How to Become a Notary in Delaware — Requirements & Fees

How to become a notary public in Delaware: remote online notarization — verified from Office of the Governor of Delaware (commissioning authority).

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Office of the Governor of Delaware (commissioning authority), administered by the Delaware Department of State, Notary Public Section (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 State's 'How to Apply For a Notary Commission' page and 29 Del. C. 4301, 4307 and 4308: (1) meet the statutory qualifications in 4301(b) - at least 18, citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States, resident of Delaware or with a place of employment or practice in Delaware, able to read and write English, and not disqualified under 4334; (2) satisfy the agency's published additions - 'Must be of good character and reputation' and 'Must have a reasonable need for a notary commission' (any prior conviction requires a certified background check from the jurisdiction of conviction, dated within 6 months of the office's notice; individuals convicted of a felony whose rights have not been restored, and applicants convicted of a crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude, are not eligible); (3) create a notary profile at notaryforms.delaware.gov and supply an email address, because 'all correspondence, including commission certificates and renewal notices will be sent electronically by email'; (4) complete the online application, answering every question marked with an asterisk truthfully - 'False statements or misrepresentations will subject you to a claim of perjury under Delaware law (Title 29, 4307(f))'; (5) pay the non-refundable fee - $60.00 for a traditional 2-year commission, $0.00 for a limited governmental or service-organization commission (or use an employer's pre-funded depository account and Company ID); (6) receive the commission certificate by email; then (7) execute the oath of office - 'You must sign and take the Oath of Office before a notary public and return a copy to the Notary Public Section' (Secretary of State FAQ); 29 Del. C. 4308 requires the oath or affirmation prescribed by Article XIV of the Delaware Constitution, exempts notaries from the county recordation of the oath otherwise required by 9 Del. C. 9605(a), and provides that 'A notary public may not perform notarial acts until a copy of the fully executed oath is received by the Secretary of State'; and (8) buy an official stamp or embossing seal privately - 'No. You may order your stamp or seal from any office supply store, stamp supplier, or notary organization' (FAQ). Notaries who want to notarize electronic records or act for remotely located individuals must separately notify the Secretary of State and identify their technology before the first such act (29 Del. C. 4333(b), 4320(l)). Non-residents must also give a residential address plus a Delaware employment address for service of process (29 Del. C. 4301(c)(1)-(2)); the Secretary of State's page states that 'Use of a post office box, virtual office space, or a registered agent does NOT qualify.'

Legal basis

Office of the Governor of Delaware (commissioning authority), administered by the Delaware Department of State, Notary Public Section commissions notaries public in Delaware. Every figure below is verified against the commissioning authority’s own official pages and dated.

What it’s called

The statutory noun is ’notary public’ and what issues is a COMMISSION - 29 Del. C. 4301 is captioned ‘Commission as a notary public’ and the Governor ‘shall issue a commission as a notary public’. The Governor is the commissioning authority, with authority delegable to the Secretary of State (‘The Governor may delegate the Governor’s duties under this chapter to the Secretary of State’, 4301(a)), which is why the day-to-day office is the Department of State’s Notary Public Section at notary.delaware.gov. ‘Notary license’ and ’notary certification’ are folk terms; Delaware issues neither, though the state’s open-data listing sits in a ‘Licenses and Certifications’ category. Delaware’s own category names are worth knowing because they are unusual: ‘Limited Governmental Notary’ (a state-agency or police-agency employee whose commission runs with the job and whose stamp says ‘My Commission expires upon office’) and ‘Notaries for Certain Service Organizations’ (veterans’ organizations, volunteer fire companies, volunteer ambulance and rescue companies). ‘Notary signing agent’ and ’loan signing agent’ are private designations; they appear nowhere in 29 Del. C. chapter 43 or on notary.delaware.gov, and Delaware issues no such credential. On foreign-language titles Delaware legislates directly: 29 Del. C. 4336(c) - ‘A notary public, other than an attorney licensed to practice law in this State, may not use the term “notario” or “notario publico”’ - and 4336(d)(2) requires a non-attorney notary who advertises notarial services to include, in each language used, the statement ‘I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in this State. I am not allowed to draft legal records, give advice on legal matters, including immigration, or charge a fee for those activities.’

Types of notary commission

Traditional notary public commission — Any qualified individual who is a Delaware resident, or a non-resident with a Delaware office or regular place of employment The default commission. 29 Del. C. 4307(a): ‘An individual is to be initially commissioned as a notary public for a term of 2 years’ - the Secretary of State’s fee table confirms the initial term is 2 years only ($60.00). At renewal the notary may choose a 2-year reappointment ($60.00) or a 4-year reappointment ($90.00). An official stamp is required for tangible-record notarizations (29 Del. C. 4328(b)) and, since August 1, 2023, a journal is required for all notarial acts (29 Del. C. 4332).
Limited governmental notary — Employees of a Delaware state governmental agency or unit, and employees of a qualified police agency (state, county, municipal or local) Free, employer-approved, and open-ended: ‘This type of commission must be approved by the employer, has no application fee, and has no expiration date as long as the employee works for the agency’ (Secretary of State, How to Apply). Statutory basis 29 Del. C. 4306(c) and (d): the appointment expires when the employment ends; the notary ‘may not… Perform a notarial act other than a notarial act authorized by the individual’s state governmental agency or unit or qualified police agency’ and may not ‘Charge for a service rendered’; the official stamp must comply with 4330 except that the expiration statement must read ‘My Commission expires upon office’; and a transfer to another qualifying agency must be reported to the Secretary of State within 30 days with a new employer request and approval form.
Notary for a service organization — One notary per state-recognized veterans’ organization, and one per volunteer fire company or volunteer ambulance and rescue company 29 Del. C. 4306(a) and (b): appointed by the Governor on the request of the organization’s head, for a term of 4 years, ‘without charge to any appointee, commander or organization’ - and free to renew, per the Secretary of State’s fee table ($0.00 new and renewal, 4-year term only). Authority is restricted to documents connected with and for the benefit of the organization’s constituency - veterans, their families and dependents; or members of the fire/ambulance company and their families and dependents - and ‘The notaries public, so appointed, shall make no charge for any service rendered.’
Ex officio and institutional appointments (justices of the peace, Secretary of Finance, banks, court reporters) — Officials and institutions named in the statute rather than individual applicants 29 Del. C. 4303: the Governor ‘shall appoint every person who is appointed to the office of justice of the peace and as Secretary of Finance also as a notary public’, with the Secretary of Finance limited to official duties and the commission ending with the office. 29 Del. C. 4304: the Governor ‘shall appoint 1 notary public for each trust company, bank, banking association or branch or branches thereof in this State’. 29 Del. C. 4305: the Governor may appoint official court reporters as notaries at the request of the Chief Justice.
Authorization to notarize ELECTRONIC records (notification, not a separate commission) — A commissioned Delaware notary who wants to notarize electronic records 29 Del. C. 4333(b): before the first notarial act on an electronic record the notary must notify the Secretary of State and identify the technology to be used; if the Secretary has set approval standards under 4338 the technology must conform, and conforming technology ‘shall’ be approved. No fee appears for this on the Secretary of State’s notary fee table. The public open-data notary database carries an ‘Electronic’ column so the public can check whether a given notary holds this authorization.
Authorization to notarize for REMOTELY LOCATED individuals (notification, not a separate commission) — A commissioned Delaware notary who wants to perform notarial acts by communication technology 29 Del. C. 4320(l): ‘Before a notarial officer performs the notarial officer’s initial notarial act under this section, the notarial officer shall… Notify the Secretary of State that the notarial officer will be performing notarial acts with respect to remotely located individuals’ and ‘Identify for the Secretary of State the technologies the notarial officer intends to use.’ No fee appears on the fee table. The open-data notary database carries a ‘Remote’ column for public verification.

Who can be commissioned

29 Del. C. 4301(b): an applicant must ‘(1) Be at least 18 years of age. (2) Be a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States. (3) Be a resident of or have a place of employment or practice in this State. (4) Be able to read and write English. (5) Not be disqualified to receive a commission under 4334 of this title. (6) Comply with other requirements established by the Secretary of State by regulation…’ The Secretary of State’s application page adds two published conditions and one document rule: ‘Must be of good character and reputation - Individuals convicted of a felony who have not had their rights restored as well as applicants convicted of a crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude are not eligible for a Delaware notary commission. Any prior conviction will require a Certified Background Check from the jurisdiction in which the conviction occurred. The background check must be dated from 6 months of our notice’; and ‘Must have a reasonable need for a notary commission.’ NON-RESIDENTS: eligible, but must maintain ‘an office or place of employment within the State of Delaware that is available Monday-Friday during normal business hours to accept Service of Process’, must ‘demonstrate they would regularly conduct notarial acts in the State of Delaware’, and cannot rely on a post office box, virtual office space or a registered agent; the Secretary of State may require proof of employment or residency at any time (Secretary of State, How to Apply; statutory basis 29 Del. C. 4301(c)). Delaware notaries may NOT notarize outside Delaware’s boundaries (Secretary of State FAQ: ‘You may only perform notarizations within the boundaries of the State of Delaware’), and a change of address must be reported to the Secretary of State within 30 days (29 Del. C. 4301(c)(3)). Discretionary denial, non-renewal, revocation, suspension or conditioning grounds are in 29 Del. C. 4334(a), which reaches ‘any act or omission that demonstrates the individual lacks the honesty, integrity, competence, or reliability to act as a notary public’, including conviction of any felony or a crime involving fraud, dishonesty or deceit, and adverse notary action in another state.

Requirements

From the Secretary of State’s ‘How to Apply For a Notary Commission’ page and 29 Del. C. 4301, 4307 and 4308: (1) meet the statutory qualifications in 4301(b) - at least 18, citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States, resident of Delaware or with a place of employment or practice in Delaware, able to read and write English, and not disqualified under 4334; (2) satisfy the agency’s published additions - ‘Must be of good character and reputation’ and ‘Must have a reasonable need for a notary commission’ (any prior conviction requires a certified background check from the jurisdiction of conviction, dated within 6 months of the office’s notice; individuals convicted of a felony whose rights have not been restored, and applicants convicted of a crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude, are not eligible); (3) create a notary profile at notaryforms.delaware.gov and supply an email address, because ‘all correspondence, including commission certificates and renewal notices will be sent electronically by email’; (4) complete the online application, answering every question marked with an asterisk truthfully - ‘False statements or misrepresentations will subject you to a claim of perjury under Delaware law (Title 29, 4307(f))’; (5) pay the non-refundable fee - $60.00 for a traditional 2-year commission, $0.00 for a limited governmental or service-organization commission (or use an employer’s pre-funded depository account and Company ID); (6) receive the commission certificate by email; then (7) execute the oath of office - ‘You must sign and take the Oath of Office before a notary public and return a copy to the Notary Public Section’ (Secretary of State FAQ); 29 Del. C. 4308 requires the oath or affirmation prescribed by Article XIV of the Delaware Constitution, exempts notaries from the county recordation of the oath otherwise required by 9 Del. C. 9605(a), and provides that ‘A notary public may not perform notarial acts until a copy of the fully executed oath is received by the Secretary of State’; and (8) buy an official stamp or embossing seal privately - ‘No. You may order your stamp or seal from any office supply store, stamp supplier, or notary organization’ (FAQ). Notaries who want to notarize electronic records or act for remotely located individuals must separately notify the Secretary of State and identify their technology before the first such act (29 Del. C. 4333(b), 4320(l)). Non-residents must also give a residential address plus a Delaware employment address for service of process (29 Del. C. 4301(c)(1)-(2)); the Secretary of State’s page states that ‘Use of a post office box, virtual office space, or a registered agent does NOT qualify.’

Training

Delaware does not require a training course.

Delaware requires no training course of any length. Secretary of State FAQ, verbatim: ‘Is training required to become a Notary Public? No. Training is currently not required to become a notary.’ No course, hours or approved-provider rule appears in 29 Del. C. 4301(b), which lists the qualifications, or in the Secretary of State’s ‘How to Apply For a Notary Commission’ requirements list. Note that Delaware does NOT publish its own notary handbook: the same FAQ answers ‘Where can I get a Delaware notary handbook?’ by pointing readers to a private notary organization that sells one. This record cites no such publication and takes no fact from it; the state’s own statutes and its notary.delaware.gov pages are the sources used here. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: 29 Del. C. chapter 43 subchapters I and II in full (delcode.delaware.gov), the Secretary of State’s How to Apply page, its Fee Information page, and its FAQ page. None imposes education.

Exam

Delaware does not require an exam.

Delaware requires no examination for a notary commission. 29 Del. C. 4301(b) sets out the complete statutory qualification list - age, citizenship or permanent legal residence, Delaware residence or place of employment/practice, ability to read and write English, absence of disqualification under 4334, and any additional requirements the Secretary of State sets by regulation - and no examination appears in it. The Secretary of State’s ‘How to Apply For a Notary Commission’ page lists the requirements (‘Must be at least 18 years of age… Must be able to read and write English… Must be of good character and reputation… Must have a reasonable need for a notary commission… Must be a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States, and have a legal residence with a street address in Delaware OR maintain an office or place of employment within the State of Delaware’) and names no test; the FAQ likewise says training is not required and describes no examination. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: 29 Del. C. 4301 through 4314 and 4315 through 4342 in full; the How to Apply page; the FAQ page; and the Fee Information page (which lists no examination fee). NOT SEARCHED, and named as such rather than assumed empty: regulations the Secretary of State may adopt under 29 Del. C. 4301(b)(6), 4301(e) and 4338 - the Delaware Administrative Code was not fetched when this page was last verified, so this record states that no exam appears in the statute or in the agency’s published application requirements, not that no regulation could ever add one.

Bond & insurance

No surety bond is required, and no errors-and-omissions insurance is required. The Secretary of State’s FAQ answers the question in two words: ‘Are Delaware notaries required to be bonded? No.’ Nothing in 29 Del. C. chapter 43 conditions a commission on a bond: the qualification list at 4301(b) does not mention one, the term-and-fee section 4307 provides only for the $60/$90 application fees, the oath section 4308 requires only the constitutional oath, and the Secretary of State’s Fee Information table contains no bond or insurance line. Delaware also does not require E&O insurance - the word does not appear in the qualification, application or fee sources read. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: 29 Del. C. chapter 43, subchapter I (4301-4314) and subchapter II (4315-4342), as published on delcode.delaware.gov; the Secretary of State’s How to Apply For a Notary Commission page; its Fee Information page; and its Frequently Asked Questions page. None requires a bond or insurance. (This is the field where vendor-sourced pages most often go wrong for other states; here the state answers it directly and in the negative.)

Fees

STATE APPLICATION FEES, from the Delaware Secretary of State’s own Fee Information table (notary.delaware.gov/fee-information/), all non-refundable: Traditional Notary - New, 2 year term only: $60.00; Traditional Notary - Renewal 2 year term: $60.00; Traditional Notary - Renewal 4 year term: $90.00; Limited Governmental Notary - New: $0.00; Corporate Application (Employer): $0.00; Employer Transfer Form: $0.00; Service Organization Notary - New (4 year term only): $0.00; Service Organization Notary - Renewal (4 year term only): $0.00; Replacement Commission Certificate: $0.00; Change of Name Certificate: $0.00; Good Standing Certificate: $30.00. The statute matches the application fees exactly: 29 Del. C. 4307(a) - ‘An individual must pay a nonrefundable application fee of $60 for a 2-year term or $90 for a 4-year term.’ Fees are non-refundable even if the application is rejected (FAQ, citing 4307(a)). Payment is by ACH e-check or Visa/MasterCard/Discover/American Express during the online application; employers expecting high volume may pre-fund a depository account with the Secretary of State and issue a Company ID that lets applicants bypass the payment screens. NO county recording fee applies to the oath: 29 Del. C. 4308 expressly exempts notaries from the recordation of the oath of office otherwise prescribed by 9 Del. C. 9605(a). NO separate fee is published for the electronic-record or remotely-located-individual notifications under 29 Del. C. 4333(b) and 4320(l) - neither appears on the fee table. THE STAMP OR SEAL IS A PRIVATE PURCHASE at an unregulated price: ‘Does the State of Delaware provide my notary stamp/seal? No. You may order your stamp or seal from any office supply store, stamp supplier, or notary organization’ (FAQ). A name change costs nothing to the state ‘other than the cost for the new stamp’, with up to 6 weeks allowed to obtain the new stamp (FAQ).

How long the commission lasts, and renewing it

2 years for an initial commission; on renewal the notary chooses either 2 or 4 years. 29 Del. C. 4307(a): ‘An individual is to be initially commissioned as a notary public for a term of 2 years. A notary public who wishes to renew the notary public’s commission may request a 2-year reappointment or a 4-year reappointment.’ The Secretary of State’s fee table states the same restriction from the other side, labelling the traditional new commission ‘New (2 year term only)’. The term runs from the Governor’s commission, but authority to act does not begin until the executed oath of office reaches the Secretary of State (29 Del. C. 4308). Different terms apply to the special categories: service-organization notaries are appointed for 4 years (29 Del. C. 4306(a), (b)); limited governmental notaries appointed for a qualified police agency under 4306(c) get a 2-year term, while those appointed under 4306(d) hold office until their qualifying employment ends - the Secretary of State summarises this as ’no expiration date as long as the employee works for the agency’; a justice of the peace or the Secretary of Finance holds the notary commission only as long as the underlying office (29 Del. C. 4303). Renewal is filed online through the notary profile: ‘You will log into your profile and click the “Renew Commission” link. Your current information will be displayed. Please review and update the information as required, then submit and pay for the renewal’ (Secretary of State FAQ). Existing notaries who have never created a profile must first set one up at notaryforms.delaware.gov before they can renew. At renewal the notary elects a 2-year term ($60.00) or a 4-year term ($90.00) - 29 Del. C. 4307(a). NOTICE: ‘You will receive an email notification, to the email you provided on your profile, approximately 30 days before your commission expires’, and the Secretary of State points notaries at their own seal as the backstop - ‘Please check your notary seal. Delaware law requires the commission expiration date to be contained in the seal’ (FAQ). Because all correspondence including the commission certificate and renewal notices is sent only by email, keeping the profile email current is operationally load-bearing; the email field is the one field a notary cannot self-update and must be changed by contacting the Notary Public Section. RENEWING UNDER THE NEW LAW: 29 Del. C. 4339 provides that a commission in effect on August 1, 2023 continues to its expiration date, but ‘A notary public who applies to renew a commission as a notary public on or after August 1, 2023, is subject to and shall comply with this chapter’ - and every notary performing acts after that date must comply, which is what brought the mandatory journal and the current stamp rules to the whole population. Resignation: a notary who resigns or who stops meeting the qualifications ‘shall immediately mail or deliver the official commission to the Secretary of State, who shall cancel the same’ (29 Del. C. 4307(d)). None. Delaware imposes no continuing education on notaries public. 29 Del. C. 4307(a) conditions renewal only on the reappointment request and the $60 (2-year) or $90 (4-year) fee, and 29 Del. C. 4339 requires a notary renewing on or after August 1, 2023 to ‘be subject to and shall comply with this chapter’ - a compliance duty, not an education requirement. The Secretary of State’s FAQ states plainly that ‘Training is currently not required to become a notary’, and its renewal instructions describe only reviewing the profile information, submitting and paying. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: 29 Del. C. chapter 43 subchapters I and II in full; the Secretary of State’s How to Apply page; its FAQ page; and its Fee Information page (no education or exam line item exists). NOT SEARCHED, and named: any regulation the Secretary of State may have adopted under 29 Del. C. 4301(b)(6), 4301(e) or 4338 - the Delaware Administrative Code was not fetched when this page was last verified.

Your seal or stamp

A stamp or seal is REQUIRED for tangible-record notarizations. 29 Del. C. 4328(b): ‘If a notarial act regarding a tangible record is performed by a notary public, an official stamp must be affixed to or embossed on the certificate.’ (For an electronic record the official stamp ‘may be’ attached to or logically associated with the certificate.) CONTENTS - 29 Del. C. 4330: the official stamp must include the notary public’s name as it appears on file with the Secretary of State; ‘State of Delaware’; ‘My Commission expires on’ and the commission expiration date; and any other information required by the Secretary of State; and it must ‘Be capable of being copied together with the record to which it is affixed or attached or with which it is logically associated.’ The Secretary of State’s FAQ states the practical form: ‘For Paper Notaries: It must be either a metal embossing seal or a black-inked rubber stamp, must contain the notary’s name exactly as it appears on the commission, and must contain the words “My Commission expires on” and the commission expiration date, and the words “Notary Public” and “State of Delaware”.’ For limited governmental notaries the expiration line is replaced with ‘My Commission expires upon office’ (FAQ; 29 Del. C. 4306(d)(2)c). ‘For Electronic/Remote Notaries: It must be an electronic seal and signature that conform to generally accepted standards for secure electronic notarization’ with the same wording elements (FAQ). Delaware does not supply the stamp - it is bought privately (FAQ). SECURITY AND DISPOSAL - 29 Del. C. 4331: the notary is responsible for the security of the stamping device and may not let another individual use it; on resignation, revocation or expiration of the commission, or expiry of the date on the device, the notary ‘shall disable the stamping device by destroying, defacing, damaging, erasing, or securing it against use in a manner that renders it unusable’; on death or adjudication of incompetency the personal representative, guardian or other possessor must do the same; and a lost or stolen device must be reported promptly to the Secretary of State (the notary site carries a dedicated ‘Report a Lost Notary Seal’ service). NAME CHANGE: the notary updates the profile, the Notary Public Section emails a name-change certificate so a new stamp can be ordered at no state charge, and the notary has up to 6 weeks to obtain the new stamp, meanwhile optionally signing both names (FAQ). EMPLOYMENT: ‘Even if your employer pays for the commission and stamp… When you leave employment, your stamp/seal, commission and journal/record book (if applicable) leave with you’ - except that limited governmental and service-organization notaries must surrender the stamp to the agency or organization and have the commission deactivated (FAQ). The notary must also sign exactly as the name appears on the commission (FAQ; 29 Del. C. 4328(a)(2)).

Keeping a journal

Delaware requires a notary journal.

Required for every notarial act since August 1, 2023 - this is the single biggest change in Delaware notary practice and the fact most likely to be stale on a non-official page. 29 Del. C. 4332(a): ‘A notary public shall maintain a journal in which the notary public chronicles all notarial acts that the notary public performs. The notary public shall retain the journal for 10 years after the performance of the last notarial act chronicled in the journal.’ The Secretary of State’s FAQ dates it: ‘Effective August 1, 2023, All Notaries commissioned are required to maintain a journal. The journal can be in an electronic or paper format, and only one format can be chosen. If the notary chooses to not renew their commission, they must retain the journal for a period of 10 years or transmit the journal to the Delaware Notary Administrator.’ FORMAT - 4332(b): tangible or electronic, but ‘A notary public shall maintain only 1 journal at a time to chronicle all notarial acts, whether those notarial acts are performed regarding tangible or electronic records’; a tangible journal ‘must be a permanent, bound register with numbered pages’; an electronic journal must be in a permanent, tamper-evident format complying with the Secretary of State’s regulations. REQUIRED ENTRIES, made contemporaneously - 4332(c): the date and time of the notarial act; a description of the record, if any, and the type of notarial act; the full name and address of each individual for whom the act is performed; a statement if identity was based on personal knowledge; if identity was based on satisfactory evidence, a brief description of the method of identification and the credential presented ‘including the date of issuance and expiration of any identification credential’; and the fee, if any, charged. LOSS: a lost or stolen journal must be reported promptly to the Secretary of State (4332(d)). END OF COMMISSION: on resignation, revocation or suspension the notary retains the journal for the ten years and tells the Secretary of State where it is (4332(e)), or may instead transmit it to the Secretary of State or an approved repository (4332(f)); on death or adjudication of incompetency the personal representative, guardian or other possessor must transmit it to the Secretary of State or an approved repository (4332(g)). Note that the journal belongs to the notary, not the employer: ‘When you leave employment, your stamp/seal, commission and journal/record book (if applicable) leave with you’ (FAQ).

Online (remote) notarization

Delaware authorizes remote online notarization, and it requires a registration separate from your commission.

Delaware authorizes notarial acts for remotely located individuals under 29 Del. C. 4320, enacted by 83 Del. Laws c. 425 and applicable to notarial acts performed ON OR AFTER AUGUST 1, 2023 (29 Del. C. 4340(a): ‘This subchapter applies to a notarial act performed on or after August 1, 2023’; 4340(b) preserves the validity of earlier acts). REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED, and it is a notification rather than a paid licence - 29 Del. C. 4320(l)(1): ‘Before a notarial officer performs the notarial officer’s initial notarial act under this section, the notarial officer shall… a. Notify the Secretary of State that the notarial officer will be performing notarial acts with respect to remotely located individuals. b. Identify for the Secretary of State the technologies the notarial officer intends to use.’ If the Secretary of State has set standards under 4320(m) and 4338, the communication technology and identity proofing must conform. No fee for this appears on the Secretary of State’s notary fee table. HOW IT WORKS: the notary must be located in Delaware (4320(c); FAQ: ‘For Remote Notarizations, although the signer appearing before the notary need not be in Delaware, the notary must physically be in Delaware’); identity must rest on personal knowledge, a credible witness, or ‘at least 2 different types of identity proofing’ (4320(c)(1)); the notary must be able reasonably to confirm the record before them is the same record the remote individual signed (4320(c)(2)); and the notary or someone acting for them must create an audio-visual recording of the act (4320(c)(3)). TANGIBLE RECORDS ARE COVERED, with a specific procedure - 4320(e): the remotely located individual signs the record and a penalty-of-perjury declaration during the recording, and ‘Sends the record and declaration to the notarial officer not later than 3 days after the notarial act was performed’; the notary records the signing, then executes a certificate including ‘I (name of notarial officer) witnessed, by means of communication technology, (name of remotely located individual) sign the attached record and declaration on (date).’ The act is effective on the date the individual signed the declaration (4320(f)). A notary may also take an acknowledgment on a tangible record physically before the notary if the record is displayed to and identified by the remote individual during the recording (4320(d)), and may administer an oath remotely under 4320(h). CERTIFICATE: the certificate and any short-form certificate must indicate that communication technology was used - a statement ‘in substantially the following form: This notarial act involved the use of communication technology’ suffices (4320(i), (j)). RECORDING RETENTION: the notary (or a guardian, conservator, agent, or a deceased notary’s personal representative) must retain the audio-visual recording, or have a designated repository retain it, ‘for a period of at least 10 years’ unless a regulation sets a different period (4320(k)). PROVIDERS: no approved-vendor list is published in the statute; instead 4320(m)(3) permits the Secretary of State to adopt regulations approving providers, and 4320(o) provides that a provider of communication technology, identity proofing or storage appoints the Secretary of State as its agent for service of process in Delaware civil actions related to the notarial act. PUBLIC VERIFICATION: the state’s open-data notary database carries a ‘Remote’ column so anyone can check whether a given Delaware notary is authorized (FAQ: ‘Effective August 1, 2023, an electronic database of notaries public was published on the State of Delaware’s Open Data portal… will allow them to verify if the notary is approved to perform report [sic] or electronic notarization’). SEPARATE FROM ELECTRONIC NOTARIZATION: notarizing an electronic record with the signer physically present is governed by 29 Del. C. 4333, which requires its own notification to the Secretary of State and its own technology identification, and which also lets a Recorder of Deeds accept a tangible copy of an electronic record for recording where the notarial officer certifies the copy is accurate (4333(c)).

What you may charge

TWO OFFICIAL SOURCES DIFFER AND BOTH ARE RECORDED. The statute, 29 Del. C. 4311, sets two caps: ‘(a) The maximum fee a notary public may charge for a notarial act performed with respect to a tangible record is $5.00. (b) The maximum fee a notary public may charge for a notarial act performed with respect to an electronic record is $25.’ The Secretary of State’s FAQ states only the first: ‘How much can I charge for notarization? $5.00 is the maximum a notary may charge per notarization. A notary may choose to waive the fee.’ The FAQ answer is not wrong for paper acts but omits the $25 electronic-record cap in the statute; the statute governs. ENFORCEMENT: 4311(c) makes these maxima, and on violation ’the Secretary of State may revoke the commission of the notary public and the notary public may not be reappointed within a period of 2 years’ (also a denial ground under 4334(a)(9)); 4311(d) confirms a notary may waive any fee. FREE FOR THE MILITARY AND VETERANS: 29 Del. C. 4312(a) bars any notary or other officer from charging the statutory fee to a person serving in the armed forces, a veteran of any war, or the spouse, children, parents or other listed relatives, when the acknowledgment, oath or affirmation is taken in connection with papers required by the Veterans Administration or in support of a claim or papers connected with military service; violation draws a fine of $10 to $25 under 4312(b). TRAVEL: Delaware sets no travel-fee rule - the Secretary of State’s FAQ says so directly (‘Delaware law does not address fees a notary may charge for travel related to a notarial act’) and then offers non-binding guidance to use the IRS standard business mileage rate and to give the customer an itemized fee list before performing or travelling to perform the service. Limited governmental notaries and service-organization notaries may charge nothing at all (29 Del. C. 4306).

Who does NOT need a commission — exemptions

Delaware recognizes several notarial officers who need no notary commission. 29 Del. C. 4323(a): ‘A notarial act may be performed in this State by any of the following: (1) A notary public of this State. (2) A judge, clerk, or deputy clerk of a court of this State. (3) An individual licensed to practice law in this State. (4) An individual authorized by law of this State to administer oaths. (5) Any other individual authorized to perform the specific act by the law of this State.’ The signature and title of a Delaware notary, a judge or court clerk, or a Delaware-licensed attorney ‘conclusively establish the authority of the officer to perform the notarial act’ (4323(c)). Acts performed under FEDERAL authority are recognized in Delaware without a Delaware commission - 29 Del. C. 4326(a) covers ‘(1) A judge, clerk, or deputy clerk of a federal court. (2) An individual in military service or performing duties under the authority of military service who is authorized to perform notarial acts under federal law. (3) An individual designated a notarizing officer by the United States Department of State for performing notarial acts overseas. (4) Any other individual authorized by federal law to perform the notarial act.’ Acts by a notary or court officer of another state (4324) or of a federally recognized Indian tribe (4325) have the same effect as Delaware acts. Certain officials also hold notary commissions automatically rather than by application: every justice of the peace and the Secretary of Finance (29 Del. C. 4303), one notary for each bank, trust company or branch (4304), and official court reporters on the Chief Justice’s request (4305). WHAT A DELAWARE NOTARY MAY NOT DO, which is the flip side of the exemption question: 29 Del. C. 4322(d), as quoted by the Secretary of State’s FAQ, provides that notaries ‘shall not attest to copies of official or public records, only of documents that cannot be certified by a public official’ - so a certified copy of a birth certificate is a job for the record custodian, not a notary. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: 29 Del. C. chapter 43 subchapters I and II in full; the Secretary of State’s How to Apply, FAQ and Fee Information pages. Delaware’s own sources read here publish no general list of documents that require no notarization at all, so none is asserted.

How to apply

Applications are handled by Office of the Governor of Delaware (commissioning authority), administered by the Delaware Department of State, Notary Public Section. Start at the official application page .

Verify a license in Delaware

State of Delaware Open Data portal, published by the Department of State (Notary Public Section) publishes a public license search , searchable by Full Name, Commission Number, Expiration, City, Remote (whether the notary is authorized for remotely located individuals) or Electronic (whether the notary is authorized for electronic records). It covers Every notary commissioned in Delaware, with the columns listed above - confirmed against the dataset’s own metadata API on 2026-08-12. The Secretary of State’s FAQ explains its purpose: ‘Effective August 1, 2023, an electronic database of notaries public was published on the State of Delaware’s Open Data portal and will be updated frequently. This allows a person to verify the authority of a notary public to perform notarial acts and will allow them to verify if the notary is approved to perform report [sic - remote] or electronic notarization.’ The statutory basis is 29 Del. C. 4335 (Database of notaries public). Because it is a Socrata open-data dataset, it can be searched in the browser and also read through a stable JSON API, so it is not form-state; a separate paid ‘Good Standing Certificate’ ($30.00) is available from the Secretary of State for formal proof.

Records come from State of Delaware Open Data portal, published by the Department of State (Notary Public Section)’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

How long does a Delaware notary commission last?

An initial commission is two years - 29 Del. C. 4307(a) says ‘An individual is to be initially commissioned as a notary public for a term of 2 years’, and the Secretary of State’s fee table labels the traditional new commission ‘New (2 year term only)’. At renewal the notary chooses: a 2-year reappointment for $60.00 or a 4-year reappointment for $90.00. Service-organization notaries are commissioned for four years free of charge, and a limited governmental notary’s commission runs as long as the qualifying employment.

What does a Delaware notary commission cost?

$60.00 non-refundable for a new two-year traditional commission, $60.00 to renew for two years, or $90.00 to renew for four years - the same figures appear in 29 Del. C. 4307(a) and on the Secretary of State’s fee table. Limited governmental and service-organization commissions cost nothing. A Good Standing Certificate is $30.00; replacement commission certificates and name-change certificates are free. The stamp or seal is bought privately: ‘Does the State of Delaware provide my notary stamp/seal? No.’

Does Delaware require notary training, an exam, or a bond?

None of the three. The Secretary of State’s FAQ answers directly: ‘Is training required to become a Notary Public? No. Training is currently not required to become a notary’, and ‘Are Delaware notaries required to be bonded? No.’ No examination appears in the statutory qualification list at 29 Del. C. 4301(b) or in the Secretary of State’s published application requirements. Delaware also does not publish its own notary handbook - its FAQ points readers to a private organization that sells one.

Must a Delaware notary keep a journal?

Yes, since August 1, 2023. 29 Del. C. 4332(a): ‘A notary public shall maintain a journal in which the notary public chronicles all notarial acts that the notary public performs. The notary public shall retain the journal for 10 years after the performance of the last notarial act chronicled in the journal.’ Only one journal may be kept at a time, in either paper (a permanent bound register with numbered pages) or electronic tamper-evident form, and each entry must be made at the time of the act with the date and time, the type of act and description of the record, the signer’s full name and address, how identity was established, and the fee charged.

What must a Delaware notary stamp contain, and is one required?

A stamp is required for tangible-record notarizations: 29 Del. C. 4328(b) says ‘an official stamp must be affixed to or embossed on the certificate.’ Under 29 Del. C. 4330 it must show the notary’s name as on file with the Secretary of State, ‘State of Delaware’, and ‘My Commission expires on’ with the expiration date, and it must be capable of being copied with the record. The Secretary of State’s FAQ adds that it must be either a metal embossing seal or a black-inked rubber stamp, and that limited governmental notaries use ‘My Commission expires upon office’ instead of a date.

Can a Delaware notary perform remote online notarizations?

Yes, for notarial acts performed on or after August 1, 2023, under 29 Del. C. 4320 - but the notary must first notify the Secretary of State and identify the technologies to be used (4320(l)), must be physically in Delaware, must identify the remote signer by personal knowledge, a credible witness, or at least two types of identity proofing, and must make an audio-visual recording that has to be kept for at least ten years. A tangible record can be handled remotely too: the signer signs the record and a penalty-of-perjury declaration on camera and sends both to the notary within three days.

How much can a Delaware notary charge?

The statute sets two caps - 29 Del. C. 4311: $5.00 maximum for a notarial act on a tangible record and $25 maximum for a notarial act on an electronic record. (The Secretary of State’s FAQ mentions only the $5.00 paper figure.) Exceeding the cap can cost the notary the commission plus a two-year bar on reappointment. Delaware sets no travel fee - the FAQ says ‘Delaware law does not address fees a notary may charge for travel’. Notaries may not charge service members, veterans or their listed relatives for Veterans Administration-related acts (29 Del. C. 4312).

Can someone who lives outside Delaware become a Delaware notary?

Yes. 29 Del. C. 4301(b)(3) requires only residence OR ‘a place of employment or practice in this State’, and the Secretary of State confirms non-residents may apply - but they must maintain a Delaware office or place of employment ‘available Monday-Friday during normal business hours to accept Service of Process’, must show they would regularly perform notarial acts in Delaware, and may not use a post office box, virtual office space or a registered agent as the address. Either way, a Delaware notary may only notarize inside Delaware’s boundaries.

How do I check whether a Delaware notary is commissioned?

Use the state’s open-data database, ‘Notaries Commissioned in Delaware’, published on data.delaware.gov since August 1, 2023 and updated frequently. It lists each notary’s full name, commission number, expiration date and city, plus two columns showing whether that notary is authorized for remote and for electronic notarization. The statutory basis is 29 Del. C. 4335; for formal proof, the Secretary of State issues a Good Standing Certificate for $30.00.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Delaware.

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.