How to Become a Notary in Michigan — Requirements & Fees

How to become a notary public in Michigan: a surety bond, remote online notarization — verified from Michigan Department of State.

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Michigan Department of State, Office of the Great Seal (appointment is made by the Michigan Secretary of State) (official site) and last verified August 12, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

1) Complete the Michigan Notary Public Application - online through the Department of State's Online Services (e-Services) or on the printable paper form 'Michigan Notary Public Application and Instructions (Rev. 08/25)'. The name printed on the Commission Name line and the pen-and-paper signature on the Commission Signature line must match exactly and are used for every notarization for the whole term. 2) Obtain a $10,000 surety bond 'written for a term of six or seven years through a Michigan licensed insurance company' (application form, step 2). Michigan-licensed attorneys in good standing are exempt from the bond but not from the oath. 3) Appear IN PERSON at the county clerk's office in the county of residence (or, for non-residents, the county of the principal place of business), file the bond, take the constitutional oath of office administered by the clerk, and pay the county filing fee. SOS FAQ: 'Does a notary applicant have to appear at the county clerk's office in person? Yes. The county clerk must administer an oath to the applicant.' MCL 55.273(1) requires the bond and oath to be filed with the county clerk 'within 90 days before filing an application for a notary public appointment.' 4) Submit the completed, clerk-endorsed application to the Office of the Great Seal with the $10.00 non-refundable processing fee - uploaded and paid online, or mailed with a check/money order payable to 'State of Michigan' to Office of the Great Seal, 7064 Crowner Drive, Lansing, MI 48918. 5) Wait for the commission before acting: 'Do not perform notarial acts until you are listed as "Valid" on this website or you have received your commission information!' (application form, step 6). Processing: online applications 'often are processed within days'; mailed applications take 4 to 6 weeks.

Legal basis

Michigan Department of State, Office of the Great Seal (appointment is made by the Michigan Secretary of State) commissions notaries public in Michigan. 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 the state grants is a COMMISSION or APPOINTMENT, not a licence: MCL 55.269 is headed ‘Notary public; appointment’ and the Secretary of State issues a ‘commission card and wall certificate’. Folk terms: ’notary license’ and ’notary certification’ are common lay phrasings for the commission, and ’notary’ alone is the everyday term for the officeholder. ‘Notary signing agent’ or ’loan signing agent’ is a folk/industry term for a privately sold credential, not a Michigan status - the SOS says such agents ‘are not certified or qualified by the State of Michigan beyond the normal Notary application process.’ ‘Great Seal’ is not a notary term but the name of the SOS office (Office of the Great Seal) that administers commissions. The Spanish-language term ’notario publico’ names something else entirely and is prohibited in Michigan: the SOS Notary Manual lists among the prohibitions, ‘A Notary cannot use the term “notario publico” or any equivalent non-English term’, and the SOS FAQ explains that ‘Notario Publico, in Spanish-speaking countries, refers to a person with authority similar to that of a U.S. attorney.’ (Detail on foreign-credential and immigration-services issues belongs to a different audience and is not developed here.)

Types of notary commission

Notary public commission (traditional pen-and-paper) — Any qualifying individual; this is the base commission every Michigan notary holds SOS Notary Manual: ‘All commissioned notaries are authorized to perform this method of notarization immediately upon commission.’ The commission is a statewide appointment even though it is applied for in one county: ‘Although commissioned in a specific county, once commissioned, a Notary may notarize anywhere within the State of Michigan.’
Electronic notarization (e-notarization) status — A commissioned Michigan notary who wants to notarize digital documents with the signer physically present An added STATUS on the existing commission, not a separate commission: ’the law essentially adds new statuses to the notary public commission’ (SOS Electronic and Remote Notarial Acts General Information Guide). Optional - ‘Am I required to become eligible to conduct electronic and remote notarizations? No. These statuses are optional.’ Only State-approved electronic vendor systems may be used. No additional state fee; no separate commission card (‘The single commission card/certificate is issued for a notary public commission. The statuses are simply on record with our office.’).
Remote notarization (RON) status — A commissioned Michigan notary who wants to notarize for a remotely located signer over two-way audio-video Also an added status on the base commission. ‘Only State-approved remote vendor platforms can be used to perform remote notarizations in Michigan’ (SOS Notary Manual). Carries duties the other two methods do not: a mandatory journal and a 10-year audio/visual recording retention (MCL 55.286b).

Who can be commissioned

Per MCL 55.271(1) and the SOS qualifications list, an applicant must: be at least 18 years old; be a Michigan resident OR maintain a place of business in Michigan; be a U.S. citizen or possess proof of legal presence; be a resident of the county (or maintain a principal place of business in the county) in which appointment is requested; read and write in the English language; be free of any felony convictions within the past 10 years (the SOS adds that ’the 10-year period includes completion of the sentence for that crime, any term of imprisonment, parole, or probation, and payment of all fines, costs, and assessments’); not have been convicted of 2 or more misdemeanor violations of the Michigan Notary Public Act within a 12-month period while commissioned, or 3 or more within a 5-year period regardless of being commissioned; have filed the $10,000 surety bond with the appropriate county clerk and taken the constitutional oath; and sign a declaration that the application is correct, that the applicant has read the Michigan Notary Public Act, and that all notarial acts will be performed faithfully. MCL 55.269(3): ‘The secretary shall not appoint as a notary public a person who is serving a term of imprisonment in a state correctional facility or jail in this or any other state or in a federal correctional facility.’ Non-Michigan residents must additionally submit a copy of an out-of-state driver license and a signed employer letter on company letterhead stating the employee name, the Michigan business address, the nature of the job assignment warranting a Michigan commission, and the approximate length of time the applicant will be working in Michigan.

Requirements

Complete the Michigan Notary Public Application - online through the Department of State’s Online Services (e-Services) or on the printable paper form ‘Michigan Notary Public Application and Instructions (Rev. 08/25)’. The name printed on the Commission Name line and the pen-and-paper signature on the Commission Signature line must match exactly and are used for every notarization for the whole term. 2) Obtain a $10,000 surety bond ‘written for a term of six or seven years through a Michigan licensed insurance company’ (application form, step 2). Michigan-licensed attorneys in good standing are exempt from the bond but not from the oath. 3) Appear IN PERSON at the county clerk’s office in the county of residence (or, for non-residents, the county of the principal place of business), file the bond, take the constitutional oath of office administered by the clerk, and pay the county filing fee. SOS FAQ: ‘Does a notary applicant have to appear at the county clerk’s office in person? Yes. The county clerk must administer an oath to the applicant.’ MCL 55.273(1) requires the bond and oath to be filed with the county clerk ‘within 90 days before filing an application for a notary public appointment.’ 4) Submit the completed, clerk-endorsed application to the Office of the Great Seal with the $10.00 non-refundable processing fee - uploaded and paid online, or mailed with a check/money order payable to ‘State of Michigan’ to Office of the Great Seal, 7064 Crowner Drive, Lansing, MI 48918. 5) Wait for the commission before acting: ‘Do not perform notarial acts until you are listed as “Valid” on this website or you have received your commission information!’ (application form, step 6). Processing: online applications ‘often are processed within days’; mailed applications take 4 to 6 weeks.

Training

Michigan does not require a training course.

No pre-appointment education is required to be commissioned as a Michigan notary public. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: the statute (MCL 55.271 qualifications, MCL 55.269 appointment, MCL 55.273 filing/oath/bond - none imposes an education requirement); the SOS ‘Notary services’ page and its embedded Notary Manual; the SOS notary FAQ page; and the live application form ‘Michigan Notary Public Application and Instructions (Rev. 08/25)’, whose certification paragraph requires only that the applicant ‘carefully read the notary laws of Michigan’. Training that does exist is voluntary: the SOS publishes a free ‘Notary Public Training Video’ and states in its Electronic and Remote Notarial Acts guide that ’the Secretary of State provides free comprehensive notary public training on the duties, responsibilities, and role of a notary public’; vendors provide platform training for e/remote notarization, for which ‘The Secretary of State has no role in this training.’ Note a funding oddity that is NOT a requirement: MCL 55.273(3) directs that ‘Two dollars of each fee collected under this subsection shall be deposited into the notary education and training fund established in section 17’ - the fund exists, but no statute or SOS page conditions appointment on completing training.

Exam

Michigan does not require an exam.

Michigan does not administer or require a notary public examination. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: MCL 55.269 and MCL 55.271 (appointment and qualifications - no exam appears among the listed qualifications); MCL 55.273 (filing, oath, bond); the SOS Notary Manual published on michigan.gov/sos/notary-services; the SOS notary FAQ page; and the live application form (Rev. 08/25), which has no exam or score field and whose four-step instructions go application -> bond -> county oath -> fee. The only knowledge assurance in the process is the applicant’s sworn declaration that they ‘have carefully read the notary laws of Michigan’.

Your surety bond

A $10,000 surety bond is required and is filed with the COUNTY CLERK, not with the Secretary of State. MCL 55.273(2): ‘The bond shall be in the sum of $10,000.00 with good and sufficient surety by a surety licensed to do business in this state… The county clerk shall not accept the personal assets of an applicant as security for a surety bond under this act.’ The bond must be ‘written for a term of six or seven years’ (application form, step 2) to match the commission term, and MCL 55.273(1) requires it to be filed ‘within 90 days before filing an application for a notary public appointment.’ ATTORNEY EXEMPTION: MCL 55.271(1)(f) - ‘The requirement of filing a bond does not apply to an applicant that demonstrates, in a manner acceptable to the secretary, licensure as an attorney at law in this state.’ The SOS FAQ dates this: ‘After April 1, 2007, attorneys who are members in good standing of the State Bar of Michigan are not required to file a surety bond. However, they must still file an oath of office with and pay a $10.00 application filing fee to the county clerk’s office.’ The bond protects the public, not the notary - SOS FAQ: ‘A surety bond protects the public from a notary’s misconduct or negligence. It does not protect the notary… The surety may seek reimbursement from the notary for any damages it pays on the notary’s behalf.’ A blanket bond is not acceptable (‘It must read “surety bond.” … A blanket bond protects the notary’s employer’), and an employer’s personal net worth may no longer stand as surety (‘a company licensed to do business in Michigan must issue a surety bond’). E&O INSURANCE IS SEPARATE AND IS NOT REQUIRED: errors-and-omissions coverage is not mentioned as a requirement in MCL 55.271, MCL 55.273, the SOS Notary Manual, the SOS FAQ or the application form, all searched on 2026-08-12; the only insurance-industry role the SOS describes is selling the surety bond (‘available through insurance agencies or bonding companies’). Bond cost is a private market price, not a state fee - the SOS FAQ estimates it ‘generally between $50 to $100.’ The Department of State ‘is authorized to require the notary to purchase replacement bonding if the original $10,000 bond funds are depleted by damage claims.’

Fees

STATE FEE: $10.00 non-refundable application processing fee payable to the ‘State of Michigan’, paid online by credit/debit card or e-check (the SOS notes ‘additional fees will apply’ for card payment) or by check/money order mailed to the Office of the Great Seal. COUNTY CLERK FILING FEE - TWO OFFICIAL FIGURES, RECORDED BOTH WAYS: (a) the statute and the SOS web pages say $10.00 - MCL 55.273(3): ‘Each person who files an oath and, if applicable, a bond with a county clerk as required in subsection (1) shall pay a $10.00 filing fee to the county clerk,’ and the same subsection lets ‘A charter county with a population of more than 2,000,000’ (Wayne County) ‘impose by ordinance a fee for the county clerk’s services different than the amount prescribed by this subsection’; the SOS FAQ matches, ‘The fee for this filing at the county level is $10 (with the exception of Wayne County, which may be more)’; but (b) the CURRENT LIVE APPLICATION FORM (Rev. 08/25), step 3, states a range: ‘For a $10.00-$20.00 fee, the clerk will file your bond, administer an oath, and return the application to you.’ The SOS ‘Notary services’ page splits the difference: ‘The fee is usually $10.00, but some counties can charge more.’ A verifier should treat $10.00 as the statutory figure and $10.00-$20.00 as what the agency’s own current form tells applicants to expect. SURETY BOND PREMIUM: not a state fee - a market price the SOS estimates at $50 to $100. E-NOTARY / RON: no state fee at all - SOS guide, ‘Are there additional fees required by the Secretary of State to become eligible to conduct electronic or remote notarizations? No, there is no additional fee. The initial notary public fee covers these enhancements.’ Vendor platform costs are separate and set by the vendor. SEAL/STAMP: no state-set price; Michigan does not require a seal and ‘The Department of State/Office of the Great Seal does not provide these tools or supplies.’ NAME/ADDRESS CHANGE: free - ‘There is no need to reapply and there is no charge to correct our records.’ Adding, changing or removing an e/remote vendor is likewise a ‘No fee’ transaction per the ‘Electronic and Remote Notary Request for Change (Rev. 02/26)’ form.

How long the commission lasts, and renewing it

6 to 7 years, always ending on the notary’s birthday. MCL 55.269(2): a notary may act ‘from the date of appointment until the notary’s birthday occurring not less than 6 years and not more than 7 years after the date of his or her appointment.’ The SOS explains the mechanic: ‘If your commission date is before your birthday in that calendar year the term will be 6 years from your birthday. If your commission date is after your birthday in that calendar year the term will be 7 years from your birthday.’ The term therefore runs from the date the Secretary of State appoints, not from the county filing. The SOS warns that the county-issued bond may show a different date and that its own date governs: ‘Please do not use the commission expiration date shown on the surety bond, as it is not the official State issued expiration date.’ There is no renewal in the technical sense - each term requires a brand-new application through the full process (new bond, new oath before the county clerk, new $10 state fee). SOS FAQ: ‘There is no renewal process so you must apply for a new commission each time. It is your responsibility to make application for a new appointment no more than 60-days prior to the expiration date.’ The SOS ‘Notary services’ page states the gap rule: ‘To renew a commission with no gap in the commission dates, the application process must be completed within 60 days of the current expiration date. Since there is no automatic renewal process a commission will simply expire if it is not actively renewed.’ For attorneys, the SOS mails a reappointment application about 90 days before expiration, and ‘By certifying continued status as an attorney in good standing with the State Bar of Michigan, you may be exempt from filing a bond and taking an oath of office with the county clerk at that time.’ No continuing education is required of Michigan notaries, either during the term or as a condition of the next appointment. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: MCL 55.269 and MCL 55.271 (appointment and qualifications), MCL 55.273 (filing/oath/bond), the SOS Notary Manual, the SOS notary FAQ, the SOS Electronic and Remote Notarial Acts guide, and the live application form (Rev. 08/25) - none imposes an hours requirement, and the reappointment process the SOS describes is a repeat of the original application rather than an education-conditioned renewal. SOS-provided training (the free notary training video and the SOS’s ‘free comprehensive notary public training’) is voluntary, and vendor training for e/remote platforms is a private matter in which ‘The Secretary of State has no role’.

Your seal or stamp

NO SEAL OR STAMP IS REQUIRED IN MICHIGAN. SOS Notary Manual: ‘The MiLONA does not require Notaries to use an embossed seal or rubber stamp on a document. However, the use of a stamp provides for a more consistent and complete notarization.’ What IS mandatory is the printed information block. MCL 55.287(1)-(2): the notary must sign every record ’exactly as his or her name appears on his or her application’ and must ‘print, type, stamp, or otherwise imprint mechanically or electronically sufficiently clear and legible to be read by the secretary and in a manner capable of photographic reproduction’ all of: (a) the name of the notary exactly as it appears on the application; (b) ‘Notary public, State of Michigan, County of __________.’; (c) ‘My commission expires __________.’; (d) if acting outside the county of commission, ‘Acting in the County of __________.’; (e) the date the notarial act was performed; and (f) if applicable, whether the act was performed using an electronic notarization system under section 26a or a remote electronic notarization platform under section 26b. MCL 55.287(3) permits a stamp, seal or electronic process containing that information but bars using it ‘in a manner that renders anything illegible’, and expressly provides: ‘A notary public shall not use an embosser alone or use any other method that cannot be reproduced.’ MCL 55.287(4): illegibility ‘does not affect the validity of the transaction or record that was notarized.’ Michigan issues NO commission number - SOS FAQ: ‘Michigan notaries public are not issued commission numbers. Commission numbers are not required by the Michigan Notary Public Act.’ An embosser or stamp ‘may be required on documents intended for use outside of Michigan.’ NAME CHANGE: ‘If you legally change your name after you have been commissioned as a notary public, you must apply for a corrected notary public commission’ using the Notary Request for Notice of Change form, after first updating the driver license or state ID; there is no charge. DEATH: the personal representative should notify the Department, and any seal or stamp ‘should be destroyed or defaced to prevent fraudulent use.’

Keeping a journal

Michigan requires a journal for some notarial acts.

A journal is MANDATORY for remote notarizations only, and OPTIONAL for pen-and-paper and electronic notarizations. SOS Notary Manual: ‘The MiLONA does not require that Notary public keep a journal, ledger, list or other record for pen and paper notarizations and electronic notarizations… The MiLONA requires the Notary to create and retain a journal with specific elements for remote notarizations.’ The remote journal must be created as the notarizations occur, there may be only one journal per notary, and it must be kept ‘as either a tangible, permanent bound register or in a tamper-evident, permanent electronic format.’ Contents required by MCL 55.286b and repeated in the SOS ‘Standards for Electronic and Remote Notarizations’ (March 2026): the date, time and nature of the act; a description of the record; the full name and address of each individual for whom the act is performed; how the individual was identified (personal knowledge, or a description of the identification credential including issuance and expiration dates); the fee charged, if any; the platform used; and whether an audio or visual recording exists. RETENTION - AND A CONFLICT BETWEEN TWO OFFICIAL SOS PUBLICATIONS, RECORDED BOTH WAYS: the SOS Notary Manual on the live notary-services page says that records voluntarily kept for pen-and-paper or electronic acts must be held 10 years (‘If records are created for traditional pen and paper notarizations or electronic notarizations, the MiLONA requires a Notary to maintain all records of a notarial act for at least 10 years’), while the SOS ‘Electronic and Remote Notarial Acts - General Information Guide’ (footer OGS 5/22) says of electronic acts: ‘A journal is not required for electronic notarial acts. However, if a journal or records are kept, they must be maintained for five years from the date of the last electronic notarial act.’ The two documents are not reconciled by either source; the 10-year figure is the one on the currently maintained web page. For REMOTE acts both sources agree on 10 years, and MCL 55.286b additionally requires the notary to retain the audio or visual recording for at least 10 years and to notify the Secretary of State of the journal’s location once no longer commissioned. A custodian may be designated to hold the journal or the recording.

Online (remote) notarization

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

Michigan authorizes both electronic and remote notarization. The authority is 2018 PA 360 and 2018 PA 361, amending the Michigan Law on Notarial Acts (MiLONA), 2003 PA 238 - MCL 55.286a (electronic notarization systems, ‘Add. 2018, Act 360, Eff. Mar. 12, 2019’) and MCL 55.286b (remote electronic notarization platforms). MCL 55.286b(1) required the Secretary of State and the Department of Technology, Management and Budget to ‘By March 30, 2019… review and may approve remote electronic notarization platforms’, and provides: ‘a notary public shall not use a remote electronic notarization platform that is not approved under this section.’ REGISTRATION: there is no separate RON commission, but the e-notary and remote statuses must be placed on record with the Secretary of State, identifying the approved vendor system. The SOS guide answers ‘Can I perform all 3 types of notarizations… Yes, as long as the application process for all three is completed. (This includes purchasing the system/platform from an approved vendor)’, and the statuses are changed using the ‘Electronic and Remote Notary Request for Change (Rev. 02/26)’ form, which asks the notary to ‘Identify the approved system you are onboarded with and provide proof’. The status is optional (‘Am I required to become eligible to conduct electronic and remote notarizations? No. These statuses are optional’), costs nothing extra at the state (‘No, there is no additional fee. The initial notary public fee covers these enhancements’), does not change the commission expiration date, produces no separate commission card, and is automatically suspended/canceled/revoked if the underlying commission is. APPROVED-VENDOR RULE: ‘Can I purchase an electronic or remote notarization system/platform that is not on the Secretary of State’s approved vendor list? No. The vendor and system/platform must be selected from the approved list.’ The SOS publishes ‘Vendors Authorized to Perform Electronic and Remote Notarizations in Michigan’ (Revision Date: March 2026), which as of that revision lists Rocket Close (formerly Amrock), Blend Labs, Cyberize It, Digital Delivery, Docusign, DocMagic, Expedite (formerly DocVerify), ENotaryLog, Epic River Notary, Proof (formerly Notarize), NotaryCam, BlueNotary, Notaryhub, Notarylive, NTC (PerfectDocs), OneSpan North America, Online Notary Center, One Notary, PandaDocs and Pavaso among others. MCL 55.286b(3) requires approval of any platform already approved or certified by a government-sponsored enterprise on proof, unless the secretary affirmatively disallows it. PLATFORM AND IDENTITY STANDARDS (SOS ‘Standards for Electronic and Remote Notarizations’, March 2026): two-way live audio-video; for remote acts the signer must additionally pass credential analysis inside the platform; identity proofing must be knowledge-based authentication (at least five questions, at least five answer choices each, 80% correct, all answered within two minutes, two retakes allowed within 48 hours with at least 40% of questions replaced, and ‘The online notary public must not be able to see or record the questions or answers’) or biometric verification conforming to NIST standards; the platform must maintain an audio or visual recording for 10 years; and the seal must carry the statement ‘This notarial act was performed using electronic or remote technology by’ followed by the vendor’s name. Recording consent is mandatory: the notary must disclose the recording, explain how it will be preserved, and obtain consent, and may refuse the act if the signer objects.

What you may charge

$10.00 per notarial act, per individual transaction. MCL 55.285(7): ‘The fee charged by a notary public for performing a notarial act shall not be more than $10.00 for any individual tran[saction]’. The SOS Notary Manual restates it: ‘The MiLONA provides that a Notary may charge up to $10.00 for performing each notarial act.’ The cap does not vary by method - SOS guide: ‘Can I charge an additional fee to perform electronic or remote notarizations? No. The fee remains up to $10.00 per notarial act regardless of the method; traditional/pen and paper, electronic, or remote.’ Overcharging is not merely a contract matter: MCL 55.265’s definition of ‘official misconduct’, as summarized in the SOS Notary Manual, expressly includes ‘The charging of a fee in excess of $10.00’, which exposes the notary and the surety to liability. TRAVEL FEES: separately negotiable and NOT inside the cap - SOS Notary Manual: ‘Additional fees for travel may be negotiated between the Notary and the client prior to the commencement of the travel. The total of all fees including multiple notarizations and travel should be disclosed and agreed to before performing any notarization transaction.’ The SOS guide adds the limit: ‘When performing a remote notarization and no travel is involved, a travel fee cannot be charged.’ A notary who advertises in a foreign language must display the statutory fees along with the required non-attorney disclaimer.

Who does NOT need a commission — exemptions

Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: MCL 55.269, 55.271, 55.273, 55.285, 55.286a, 55.286b and 55.287; the SOS Notary Manual on michigan.gov/sos/notary-services; the SOS notary FAQ; the SOS Electronic and Remote Notarial Acts guide; and the current application form. WHAT THE MICHIGAN SOURCES DO ESTABLISH: (a) attorneys licensed in Michigan and in good standing with the State Bar are exempt from the surety bond but NOT from the commission itself, the oath, or the fees - MCL 55.271(1)(f), ‘The requirement of filing a bond does not apply to an applicant that demonstrates… licensure as an attorney at law in this state’; (b) county clerks exercise a certification power notaries do not have - the SOS FAQ states ‘a county clerk can certify that a document is a true copy if it is a document maintained in the county clerk’s office’, while the Notary Manual states flatly that ‘A Notary cannot certify or notarize that a record is an original or a true copy of another record’; (c) a ’notary signing agent’ is NOT a state credential and confers no exemption or extra power - SOS Notary Manual: ‘Notary signing agents are employed by private companies and are not certified or qualified by the State of Michigan beyond the normal Notary application process. A Notary signing agent has no special powers and must adhere to MiLONA in all transactions.’ NOT SOURCED: no Michigan source read when this page was last verified addresses notarial acts by military officers under 10 U.S.C. 1044a, by judges or other ex officio officials, or acts for which Michigan law dispenses with a notary altogether; the SOS pages and the MiLONA sections listed above are silent on those points, so this record makes no claim about them.

How to apply

Applications are handled by Michigan Department of State, Office of the Great Seal (appointment is made by the Michigan Secretary of State). Start at the official application page .

Verify a license in Michigan

Michigan Department of State (Treasury Application Portal / e-Services) publishes a public license search , searchable by notary name. It covers Commission status of Michigan notaries public. The SOS links it from michigan.gov/sos/notary-services as ‘Search for a notary online’, and its own application instructions tell new appointees to use it as the go-live signal: ‘Do not perform notarial acts until you are listed as “Valid” on this website’. Michigan issues no commission numbers, so name is the practical search key.

Records come from Michigan Department of State (Treasury Application Portal / e-Services)’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 Michigan notary commission last?

Between six and seven years, always ending on the notary’s birthday. MCL 55.269(2) sets the term as running from the date of appointment ‘until the notary’s birthday occurring not less than 6 years and not more than 7 years after the date of his or her appointment.’ The Secretary of State explains the mechanic: a commission dated before your birthday that year runs six years from your birthday; one dated after your birthday runs seven.

Do I need a surety bond, and how much?

Yes - $10,000, filed with your county clerk rather than with the state. MCL 55.273(2) requires a bond ‘in the sum of $10,000.00 with good and sufficient surety by a surety licensed to do business in this state’, and the current application form says it must be ‘written for a term of six or seven years’ to match the commission. Michigan-licensed attorneys in good standing with the State Bar are exempt from the bond but still take the oath and pay the fees. The Secretary of State estimates the bond premium at $50 to $100, which is a private market price, not a state fee.

Is errors-and-omissions insurance required in Michigan?

No. The only mandatory financial instrument is the $10,000 surety bond, and the Secretary of State is explicit about who it protects: ‘A surety bond protects the public from a notary’s misconduct or negligence. It does not protect the notary.’ Errors-and-omissions coverage is not mentioned as a requirement in MCL 55.271, MCL 55.273, the SOS Notary Manual, the SOS FAQ or the application form.

Is there an exam or required training?

Neither. Michigan’s qualifications in MCL 55.271 list age, residence, English literacy, criminal history and the bond/oath - no examination and no course. The Secretary of State offers a free notary training video and free notary training, but nothing conditions appointment on completing it; the applicant only certifies that they ‘have carefully read the notary laws of Michigan’.

What does it cost to become a Michigan notary?

A $10.00 non-refundable state processing fee to the Office of the Great Seal, plus a county clerk filing fee, plus the price of the surety bond. The county fee is $10.00 under MCL 55.273(3) - which also lets a charter county over 2,000,000 population set its own by ordinance - but the current application form (Rev. 08/25) tells applicants to expect ‘$10.00-$20.00’. Adding electronic or remote notarization status costs nothing extra at the state.

Does Michigan require a notary stamp or seal?

No. The SOS Notary Manual states that ‘The MiLONA does not require Notaries to use an embossed seal or rubber stamp on a document.’ What MCL 55.287 does require is that certain information be printed, typed or stamped legibly near your signature: your commission name, ‘Notary public, State of Michigan, County of ____’, ‘My commission expires ____’, the date of the act, ‘Acting in the County of ____’ when you act outside your county of commission, and an indication if the act was electronic or remote. An embosser used alone is not allowed because it cannot be photographically reproduced.

Can Michigan notaries perform remote online notarizations?

Yes, on an approved platform and after adding the remote status to their commission. 2018 PA 360 and 361 added MCL 55.286a and 55.286b, effective March 12, 2019, and MCL 55.286b(1) forbids using any platform not approved by the Secretary of State and the Department of Technology, Management and Budget. The status is optional, carries no extra state fee and no separate commission card, but does trigger a mandatory journal and a 10-year retention of the audio-video recording.

Do Michigan notaries have to keep a journal?

Only for remote notarizations. The Notary Manual states that MiLONA ‘does not require that Notary public keep a journal, ledger, list or other record for pen and paper notarizations and electronic notarizations’, but requires one, with prescribed contents, for remote acts. The remote journal must be a permanent bound register or a tamper-evident permanent electronic format, kept at least 10 years after the last act recorded in it.

How much can a Michigan notary charge?

Up to $10.00 per notarial act. MCL 55.285(7) caps the fee, and the cap applies no matter which method is used - traditional, electronic or remote. Travel fees are separate and may be negotiated in advance, and must be disclosed and agreed before the notarization; a travel fee cannot be charged for a remote notarization where no travel occurs. Charging more than $10.00 for an act is treated as ‘official misconduct’.

Do I renew my Michigan notary commission?

There is no renewal - you reapply. The Secretary of State states plainly: ‘There is no renewal process so you must apply for a new commission each time,’ which means a new bond, a new oath before the county clerk, and a new $10 fee. To avoid a gap, complete the process within the 60 days before your current commission expires; nothing renews automatically.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Michigan.

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.