Iowa Secretary of State (Paul D. Pate) — Notary Section, Business Services Division commissions notaries public in Iowa. 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 Iowa issues a COMMISSION (Iowa Code 9B.21 is titled ‘Commission as notary public’); for legislators and state-agency employees the statute uses APPOINTMENT (9B.21(4)), and the rule and the reappointment forms use ‘Application for Appointment as Notary Public’ and ‘reappointment’ interchangeably with renewal (721 IAC 43.5). ‘Iowa notary license’ is a folk term — Iowa law issues no notary license. Distinguish three things the Handbook defines separately and which the public routinely conflates: ELECTRONIC NOTARIZATION (‘performed when the notary and the signer meet in person, the notarial certificate is signed electronically by the signer, and the notarial act is certified electronically by the notary’ — covered by an ordinary Iowa commission); REMOTE ONLINE NOTARIZATION (‘performed when the notary and signer meet remotely through an approved live audio-visual technology platform’ — needs the separate approval); and the REMOTE FACILITATOR, a statutory Iowa role defined at 9B.2(13) for a person who helps perform a remote act. Iowa also maintains a BILINGUAL NOTARY REGISTRY — the application asks ‘Does applicant wish to have name placed on a list of bilingual notaries’ and the public search lets a member of the public filter by Language. ‘Notario publico’ is not a synonym and is prohibited: ‘A notary public, other than an attorney licensed to practice law in this state, shall not use the term “notario” or “notario publico”’ (Iowa Code 9B.25(3)). ‘Notary signing agent’ and ’loan signing agent’ are private vendor credentials — no such designation exists in Iowa Code ch. 9B, 721 IAC ch. 43, the application form or the Handbook (searched 2026-08-12); the Handbook’s only word on the sellers of such credentials is that notary associations ‘are privately owned organizations … not associated with the Secretary of State’s Office.’

Types of notary commission

  • Notary Public commission (traditional — covers paper AND electronic notarizations) — An individual 18 or older who is a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident, resides in Iowa or has a place of employment or practice in Iowa, and can read and write English (Iowa Code 9B.21(2)). Three-year term for an Iowa resident (Iowa Code 9B.21(6)). The Iowa Handbook for Notaries Public is explicit that this one commission covers both media: ‘Electronic notarizations differ from remote online notarizations. A traditional notary public can perform both paper and electronic notarizations.’ A notary who will notarize electronic records identifies the tamper-proof technology on the application form (Application for Commission as Notary Public, item 6) — no separate commission or fee.
  • Notary Public commission — nonresident (bordering state, Iowa workplace) — A resident of a state bordering Iowa whose place of work or business is within Iowa (Iowa Code 9B.21(5)). ONE-YEAR term, not three: ‘The term of a notarial officer who is a resident of a state bordering Iowa and whose place of work or business is in Iowa is one year’ (Iowa Code 9B.21(6)). ‘If a notary public who is a resident of a state bordering Iowa ceases to work or maintain a place of business in Iowa, the notary commission expires’ (9B.21(5)).
  • Notary Public appointment — legislators and designated state-agency employees — Members of the Iowa General Assembly (on request) and employees of a state agency appointed to notarize in connection with their positions (Iowa Code 9B.21(4)). No application fee: ‘A person appointed as a notary public under subsection 4 is not subject to the fee imposed by this subsection’ (Iowa Code 9B.21(1)). Term tracks the office or the job — a legislator’s term is ’the member’s term of office’; a state agency employee’s commission ‘shall terminate at the end of employment’ (9B.21(6)).
  • Approval to Perform Notarial Acts for Remotely Located Individuals (RON) — An already-commissioned Iowa notary public who wants to notarize for a remotely located signer over audio-visual communication technology. SEPARATE application on top of the commission, and NO state fee for it. Requires an SOS-approved RON training course completed within the six months immediately preceding the first remote act, proof of completion, and identification of the technology the notary intends to use (Iowa Code 9B.14A(7); 721 IAC 43.5(1) and 43.5(3)). The approval ‘shall expire on the same date as the individual’s notary public commission’ (721 IAC 43.5(2)).

Who can be commissioned

Iowa Code 9B.21(2), reproduced verbatim on the Secretary of State’s Remote Online Notarization page and in the Handbook (p. 10): ‘a. Be at least eighteen years of age. b. Be a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States. c. Be a resident of or have a place of employment or practice in this state. d. Be able to read and write English. e. Not be disqualified to receive a commission under section 9B.23.’ The English-literacy requirement is a real qualification here, unlike in several neighbouring states. RESIDENCY NEXUS: Iowa residence is not required if the applicant works or practises in Iowa; a resident of a BORDERING state whose workplace is in Iowa may be appointed, but gets a one-year term and loses the commission on ceasing Iowa work (9B.21(5)-(6)). CRIMINAL-HISTORY BAR (9B.23(1)): the Secretary of State may deny, refuse to renew, revoke, suspend or condition a commission for ‘any act or omission that demonstrates the individual lacks the honesty, integrity, competence, or reliability to act as a notary public’, including a failure to comply with chapter 9B, a fraudulent or deceitful misstatement or omission in the application, ‘a conviction of the applicant or notary public of any felony or a crime involving fraud, dishonesty, or deceit’, an adverse finding or admission of liability based on fraud/dishonesty/deceit, failure to discharge a notarial duty, false or misleading advertising, violation of an SOS rule, or the denial/revocation/suspension of a notary commission in another state. Denial or discipline carries ’timely notice and hearing’ rights (9B.23(2)). No fingerprinting, background-check purchase or criminal-history upload is required by Iowa Code 9B.21, 721 IAC 43.5, the SOS application form or the Handbook (all four searched 2026-08-12).

Requirements

In order: (1) Confirm the five qualifications in Iowa Code 9B.21(2) — 18 or older, U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident, Iowa resident or place of employment/practice in Iowa, able to read and write English, and not disqualified under Iowa Code 9B.23. (2) Complete the Application for Commission as Notary Public — online through Fast Track Filing at filings.sos.iowa.gov, or on the paper form. The rule makes the form itself the oath: ‘The affirmation section on an Application for Appointment as Notary Public shall constitute an executed oath of office as required by Iowa Code section 9B.21(3)’ (721 IAC 43.5(1)); the statute separately requires that ‘Before issuance of a commission as a notary public, an applicant for the commission shall execute an oath of office and submit it to the secretary of state’ (9B.21(3)). (3) Decide on the application whether you will notarize electronic records — item 6 asks ‘Will applicant be performing notarial acts with respect to electronic records’ and, if yes, to ‘identify the tamper proof technology the applicant intends to use.’ (4) Pay $30.00 (Iowa Code 9B.21(1); SOS Notary Forms and Fees page: ‘Application for Notary Commission - $30’). Legislators and designated state-agency appointees pay nothing (9B.21(1)). (5) Receive the commission — a three-year term for Iowa residents (9B.21(6)). (6) Buy a stamp: Iowa law requires a notary to use a stamp or seal on all notarized documents, and the SOS ‘does not provide or sell notary supplies’ (Handbook p. 14). NO BOND, NO EXAM AND NO PRE-COMMISSION EDUCATION are part of this sequence — see those fields for the sourced negatives. To notarize remotely, add: the SOS-approved RON training course within the preceding six months, proof of completion, and the separate Application for Approval to Perform Remote Notarizations identifying an approved technology vendor (Iowa Code 9B.14A(7); 721 IAC 43.5).

Training

Iowa requires training for some commission types.

NOT required for a traditional Iowa notary commission; REQUIRED for remote online notarization. The qualification list in Iowa Code 9B.21(2) contains no education element, and neither the Application for Commission as Notary Public, the SOS ‘Notary Forms and Fees’ page, nor the Handbook’s Qualifications section (p. 10) imposes a course — searched statute, administrative rule 721 IAC 43.5, the application form and the Handbook on 2026-08-12. FOR RON: ‘A notary public who wishes to begin performing notarial acts under Iowa Code section 9B.14A shall, within the six-month period immediately preceding the first performance of such an act, satisfactorily complete a training course approved by the secretary of state concerning the requirements and methods for performing notarial acts for remotely located individuals and shall provide satisfactory proof to the secretary of state that the applicant has completed the course’ (721 IAC 43.5(3)(a)). A RENEWAL-SIDE UPDATE COURSE also exists: an applicant for reappointment who wants to keep notarizing remotely and who completed the initial course more than 12 months before applying must, within the six months preceding the reappointment deadline, complete ‘an update course approved by the secretary of state’ (721 IAC 43.5(3)(b)). WHO PROVIDES THE COURSE — THE STATE’S OWN WORDS: the Secretary of State’s Remote Online Notarization page states that the required course ‘is provided by the National Notary Association (NNA) and is the only course approved by our office to qualify notaries to be able to perform remote notarial acts upon completion, application submission, and commission issuance. Please know that there is a $30 fee that must be paid to take this course.’ That single approved provider is recorded here because the STATE publishes it; the provider’s own materials are not a source for anything in this record.

Exam

Iowa does not require an exam.

No examination of any kind. Iowa Code 9B.21(2) lists five qualifications — age, citizenship/residency status, Iowa nexus, English literacy, and not being disqualified under 9B.23 — and an examination is not among them; 9B.21(3) adds only an oath of office. Rule 721 IAC 43.5 prescribes the application and (for RON) training, but no test. The Secretary of State’s Handbook for Iowa Notaries Public (2023) sets out the same qualification list on p. 10 with no exam, and the ‘Notary Forms and Fees’ page lists no exam fee. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: Iowa Code ch. 9B (full chapter text), 721 IAC ch. 43 (full chapter text), the Application for Commission as Notary Public (PDF), the SOS Notary Forms and Fees page, the About Notaries page, and the official Handbook including its FAQ. Even the RON pathway is a training-and-proof requirement rather than an examination — 721 IAC 43.5(3) requires the applicant to ‘satisfactorily complete a training course’ and ‘provide satisfactory proof’ of completion, with no passing score or test named.

Bond & insurance

Iowa requires NO surety bond — the Secretary of State says so in one line in the official Handbook’s FAQ: ‘Do I need a notary bond? No, Iowa does not require a bond.’ The word ‘bond’ appears nowhere in the qualification, application or commission provisions of Iowa Code chapter 9B (9B.21, 9B.23, 9B.14A) or in 721 IAC ch. 43, and the Application for Commission as Notary Public has no bond field or attachment — searched statute, rule, form, fee page and Handbook on 2026-08-12. ERRORS & OMISSIONS INSURANCE IS ALSO NOT REQUIRED, and no Iowa source read even mentions it as optional; the Handbook instead addresses liability directly — ‘Yes, a notary can be sued. The most frequent causes of lawsuits are notarization of a signature not made in the notary’s presence and the notary’s failure to positively identify the signer’ — and points to reasonable care rather than to a bond or a policy. The Handbook also warns, unprompted, that ‘Notary associations are privately owned organizations that provide notary supplies, training, and other resources, and are not associated with the Secretary of State’s Office. You may choose to do business with them if you find it helpful, but there is no requirement to do so.’

Fees

STATE FEES (Iowa Secretary of State, ‘Notary Forms and Fees’, read 2026-08-12 — the code and the fee page agree exactly, with no divergence): Application for Notary Commission $30 (online through Fast Track Filing or on paper); Application for Renewal of Notary Commission $30; Application for Approval to Perform Remote Notarizations — NO FEE; Request for Change of Name/Address — no fee; Statement of Complaint — no fee. The statute sets the same figure: an applicant shall ‘pay an application fee of thirty dollars to the secretary of state’ (Iowa Code 9B.21(1)), and a legislator or designated state-agency appointee under 9B.21(4) ‘is not subject to the fee.’ The paper Application for Commission as Notary Public states ‘10. Fee: $30.00. Make check payable to SECRETARY OF STATE.’ — form and code match. Late renewal is not a surcharge but a refiling: ‘If you do not renew your commission before the expiration date passes and you still wish to be a notary, you may complete a new Notary Commission Application and pay the required application fee of $30.00’ (Handbook FAQ). SOS CERTIFICATION FEES (Iowa Code 9B.21B): certified copy of a notary document $1 per page plus $5 for the certificate; uncertified copy $1 per page; a certificate under seal as to the status of a notary commission $5. PRIVATE COSTS THE STATE DOES NOT SET OR COLLECT: the stamp or seal — ‘Our office does not provide or sell notary supplies’ (Handbook p. 14) — and the mandatory RON training course, which the SOS states ‘costs $30, which is to be paid to the National Notary Association’, plus whatever the chosen remote technology vendor charges. The SOS’s own RON FAQ totals it: ‘There is no cost associated with registering to become a Remote Online Notary; however, you must already be a Commissioned Notary, which requires a $30 fee. Additionally, the required remote online notarization training course that you must complete costs $30.’

How long the commission lasts, and renewing it

3 for an Iowa resident, with three statutory exceptions. Iowa Code 9B.21(6): ‘On compliance with this section, the secretary of state shall issue a commission as a notary public to an applicant for a term of three years. The term of a notarial officer who is a resident of a state bordering Iowa and whose place of work or business is in Iowa is one year. The term of a notary public who is a member of the general assembly is the member’s term of office. The term of a notary public who is an employee of a state agency designated to receive an appointment as provided in subsection 4 shall terminate at the end of employment.’ The term runs from the commission issued by the Secretary of State on compliance — the application is not the trigger, and there is no county qualification or filing step in Iowa between issuance and practice. A nonresident’s commission also expires early if the Iowa workplace ends (9B.21(5)). A RON approval is not a separate term: it ‘shall expire on the same date as the individual’s notary public commission’ (721 IAC 43.5(2)). Renewal is by Application for Renewal of Commission, $30, filed BEFORE the expiration date. The Secretary of State gives statutory notice: ‘The secretary of state, two months preceding the expiration of a commission, shall notify the notary public of the expiration date and furnish a blank application for reappointment’ (Iowa Code 9B.21A), and the SOS fee page adds ‘You will receive an email 60 days prior to the expiration date with a PDF of your renewal form.’ NO GRACE PERIOD: ‘You must renew your Notary Commission before the expiration date passes. If you do not renew your commission before the expiration date passes and you still wish to be a notary, you may complete a new Notary Commission Application and pay the required application fee of $30.00’ (Handbook FAQ) — a lapse costs the same $30 but restarts as a new commission. Notaries who originally applied on paper may still renew through Fast Track Filing (Handbook p. 2). Members of the General Assembly and state-agency appointees must file a renewal before their current commission expires, and the SOS does not send legislators a reminder (Handbook p. 12). RON side: the SOS gives two months’ notice of RON expiration and ‘may provide for combining its reappointment and reapproval forms’ (721 IAC 43.5(2)); a reappointing notary who wants to keep notarizing remotely may owe the update course (721 IAC 43.5(3)(b)). No continuing education is required at renewal for a traditional commission — see ce_hours. NO CONTINUING EDUCATION is required to keep or renew an Iowa notary commission. Iowa Code 9B.21 imposes none, 9B.21A provides only for expiration notice and a blank reappointment application, and 721 IAC 43.5 requires training solely for the REMOTE pathway; the Handbook’s renewal FAQ describes renewal as filing the form and fee before expiration, with no course. Tiers searched 2026-08-12: Iowa Code ch. 9B, 721 IAC ch. 43, the SOS Notary Forms and Fees page, the About Notaries page and the official Handbook. THE ONE EDUCATION OBLIGATION THAT RECURS is RON-only: a notary reappointing who wants to continue remote acts, and who completed the initial RON course more than 12 months before applying, must complete an SOS-approved UPDATE COURSE within the six months preceding the reappointment deadline (721 IAC 43.5(3)(b)). That is a condition of the remote approval, not of the underlying commission.

Your seal or stamp

A stamp or seal is MANDATORY on notarized documents: ‘Iowa law requires a notary public to use a notary stamp or seal on all notarized documents’ (Handbook p. 14). Required elements (Iowa Code 9B.17(1)(a), as reproduced at Handbook p. 15) for a notary commissioned by the Secretary of State: (1) the notary’s name; (2) the words ‘Notarial Seal’ and ‘Iowa’; (3) the words ‘Commission Number’ followed by the number assigned by the Secretary of State; and (4) the words ‘My Commission Expires’ followed either by the expiration date or ‘a blank line on which the notary public shall indicate the date of expiration.’ If the stamp carries a blank line, the expiration date ‘must be printed on the blank line imprinted on each record subject to a notarial act’ (9B.17(1)(b)). The stamp ‘must be capable of being copied together with the record to which it is affixed or attached or with which it is logically associated.’ A PUBLIC OFFICIAL not commissioned by the SOS uses a stamp bearing the name, the words ‘Notarial Seal’ and ‘Iowa’, and ’the title under which you may perform notarial acts’ (Handbook p. 15). Iowa Code 9B.17 does not specify shape, size or ink colour (statute, rule 721 IAC ch. 43 and Handbook searched 2026-08-12) — content and copyability only. STAMP EXEMPTIONS: section 9B.17 ‘does not apply to a judicial officer as defined in section 602.1101 performing a notarial act in accordance with state or federal authority’, to a chief officer or designee certifying a peace officer’s verification of a uniform citation under 805.6(3), or to a peace officer or certified law enforcement officer administering an oath or acknowledging a signature under 80.9A(3) or 817.3 — those officials ’not required to acquire or use an official stamp’ (9B.17(2)). SECURITY (9B.18): the notary is responsible for the stamping device, ‘shall not allow another individual to use the device to perform a notarial act’, and on loss or theft the notary (or personal representative or guardian) ‘shall notify promptly the commissioning officer or agency.’ Iowa Code 9B.18 does not require destruction of the device at the end of the commission, and the Handbook states that ‘The notary commission and all notary supplies belong to the notary and are the personal property of the notary, regardless of who purchased the supplies.’ NAME CHANGE: ‘If you change your name, you may use your new name or continue using your former name through the end of your term. If you use your new name, inform the Secretary of State’s Office IMMEDIATELY of the change’ (Handbook FAQ) — with the caution that the SOS ‘cannot certify a commission when the notary’s name has changed but has not been updated with our office.’ Electronic and remote acts use an electronic stamp with the same required elements (Handbook p. 15).

Keeping a journal

Iowa recommends a journal but does not require one.

Iowa requires NO journal for any notarial act, and says so in terms: ‘Although Iowa law does not require a notary public to keep a journal, it is STRONGLY recommended. A journal serves as a record of notarizations you perform’ (Handbook p. 24). The word ‘journal’ does not appear as a duty anywhere in Iowa Code chapter 9B or in 721 IAC ch. 43 (both full texts searched 2026-08-12). The Secretary of State’s recommended contents (Handbook p. 24): date and time of the notarization; type of notarization; date of the document; type of document; the signer’s printed name and address (all signers); the method by which the signer was identified, including ID card issuing agency, serial number, issuance and expiration dates, and a credible witness’s identifying information where used; any other pertinent information such as the fee charged; and the signature or mark of the document signer. Practice rules the SOS attaches: complete entries in ink, never pencil; enter the data BEFORE completing the notarial certificate ’to prevent the signer from leaving before all data is recorded’; and ‘Record all notarial interactions – even the requests for notarization that you have refused.’ Recommended retention: ‘It is wise to keep your notary journal entries for ten years.’ The Handbook notes that ‘Most remote online notary technology solutions provide online journals for recording entries’, but the binding remote-act record in Iowa is the AUDIO-VISUAL RECORDING, not a journal — see ron_detail. Because the journal is voluntary, no Iowa source addresses surrendering it to any authority on resignation or expiration (statute, rule and Handbook searched 2026-08-12).

Online (remote) notarization

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

Authorized, with a separate free approval. The authorizing act is 2019 Iowa Acts ch. 44 (adding Iowa Code 9B.14A, ‘Notarial act performed for remotely located individual’), amended by 2023 Iowa Acts ch. 133; the implementing rules are 721 IAC 43.5, 43.7, 43.9 and 43.10, with the RON rule amendments effective 7/1/2020, 10/14/2020 and 9/27/2023 (rule history lines in 721 IAC ch. 43, IAC edition 8/6/25). Emergency remote notarization first reached Iowa by a Governor’s proclamation waiver; the standing authority is 9B.14A. REGISTRATION: ‘Before a notary public performs the notary public’s initial notarial act under this section, the notary public must notify the secretary of state that the notary public will be performing notarial acts with respect to remotely located individuals and identify the technologies the notary public intends to use’ (9B.14A(7)), filed as an ‘additional application’ under 721 IAC 43.5(1). The Secretary of State charges NOTHING for it: ‘Application for Approval to Perform Remote Notarizations - No fee’ (Notary Forms and Fees), and ‘There is no cost associated with registering to become a Remote Online Notary’ (RON FAQ). TRAINING: an SOS-approved course within the six months immediately preceding the first remote act, plus proof of completion (721 IAC 43.5(3)(a)); the SOS states the approved course ‘is provided by the National Notary Association (NNA) and is the only course approved by our office’, at a $30 fee paid to that provider. APPROVED-VENDOR RULE: the notary must identify the technology to be used and ‘contact the technology vendor you choose from our list of approved vendors, which can be found on our website’ (Handbook p. 11); consumer video tools are excluded — ‘No, Iowa Code chapter 9B and Iowa Administrative Code 721-43 require the utilization of software designed for the purpose of facilitating remote online notarization. Software that primarily offers video-conferencing will not meet these requirements’ (RON FAQ, answering whether Skype, Zoom or Facebook may be used). IDENTIFICATION: the notary must have personal knowledge of the signer, satisfactory evidence from a credible witness, or ‘satisfactory evidence of the identity of the remotely located individual by using at least two different types of identity proofing’ (9B.14A(3)(a)); since July 1, 2023 a notary with personal knowledge of the signer, or using a personally known credible witness, ‘is not required to use identity proofing technology’ (Handbook p. 11, citing 9B.14A). RECORDING AND RETENTION: the notary or someone acting for the notary ‘creates an audio-visual recording of the performance of the notarial act’ (9B.14A(3)(c)), and that recording ‘must be retained for a period of at least ten years after the recording is made’ by the notary, a guardian, conservator, agent or personal representative, or a designated repository (9B.14A(6)). CERTIFICATE: the notarial certificate must indicate that ‘This notarial act involved the use of communication technology’ (9B.14A(5)(b)). VENDOR JURISDICTION HOOK: by facilitating an Iowa remote act or storing the recording, the technology, identity-proofing or storage provider ‘appoints the secretary of state as the provider’s agent for service of process’ (9B.14A(10)). The remote notary must be ’located in this state’ when performing the act (9B.14A(3)) and must remain duly commissioned under 9B.21 (9B.14A(12)). ELECTRONIC ≠ REMOTE in Iowa: an ordinary commission already covers electronic notarization with the signer physically present, and only the remote pathway needs this approval.

What you may charge

IOWA SETS NO MAXIMUM FEE PER NOTARIAL ACT. The Secretary of State’s Handbook answers the question directly: ‘Can I, as a notary, charge a fee? A notary in Iowa may charge a reasonable fee for the notary’s services. However, a notary cannot refuse to perform a service because a person is not a client/customer, nor may the notary’s employer restrict the notary from providing services because a person is not a client/customer of the employer.’ Iowa Code chapter 9B contains no fee schedule for notarial acts — the only dollar figures in the chapter are the $30 application fee (9B.21(1)) and the Secretary of State’s certification charges (9B.21B) — and 721 IAC ch. 43 sets no cap either (full texts of both searched for ‘fee’ and ‘charge’ on 2026-08-12). NO TRAVEL-FEE RULE is published: neither the statute, the rule, the Handbook nor the SOS notary pages addresses mileage or travel charges (same tiers, same date), so a travel fee falls under the same ‘reasonable fee’ standard by default rather than under a stated ceiling. The non-discrimination duty above is the operative constraint Iowa does impose on charging.

Who does NOT need a commission — exemptions

NO COMMISSION IS NEEDED for the officials Iowa law separately authorizes to perform notarial acts. Iowa Code 9B.2(7) defines a ’notarial officer’ as ‘a notary public or other individual authorized to perform a notarial act’, and 9B.4(1) provides that ‘A notarial officer may perform a notarial act authorized by this chapter or by law of this state other than this chapter.’ The Handbook states the consequence: ‘A person authorized to perform notarial acts in a manner other than being commissioned by the Secretary of State’s Office may perform the same acts as a commissioned notary’, and their certificate ‘must include the title of the office held by the person, (e.g., clerk of court). If the notary is a commissioned officer on active duty in the military, the certificate must also include the officer’s rank.’ That is the only military reference in any Iowa source read — 10 U.S.C. 1044a itself is not cited by Iowa Code ch. 9B, 721 IAC ch. 43 or the Handbook (searched 2026-08-12), so this record claims nothing further about federal military notarial powers. The stamp statute names specific officials who need no notary stamp at all: a judicial officer as defined in Iowa Code 602.1101 acting under state or federal authority; a chief officer or designee certifying a peace officer’s verification of a uniform citation and complaint under 805.6(3); and a peace officer or certified law enforcement officer administering an oath or acknowledging a signature under 80.9A(3) or 817.3 (Iowa Code 9B.17(2)). The Handbook cautions that ‘Public official means an individual who is automatically a notarial officer because the Code of Iowa authorizes the individual to perform notarial acts. It does not necessarily include all elected officials.’ Iowa also recognizes notarial acts performed under the law of another state, a federally recognized Indian tribe, federal authority or a foreign jurisdiction (Iowa Code 9B.11 through 9B.14C, 9B.15) — recognition of outside acts, not an exemption from Iowa commissioning. A CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST BAR applies to every notarial officer: no notarial act on a record ’to which the notarial officer or the notarial officer’s spouse is a party, or in which either of them has a direct beneficial interest. A notarial act performed in violation of this subsection is voidable’ (9B.4(2); see also 721 IAC 43.4).

How to apply

Applications are handled by Iowa Secretary of State (Paul D. Pate) — Notary Section, Business Services Division. Start at the official application page .

Verify a license in Iowa

Iowa Secretary of State publishes a public license search , searchable by commission number, first name, last name, business name, city, ZIP code, language (bilingual registry), notary status (active / inactive / both) or electronic notarization (yes / no). It covers Iowa notary public commissions. The field list above was read from the live search form’s own input and select names on 2026-08-12 (txtCommissionNumber, txtFirstName, txtLastName, txtBusinessName, txtCity, txtZip, selLanguage, optNotaryStatus, optElectronicNotarization) — not from a description of the tool. The statutory basis is Iowa Code 9B.24, which requires the Secretary of State to maintain an electronic database of notaries public ‘Through which a person may verify the authority of a notary public to perform notarial acts’ and ‘Which indicates whether a notary public has notified the secretary of state that the notary public will be performing notarial acts on electronic records’ — which is exactly what the electronic-notarization filter exposes. The page is an ASP.NET WebForms application: the search form is present in the returned HTML, but results are produced by a postback carrying __VIEWSTATE, so a result URL cannot be cited and a monitor sees only the empty form.

Records come from Iowa Secretary of State’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.