may choose to do so on and after October 1 if done in compliance with the Act’ (Notary Public Manual Rev. 2023-2, sec. 4.20). Connecticut’s version is NOT full remote online notarization: the signed original paper record must be delivered to the notary, who then certifies and executes it (C.G.S. 3-95b(d)).

Who can be commissioned

C.G.S. 3-94b(b): an applicant must (1) ‘Be eighteen years of age or older at the time of application’; (2) ‘(A) Be a resident of the state of Connecticut at the time of application and appointment, or (B) have one’s principal place of business in the state at the time of application and appointment’; (3) ‘Pass a written examination approved or administered by the Secretary’; and (4) submit the prescribed application ‘in the applicant’s handwriting without misstatement or omission of fact’, with the $120 nonrefundable fee and the recommendation of an individual who has personally known the applicant for at least one year and is not legally related to the applicant. The Secretary’s licensing page states the residency test plainly: ‘Any person eighteen years of age or older who either resides in or has a principal place of business in Connecticut may apply for appointment as a Notary Public.’ Discretionary denial grounds, C.G.S. 3-94b(c): ‘(1) The applicant’s conviction of a felony or a crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude; (2) Revocation, suspension or restriction of a notary public appointment or professional license issued to the applicant by this state or any other state; or (3) The applicant’s official misconduct, whether or not any disciplinary action has resulted.’ A notary who ceases to reside in Connecticut or to have a principal place of business there must immediately resign (C.G.S. 3-94p(b)), and that loss of nexus also ends the term (C.G.S. 3-94c(a)(3)). NO citizenship or immigration-status requirement is stated in C.G.S. 3-94b, in the Notary Public Manual (Rev. 2023-2) or on the Secretary of the State’s licensing page; those three tiers were searched on 2026-08-12 and none imposes one, so none is asserted here. Likewise no English-language qualification appears in any of those tiers.

Requirements

From the Secretary of the State’s ‘Notary Public Licensing’ page (New Applicant Steps) and C.G.S. 3-94b and 3-94c: (1) review the Connecticut Notary Public Manual - ‘The application contains an examination that tests your understanding of the material contained in the manual. You must answer each question correctly before you will be provided a notary commission’; (2) complete a Jurat and Writing Sample - required for all new applications and reinstatements, with the writing sample in the notary’s own handwriting and the jurat ‘subscribed and sworn to before a person authorized to administer an oath’ (the Secretary warns that an incorrect or incomplete Jurat and Writing Sample is the most common cause of delay); (3) have a Certificate of Character completed and signed by ‘a public official or a reputable business or professional person who must be unrelated to you and have personally known you for at least one year’ - the statutory form of this is ’the recommendation of an individual who has personally known the applicant for at least one year and is not legally related to the applicant’ (C.G.S. 3-94b(b)(4)(B)); (4) be prepared to pay the nonrefundable statutory application fee of $120.00 by card or ACH; (5) register at eLicense.ct.gov; (6) once logged in, choose ‘Online Services’, ‘Initial Application’ and ‘Notary Public Certification’, complete the application (which contains the examination, completed under oath) and upload the required documents - approval typically takes 3-5 business days and the certificate arrives by email; (7) after appointment, take the oath of office before an official authorized to administer oaths (town clerks are authorized and are convenient because the same visit can be used for recording), and (8) record the certificate of appointment and the subscribed oath with the town clerk of the town of residence - or, for non-residents, of the Connecticut town of the principal place of business - within thirty days of receiving the certificate (C.G.S. 3-94c(c)); the town clerk’s recording fee is $20.00 under C.G.S. 7-34a per the Notary Public Manual. Recording in a second town where a resident notary’s principal place of business sits is optional. Failure to record does not invalidate acts performed after appointment (C.G.S. 3-94c(c)), but ‘All notaries, whether new or renewal appointments, must take an oath of office before they can perform any notarial acts’ (Notary Public Licensing page).

Training

Connecticut does not require a training course.

Connecticut requires no training course, no course hours and no approved training provider. The statutory qualification is an examination, not a course: C.G.S. 3-94b(b)(3) requires only that the applicant ‘Pass a written examination approved or administered by the Secretary’. The self-study material is the Secretary of the State’s own free Notary Public Manual - step 1 of the Secretary’s New Applicant Steps is ‘Review the Notary Public Manual’, because ‘The application contains an examination that tests your understanding of the material contained in the manual.’ Tiers searched on 2026-08-12 for any training mandate: C.G.S. chapter 33 secs. 3-94a to 3-95b in full (Connecticut General Assembly’s published statutes, plus the 2026 Supplement to chapter 33); the State of Connecticut Notary Public Manual (Rev. 2023-2); and the Secretary of the State’s Notary Public Licensing page including the New Applicant Steps and the renewal instructions. None requires a course or names an approved education provider.

Exam

Connecticut requires an exam.

Required for appointment. C.G.S. 3-94b(b)(3): an applicant must ‘Pass a written examination approved or administered by the Secretary.’ The examination is not a separate proctored sitting - it is built into the online application: ‘The application contains an examination that tests your understanding of the material contained in the manual. You must answer each question correctly before you will be provided a notary commission’ (Secretary of the State, Notary Public Licensing, New Applicant Steps), and the Notary Public Manual adds that ‘An examination is contained in the application process and the applicant completes the examination under oath.’ Passing standard, therefore, is 100 percent - every question must be answered correctly - and there is no separate examination fee beyond the $120 application fee. Question count, time limit and retake rules are not published in C.G.S. 3-94b, in the Notary Public Manual (Rev. 2023-2) or on the Secretary of the State’s licensing page. ON RENEWAL, TWO OFFICIAL SOURCES POINT DIFFERENT WAYS AND BOTH ARE RECORDED HERE: C.G.S. 3-94d says a notary may apply for reappointment on the prescribed form with the $60 fee ‘and shall otherwise comply with all requirements for being appointed and serving as a notary public’ - which on its face includes the 3-94b(b)(3) examination - while the Secretary of the State’s published renewal process is a PIN-based fast-track online renewal that describes no examination step (‘Approximately 90 days before your commission expires, you will receive a letter from our office… It will provide you with a PIN to use through fast-track renewal’). This record states both and resolves neither. Reinstatement after a lapse is different and explicit: ‘The reinstatement process mirrors the requirements of a new application, and the cost is $120’ (Notary Public Manual, sec. 2.x on reinstatement).

Bond & insurance

No surety bond is required, and no errors-and-omissions insurance is required. Neither appears anywhere in the qualifications at C.G.S. 3-94b, in the appointment/term/recording provisions at 3-94c, in the reappointment provision at 3-94d, or in the Secretary of the State’s list of what a new applicant must submit (manual, Jurat and Writing Sample, Certificate of Character, fee). The Notary Public Manual (Rev. 2023-2) section 5.6 ‘Liability, Bonding and Insurance’ frames both as optional self-protection: ‘A notary is liable to any person for damages that result from the misconduct of the notary. The notary may elect to at least partially protect themselves from actions seeking damages by purchasing a bond or errors and omissions insurance. These products are available through insurance agents and notary organizations, in varying amounts.’ Liability itself is statutory and personal (C.G.S. 3-94l(a): ‘A notary public shall be liable to any person for all damages proximately caused to that person by the notary’s official misconduct’), with employer liability in 3-94l(b) and (c). Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: C.G.S. chapter 33, secs. 3-94a through 3-95b in full as published by the Connecticut General Assembly, plus the 2026 Supplement to chapter 33; the Notary Public Manual (Rev. 2023-2) in full, including its statutory appendix; the Secretary of the State’s Notary Public Licensing page; and the Secretary’s published notary forms list. No bond requirement appears in any of them.

Fees

STATE FEES, all set by statute and collected by the Secretary of the State: new appointment $120.00 nonrefundable (C.G.S. 3-94b(b)(4)(A); the licensing page repeats ’the statutory non-refundable application fee of $120’ and ‘The fee for a new notary commission is $120’); reappointment/renewal $60.00 nonrefundable (C.G.S. 3-94d; licensing page: ’the fee to renew a notary commission is $60’); reinstatement after a lapse of more than 90 days past expiration $120.00 - ‘The reinstatement process mirrors the requirements of a new application, and the cost is $120’ (Notary Public Manual); replacement certificate of appointment $5.00 (C.G.S. 3-94b(e)); change of name $15.00 to the Secretary (C.G.S. 3-94o(a); the licensing page confirms ’the $15 statutory fee for a name change’). TOWN-CLERK FEES, which are separate from the state fee: recording the certificate of appointment and oath of office costs $20.00, ‘set by Section 7-34a of the Connecticut General Statutes’ (Notary Public Manual, sec. 2.x); recording a replacement certificate after a name change costs a further $15.00 paid to the town clerk (C.G.S. 3-94o(a)). FEE WAIVERS: state police majors, captains, lieutenants and sergeants are appointed with no application fee (C.G.S. 3-94e(a)); the Secretary’s licensing page extends an application-fee waiver to active state employees generally, claimed by answering ‘yes’ to application question 18 and ‘subject to audit to verify that they are an active state employee’. TWO OFFICIAL SOURCES CONFLICT ON THE ADDRESS-CHANGE FEE, and both are recorded: C.G.S. 3-94n requires a change-of-address notice within thirty days ‘accompanied by a nonrefundable fee of fifteen dollars’, while the Secretary of the State’s Notary Public Licensing page says ‘If you need to report an address change, please email us at [email protected] . We will send you a password reset link to your eLicense.ct.gov account, so you can make the address change yourself for free.’ NO EXAM FEE and no education fee exist - the examination sits inside the application and the manual is free. The seal or stamp, if the notary chooses to use one, is a private purchase: ‘All seals and stamps are obtained from private vendors at the notary’s own expense’ (manual, sec. 4.13).

How long the commission lasts, and renewing it

5 years, running from the date of appointment and ending ‘five years later on the last day of the month of appointment’ - C.G.S. 3-94c(a). The Secretary of the State’s licensing page states it the same way: ‘Notaries in the State of Connecticut are appointed for terms of five (5) years’ and ‘Notary terms of appointment expire on the last day of the month in which the notary was originally appointed.’ The term runs from the Secretary’s appointment, not from the town-clerk recording; but the notary may not perform any notarial act until the oath of office has been taken, and the certificate and oath must be recorded with the town clerk within thirty days of receiving the certificate (C.G.S. 3-94c(c)). The term ends early if the appointment is suspended or terminated by the Secretary, if the notary resigns, or if the notary ceases to be a Connecticut resident or to have a principal place of business in the state (C.G.S. 3-94c(a)(1)-(3)). Every five years, by reappointment. C.G.S. 3-94d: ‘A notary public may apply for reappointment on a form prescribed and provided by the Secretary, accompanied by a nonrefundable application fee of sixty dollars, and shall otherwise comply with all requirements for being appointed and serving as a notary public. Not later than ninety days before the expiration of the term of a notary public, the Secretary shall send the notary a notice of the expiration and a reappointment application form.’ In practice the Secretary sends a renewal letter with a PIN roughly 90 days out and renewal is filed online through eLicense.ct.gov. THE RENEWAL WINDOW IS BOUNDED ON BOTH SIDES: ‘A notary commission may only be renewed during the 90-day period before expiration and 90 days after expiration. If your commission has been expired for more than 90 days, you will need to request a reinstatement by emailing us at [email protected] ’ (Notary Public Licensing page). Reinstatement is not a renewal - it ‘mirrors the requirements of a new application, and the cost is $120’, including a fresh Jurat and Writing Sample (Notary Public Manual; licensing page: ‘If you have previously been a notary in the state, but your commission has lapsed, you need to email our office and request a reinstatement – you cannot use the new application process’). A renewing notary must take the oath of office again before performing notarial acts: ‘All notaries, whether new or renewal appointments, must take an oath of office before they can perform any notarial acts’ (licensing page). None. Connecticut imposes no continuing education on notaries public. C.G.S. 3-94d conditions reappointment on the form, the $60 fee and compliance with the requirements for appointment; it names no education. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: C.G.S. chapter 33, secs. 3-94a through 3-95b in full as published by the Connecticut General Assembly; the 2026 Supplement to chapter 33 (which contains only Sec. 3-99h on benefit corporations - i.e. the 2025 session made no change to the notary sections); the State of Connecticut Notary Public Manual (Rev. 2023-2) in full; and the Secretary of the State’s Notary Public Licensing page, including the renewal and reinstatement instructions. None imposes continuing education. What a renewing notary does face instead is the reappointment application, the $60 fee, a fresh oath of office, and - if C.G.S. 3-94d’s ‘shall otherwise comply with all requirements’ is read to reach 3-94b(b)(3) - the examination; see the exam field, where that unresolved conflict with the Secretary’s fast-track PIN renewal is recorded.

Your seal or stamp

A SEAL IS OPTIONAL IN CONNECTICUT - this is the field most often wrong on non-official pages. C.G.S. 3-94j(a): a notary public (other than a state police appointee under 3-94e) ‘may keep and use an official notarial seal’. The Notary Public Manual (Rev. 2023-2, sec. 4.13) says it directly: ‘Connecticut state law does not require that notaries obtain and use a seal, or rubber stamp. Even though the use of a seal is optional, state law does prescribe the format of the seal to be used.’ IF A SEAL IS USED, C.G.S. 3-94k requires the notary to affix its impression near the official signature on the notarial certificate, and the seal must include: ‘(1) The notary’s name exactly as it appears on the notary’s certificate of appointment, (2) the words “Notary Public” and “Connecticut” and (3) the words “My commission expires (commission expiration date)”, provided the notary may elect to have the words in subdivision (3) appear on a stamp instead of such seal.’ IF NO SEAL OR STAMP IS USED, the same section requires that ’the words “Notary Public” and “My commission expires (commission expiration date)” shall be typed or printed legibly by the notary near the notary’s official signature on a notarial certificate.’ No shape, size or ink color is prescribed by statute or by the manual. The impression ‘should be affixed near, but not over, the notary’s signature’ (manual). A signature stamp may never substitute for the notary’s own signature, and the notary must sign exactly as the name appears on the certificate of appointment (C.G.S. 3-94i; manual sec. 4.12). Seals and stamps are bought from private vendors at the notary’s own expense and ‘always remain the property of the notary… even if the notary’s employer paid for these items’; the seal may not be surrendered to an employer on termination (C.G.S. 3-94j(a); manual sec. 4.13). ON EXPIRY OR END OF APPOINTMENT: ‘A notary shall immediately destroy the notary’s notarial seal upon resigning as a notary or upon the revocation, lapse or expiration of such person’s appointment’ (C.G.S. 3-94j(b)). ON DEATH: the notary’s personal representative must destroy the seal and notify the Secretary in writing (C.G.S. 3-94q). ON NAME CHANGE: from the date the replacement certificate issues the notary must sign the new name and, if a seal is used, use only a seal bearing the new name (C.G.S. 3-94o(b)); the manual adds that a name change means buying a new seal or stamp. LOST OR STOLEN: the manual directs the notary to notify the local police, the Office of the Secretary of the State, and the Department of Motor Vehicles Dealers, Repairers & Emissions Division in writing at 60 State Street, Wethersfield, CT 06109. State police notaries use the state police seal as the notarial seal (C.G.S. 3-94e(b)).

Keeping a journal

Connecticut recommends a journal but does not require one.

Connecticut does not require a notary journal. Notary Public Manual (Rev. 2023-2), sec. 4.18: ‘Connecticut state law does not require that notaries maintain a journal of their notarial acts. However, it is the very strong recommendation of the Office of the Secretary of the State that they do so.’ The manual’s recommended practice: use a bound book ’to prevent loss or substitution of pages’ and record for each transaction the date and time of the notarial act; the nature or type of notarial act performed; a description of the document or proceeding; the signature, printed name and address of each person for whom a notarial act is performed; the method by which the person’s identity was determined; and the fee, if any, charged. For remote notarizations the manual (sec. 4.25) recommends additionally recording the location of the signer, the method used to meet with the signer, and whether a video recording was retained. On the value of a journal the manual’s FAQ says a journal ‘may be critical evidence to show that the notarial act was performed properly.’ NO retention period is imposed because no journal is required; the manual does separately recommend keeping any remote-notarization video recording for at least 10 years. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12 for a journal mandate: C.G.S. chapter 33 secs. 3-94a to 3-95b in full plus the 2026 Supplement to chapter 33; the Notary Public Manual (Rev. 2023-2) in full including its statutory appendix; and the Secretary of the State’s Notary Public Licensing page. None imposes one.

Online (remote) notarization

Connecticut authorizes remote online notarization without a registration separate from your commission.

READ THIS FIELD CAREFULLY - Connecticut authorizes REMOTE notarization but not full remote ONLINE notarization of electronic records, and the Secretary of the State’s own manual says so. Authority: C.G.S. 3-95b, enacted as Public Act 23-28, ‘An Act Concerning Remote Notarial Acts’, signed June 12, 2023 and EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2023 (Notary Public Licensing page; PA 23-28 sec. 1 is marked ‘(NEW) (Effective October 1, 2023)’). Amended by Public Act 24-97, which added a new prohibited category (agreement as to the division of an estate under C.G.S. 45a-434) and renumbered the last two (statutory history note to C.G.S. 3-95b). NO REGISTRATION, NO FEE, NO APPROVED-VENDOR LIST: nothing in C.G.S. 3-95b requires a notary to register, enroll, pay, or use an approved platform, and the manual states ‘Notaries are not required to offer remote notarization but may choose to do so on and after October 1 if done in compliance with the Act.’ On technology the manual says ‘The Act does not specify specific technology that would comply but given the definition of “communication technology” in the Act, commonly used internet video conferencing applications would suffice, such as Zoom, Teams, Webex or Google Meet’, and its FAQ answers ‘Does the law require me to use certain software when conducting a remote notarization? No, the law only specifies that the software allow you to see and hear the signer.’ HOW IT WORKS: the notary and the remotely located individual must communicate ‘simultaneously, in real time, by sight and sound using communication technology’ (3-95b(b)(1)); the notary identifies the signer by personal knowledge, by an unexpired government-issued ID bearing photograph, name and signature, by ‘Not less than two different types of identity proofing processes or services’, or by a credible witness (3-95b(b)(2)). THE PAPER-DELIVERY STEP IS WHAT MAKES THIS NOT RON: ‘Once the record notarized pursuant to subsection (b) of this section is signed by the individual… the individual shall mail or otherwise cause to be delivered the signed original copy of the record to the notary public for certification and execution with the notary’s commission signature and official stamp or seal’ (3-95b(d)). The manual spells out the consequence: ‘The physical document must then be delivered to the notary, who will then sign the document, complete the notarial certificate, and deliver it back to the signer… in most cases the notary will actually receive, execute the notarial certificate, and sign the document several days after the signer has signed it.’ The date of the notarization is the date the notary witnessed the signature by communication technology (3-95b(e)); the certificate must say the signer ‘appeared by means of communication technology’ rather than ‘personally appeared’, and the manual supplies a sample acknowledgment block. ELECTRONIC EXECUTION IS UNRESOLVED, not authorized: the manual’s remote FAQ states ‘Our office is researching whether the Act can be interpreted as allowing a notary and signer to execute the document electronically. Until this issue is resolved, we strongly recommend that all remote notarizations be done on paper and that the notary sign and certify the document by hand.’ The manual also notes the identity-proofing option is the kind of software ’typically embedded in software utilized in states that authorize full remote online notarization, which this Act does not.’ NO RECORDING IS REQUIRED: ‘Do I need to keep a recording? Answer: No, unlike in other states, the Connecticut law does not require the notary to keep a recording. Nevertheless, it is strongly recommended that the notary keep a recording of every remote notarization conducted for at least 10 years’ (manual FAQ). SIGNER LOCATION: the signer may be anywhere, but if the signer is outside Connecticut the record must be intended for filing or presentation before a Connecticut court, governmental entity, public official or other entity subject to Connecticut jurisdiction; or involve Connecticut property or a transaction substantially connected to Connecticut; or otherwise not be prohibited by Connecticut law from being notarized outside the state (3-95b(c)). The notary must be physically in Connecticut - the manual’s FAQ answers ‘Must I be located in Connecticut when conducting a remote notarization? Answer: Yes’, reasoning from C.G.S. 1-57 and 1-60. PROHIBITED REMOTELY (C.G.S. 3-95b(i), as amended by P.A. 24-97, eleven categories): (1) making and execution of a will, codicil, trust or trust instrument; (2) health care instructions under 19a-575a; (3) designation of a standby guardian under 45a-624; (4) designation of a person for decision-making and certain rights and obligations under 1-56r; (5) a living will as defined in 19a-570; (6) a power of attorney as defined in 1-350a; (7) a self-proving affidavit for appointment of a health care representative or for a living will under 1-56r and 19a-578; (8) a mutual distribution agreement under 45a-433; (9) an agreement as to the division of an estate under 45a-434; (10) a disclaimer under 45a-479 or 45a-583; and (11) a real estate closing as defined in 51-88a. Such an acknowledgment ‘shall be ineffective for any purpose and shall constitute a violation of section 51-88’ (unauthorized practice of law). NOTE THAT THE MANUAL’S OWN SUMMARY LIST IS SHORTER THAN THE STATUTE’S - the manual (sec. 4.24) lists five categories, while C.G.S. 3-95b(i) as amended lists eleven; the statute governs. REGULATIONS: C.G.S. 3-95b(g) permits, but does not require, the Secretary of the State to adopt regulations on means, technology standards, identity proofing and provider approval; the manual says these ‘regulations are not required for the Act to go into effect’. Whether any such regulation has since been adopted could not be checked - the Connecticut eRegulations portal is a JavaScript application that returns no notary content to a plain fetch - so this record states only what the statute and the Secretary’s manual say.

What you may charge

$5.00 per act, plus 35 cents per mile of travel. C.G.S. 3-95: ‘The fee for any act performed by a notary public in accordance with the provisions of the general statutes shall not exceed five dollars plus an additional thirty-five cents for each mile of travel.’ The Notary Public Manual (sec. 5.8) restates it and dates it: ‘Effective July 1, 2000, the fee for any act performed by a notary public, in accordance with the provisions of the general statutes, is five dollars ($5.00) plus an additional thirty-five cents ($.35) for each mile traveled’ - the $5/$0.35 figures come from P.A. 00-138, effective July 1, 2000, per the statutory history note. The cap is flat: Connecticut does not set different maxima by act type, and C.G.S. 3-95b (remote notarization) sets no separate or higher fee for a remote act. Notaries may not unreasonably refuse to serve someone who tenders the statutory fee (C.G.S. 3-94f). State police notaries appointed under C.G.S. 3-94e ‘shall not charge a fee for such notary’s services as a notary public’. Travel is therefore the one add-on Connecticut expressly permits, and it is capped at 35 cents per mile - not left to the notary.

Who does NOT need a commission — exemptions

Connecticut law lets a range of officials perform notarial acts without a notary commission, and the two lists differ by act type. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS - C.G.S. 1-29 (Uniform Acknowledgment Act): ‘The acknowledgment of any instrument may be made in this state before: (1) A judge of a court of record or a family support magistrate; (2) a clerk or deputy clerk of a court having a seal; (3) a town clerk; (4) a notary public; (5) a justice of the peace; or (6) an attorney admitted to the bar of this state.’ An attorney admitted to the Connecticut bar may also take, outside the state, an acknowledgment of an instrument pertaining to Connecticut real property or a power of attorney - except for an acknowledgment by a remotely located individual in a real estate closing (C.G.S. 1-31a, as amended by P.A. 23-28 sec. 2, effective October 1, 2023). OATHS - C.G.S. 1-24 lists many officers who may administer oaths, including clerks of the Senate and House and committee chairpersons during session; state officers, judges and clerks of any court, family support magistrates, judge trial referees, justices of the peace, commissioners of the Superior Court, notaries public, town clerks and assistant town clerks; commissioners on insolvent estates, auditors, arbitrators and committees; assessors and boards of assessment appeals; commissioners appointed by governors of other states to take acknowledgments of deeds; registrars of vital statistics; registrars of voters and moderators; and the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection and sworn police members, each within the matters specified in the statute. Town clerks and assistant town clerks may also ‘certify to the authority and official acts of any notary public whose certificate of appointment and oath of office have been recorded in the books in their charge’ (C.G.S. 3-94c(c)). Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: C.G.S. chapter 33 (notaries), C.G.S. chapter 4 sec. 1-24 (who may administer oaths), C.G.S. chapter 6 secs. 1-28 to 1-31a (Uniform Acknowledgment Act), and the Notary Public Manual (Rev. 2023-2). The Connecticut sources read when this page was last verified do not address federal military notarizing officers under 10 U.S.C. 1044a, so no claim is made about them here; C.G.S. 1-38 does address acknowledgments by persons in the armed forces and was not read in full.

How to apply

Applications are handled by Connecticut Office of the Secretary of the State, Business Services Division. Start at the official application page .

Verify a license in Connecticut

State of Connecticut eLicense (License Lookup), the system the Secretary of the State directs notaries and the public to use publishes a public license search , searchable by Credential type / license type (choose Notary Public), License number, Last name, First name, Business or DBA name, Credential status or City / state / address fields. It covers All Connecticut credentials issued through eLicense, including notary public appointments; the Secretary of the State’s Notary Public Licensing page directs users to ‘use License Lookup (maintained by the State of Connecticut)’ both to find a previous notary commission before requesting reinstatement and to find a name and license number before renewing. Town clerks provide a second, local verification route: a town clerk or assistant town clerk ‘may certify to the authority and official acts of any notary public whose certificate of appointment and oath of office have been recorded in the books in their charge’ (C.G.S. 3-94c(c)).

Records come from State of Connecticut eLicense (License Lookup), the system the Secretary of the State directs notaries and the public to use’s own system. LicensingAtlas does not hold license records and cannot confirm any individual’s status — the date on this page refers to the requirements described above, not to anyone’s credential.

Frequently asked questions

What does it cost to become a notary public in Connecticut?

$120.00, nonrefundable, set by C.G.S. 3-94b(b)(4)(A) and repeated on the Secretary of the State’s licensing page. Renewal (statutorily, reappointment) is $60.00 under C.G.S. 3-94d, and reinstatement after a lapse of more than 90 days costs the full $120 again. Beyond the state fee, the town clerk charges $20.00 to record the certificate of appointment and oath of office. Active state employees, and state police majors, captains, lieutenants and sergeants, can have the application fee waived.

Is there an exam to become a Connecticut notary?

Yes. C.G.S. 3-94b(b)(3) requires an applicant to ‘Pass a written examination approved or administered by the Secretary’, and the Secretary embeds it in the online application: ‘The application contains an examination that tests your understanding of the material contained in the manual. You must answer each question correctly before you will be provided a notary commission.’ The Notary Public Manual adds that the examination is completed under oath. There is no separate exam fee and no course - the free Notary Public Manual is the study material.

Do Connecticut notaries need a bond or E&O insurance?

No. Neither appears in C.G.S. 3-94b’s qualifications or anywhere else in chapter 33, and the Secretary of the State’s Notary Public Manual treats both as optional: ‘The notary may elect to at least partially protect themselves from actions seeking damages by purchasing a bond or errors and omissions insurance.’ What is not optional is personal liability - C.G.S. 3-94l(a) makes a notary liable for all damages proximately caused by the notary’s official misconduct.

Does a Connecticut notary need a seal or stamp?

No - the seal is optional. C.G.S. 3-94j(a) says a notary ‘may keep and use an official notarial seal’, and the Notary Public Manual states ‘Connecticut state law does not require that notaries obtain and use a seal, or rubber stamp.’ If a seal is used it must carry the notary’s name exactly as on the certificate of appointment, the words ‘Notary Public’ and ‘Connecticut’, and ‘My commission expires (commission expiration date)’ (which may sit on a separate stamp). If no seal or stamp is used, C.G.S. 3-94k requires the words ‘Notary Public’ and ‘My commission expires (date)’ to be typed or printed legibly near the notary’s signature.

How long does a Connecticut notary appointment last, and how is it renewed?

Five years, ending on the last day of the month of appointment (C.G.S. 3-94c(a)). The Secretary sends a notice with a renewal PIN about 90 days before expiration, and renewal is filed online at eLicense.ct.gov with the $60 reappointment fee. The renewal window is narrow: ‘A notary commission may only be renewed during the 90-day period before expiration and 90 days after expiration’ - after that the former notary must request reinstatement, which mirrors a new application and costs $120.

Why does a Connecticut notary have to visit the town clerk?

Because the appointment is not operative until the oath is taken and recorded locally. C.G.S. 3-94c(c) requires a notary, within thirty days of receiving the certificate of appointment, to record that certificate and the subscribed oath of office with the town clerk of the town of residence - or, for a non-resident notary, the Connecticut town of the principal place of business. The recording fee is $20.00. Failing to record does not invalidate acts already performed, but the Secretary states that ‘All notaries, whether new or renewal appointments, must take an oath of office before they can perform any notarial acts.’

Can a Connecticut notary do remote online notarization?

Connecticut allows remote notarization under C.G.S. 3-95b (Public Act 23-28, effective October 1, 2023), with no registration, no fee and no approved-vendor list - but it is not full remote ONLINE notarization. The notary and signer meet by real-time sight-and-sound communication technology, and then ’the individual shall mail or otherwise cause to be delivered the signed original copy of the record to the notary public for certification and execution’ (3-95b(d)). The Secretary of the State’s manual says the Act does not authorize full remote online notarization and recommends that remote notarizations be done on paper, signed by hand, while the office studies whether electronic execution is permissible.

Which documents can never be notarized remotely in Connecticut?

C.G.S. 3-95b(i), as amended by Public Act 24-97, lists eleven: wills, codicils, trusts and trust instruments; health care instructions under 19a-575a; standby guardian designations under 45a-624; designations of a person for decision-making under 1-56r; living wills under 19a-570; powers of attorney under 1-350a; self-proving affidavits for a health care representative or living will; mutual distribution agreements under 45a-433; agreements as to the division of an estate under 45a-434; disclaimers under 45a-479 or 45a-583; and real estate closings as defined in 51-88a. A remote acknowledgment in any of those is ‘ineffective for any purpose’ and constitutes a violation of C.G.S. 51-88.

What can a Connecticut notary charge?

No more than $5.00 per act, plus 35 cents per mile of travel - C.G.S. 3-95, at those amounts since July 1, 2000. The cap does not vary by act type and there is no higher fee for a remote notarization. A notary also may not unreasonably refuse to perform notarial acts in lawful transactions for anyone who tenders the statutory fee (C.G.S. 3-94f), and state police notaries may charge nothing at all.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Connecticut.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: August 12, 2026.

We re-fetch every cited source on a weekly schedule: see what changed at the agencies, or every correction we have ever made.

LicensingAtlas states licensing and certification requirements categorically from official sources. It is a reference, not legal or career advice, and requirements change frequently — confirm details with the issuing board before you act.