How to Become a Notary in Minnesota — Requirements & Fees

How to become a notary public in Minnesota: remote online notarization — verified from Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State.

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division (the commission is issued by the GOVERNOR, with the advice and consent of the Senate; the Secretary of State receives applications and keeps the register) (official site) and last verified August 12, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

1) Complete the Secretary of State's 'Notary Commission Application', marking New Appointment (or Reappointment if a prior commission has expired). All applicants must answer four background questions - about any inquiry or investigation by a state agency, any censure/suspension/revocation of an occupational licence, any criminal charge, indictment, plea or conviction (traffic citations, DUI/DWI, driving without a licence, reckless driving, suspended-licence offences and juvenile adjudications may be excluded), and any lawsuit alleging fraud, misrepresentation, conversion, mismanagement of funds, breach of fiduciary duty or breach of contract - and a YES answer requires a written explanation plus court and disposition documents and a background check form, all mailed together. 2) Sign the oath printed on the application: 'I swear or affirm that I will support the constitution of the United States and of this state to discharge faithfully the duties of my office to the best of my judgment and ability.' Non-residents additionally sign an irrevocable appointment of the Secretary of State as agent for service of process. 3) Mail the application with the $120 non-refundable fee, by check or money order payable to the OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE. 4) On receiving the commission certificate, RECORD THE COMMISSION WITH YOUR COUNTY - Minn. Stat. 359.061, subd. 1 requires the commission to be recorded in the office of the local registrar of the county of residence along with 'a signature that matches the first, middle, and last name as listed on the notary's commission' and 'a sample signature in the style in which the notary will actually execute notarial acts'. The SOS warns that 'Failure to register with your resident county may result in a civil penalty fee (usually larger than the county recording fee) imposed by the Commissioner of the Department of Commerce.' 5) Buy the official notarial stamp - the SOS instruction is 'Upon receipt of your commission, you must purchase a notary stamp.' Processing time: 'Please allow approximately 6 weeks for processing + mail time from the date your application reaches our office.'

Legal basis

Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division (the commission is issued by the GOVERNOR, with the advice and consent of the Senate; the Secretary of State receives applications and keeps the register) commissions notaries public in Minnesota. 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 is granted is a COMMISSION - Minn. Stat. 359.01 is headed ‘COMMISSION’ and 359.02 ‘TERM’. Minnesota is unusual in that the commission is granted by the GOVERNOR ‘by and with the advice and consent of the senate’, with the Secretary of State acting as the receiving and record-keeping office; the SOS’s own page says a notary is ‘appointed by the Governor’. Folk terms: ’notary license’, ’notary certification’ and ‘getting notarized’ are lay phrasings; the statutory instrument is a commission recorded at the county. Minnesota’s own vocabulary distinguishes three things a reader may conflate: an ’eNotary’ (electronic notarization authorization, signer physically present), a ‘remote online notary public’ (registered under Minn. Stat. 358.645, signer remote), and an ’ex officio notary’ or ’notarial officer’ under Minn. Stat. 358.15 (an official with notary powers and no commission). ‘Notary signing agent’ or ’loan signing agent’ is a private industry term, not a Minnesota status; what Minnesota does require for some real-estate work is a separate ‘Real Estate Closing Agent License’ from the Department of Commerce. On non-English advertising, Minn. Stat. 359.062 requires a non-attorney notary who advertises notary services in a language other than English to post, in English and in the advertising language, ‘I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN MINNESOTA AND MAY NOT GIVE LEGAL ADVICE OR ACCEPT FEES FOR LEGAL ADVICE’, with violation a misdemeanor - a single desk plaque is excepted.

Types of notary commission

Notary public commission (traditional) — Any qualifying individual, including residents of the four border states Minn. Stat. 359.01, subd. 1: ‘The governor may appoint and commission as notaries public, by and with the advice and consent of the senate, as many citizens of this state or resident aliens, over the age of 18 years, as the governor considers necessary.’ The commission is issued by the state but must then be RECORDED with the notary’s county of residence under Minn. Stat. 359.061 before it is complete in practice.
eNotary - electronic notarization authorization — An active Minnesota notary who wants to notarize electronic documents with an electronic signature and electronic seal A registration added to the existing commission, not a separate commission. Minn. Stat. 359.01, subd. 5: ‘Before performing electronic notarial acts, a notary public shall register the capability to notarize electronically with the secretary of state.’ The SOS dates the authority: ‘Effective July 1, 2006, the Minnesota Legislature enacted electronic notary legislation.’ Physical presence of the signer is still required for an e-notarization - ‘Physical presence of a person whose signature is being notarized is still required by law (359.01, subd. 5).’
Remote online notary public (RON) authorization — An active Minnesota notary who wants to notarize for a remotely located individual over live audio-video A separate registration under Minn. Stat. 358.645, subd. 2. ‘Remote online notary public’ is statutorily defined as ‘a notary public who has registered with the secretary of state to perform remote online notarizations.’ The registration is recorded under the notary’s existing commission number and lasts as long as that commission. The RON notary must be physically located in Minnesota when performing the act.

Who can be commissioned

Minn. Stat. 359.01, subd. 1 allows the governor to commission ‘citizens of this state or resident aliens, over the age of 18 years’. The SOS states the practical test as: at least 18 years of age, and ’either a Minnesota resident or a resident of a county in Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota or Wisconsin’. Minn. Stat. 359.01, subd. 2 sets the non-resident rule in full: the person must be a resident of Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota or South Dakota, must designate the Secretary of State ‘as agent for the service of process for all purposes relating to notarial acts’, and must designate the Minnesota county where the commission will be recorded. Minnesota does NOT require the border-state applicant to work in Minnesota - residence in a qualifying border-state county plus the designations is the test as the SOS states it. Character/history: the application form requires disclosure of state-agency investigations, occupational-licence discipline, criminal charges and fraud-type civil suits, and Minn. Stat. 359.01, subd. 4 authorises the SOS to request ‘relevant civil litigation, occupational license history, and criminal background’, where ‘criminal background’ includes ‘criminal charges, arrests, indictments, pleas, and convictions’. There is no automatic statutory bar stated for any specific conviction - documentation is required and the application is assessed. Also required at application: date of birth, residential street address (a PO Box is acceptable only ‘if it includes a rural route or street address OR the city population is under 1,500’), and a choice of which address is displayed publicly (‘Failure to indicate a preference will result in an incomplete application’). A Social Security number is NOT required: ‘No, the social security number is not required information when you apply to become a Minnesota Notary Public.’ Email is optional but recommended. Note one restriction on NEW commissions specifically: the SOS’s ‘Become a Notary’ page lists among the requirements for a new commission that the applicant ‘Not have held a previous commission that has expired’ - someone whose commission has lapsed files a Reappointment instead.

Requirements

Complete the Secretary of State’s ‘Notary Commission Application’, marking New Appointment (or Reappointment if a prior commission has expired). All applicants must answer four background questions - about any inquiry or investigation by a state agency, any censure/suspension/revocation of an occupational licence, any criminal charge, indictment, plea or conviction (traffic citations, DUI/DWI, driving without a licence, reckless driving, suspended-licence offences and juvenile adjudications may be excluded), and any lawsuit alleging fraud, misrepresentation, conversion, mismanagement of funds, breach of fiduciary duty or breach of contract - and a YES answer requires a written explanation plus court and disposition documents and a background check form, all mailed together. 2) Sign the oath printed on the application: ‘I swear or affirm that I will support the constitution of the United States and of this state to discharge faithfully the duties of my office to the best of my judgment and ability.’ Non-residents additionally sign an irrevocable appointment of the Secretary of State as agent for service of process. 3) Mail the application with the $120 non-refundable fee, by check or money order payable to the OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE. 4) On receiving the commission certificate, RECORD THE COMMISSION WITH YOUR COUNTY - Minn. Stat. 359.061, subd. 1 requires the commission to be recorded in the office of the local registrar of the county of residence along with ‘a signature that matches the first, middle, and last name as listed on the notary’s commission’ and ‘a sample signature in the style in which the notary will actually execute notarial acts’. The SOS warns that ‘Failure to register with your resident county may result in a civil penalty fee (usually larger than the county recording fee) imposed by the Commissioner of the Department of Commerce.’ 5) Buy the official notarial stamp - the SOS instruction is ‘Upon receipt of your commission, you must purchase a notary stamp.’ Processing time: ‘Please allow approximately 6 weeks for processing + mail time from the date your application reaches our office.’

Training

Minnesota does not require a training course.

Minnesota requires no education or course to be commissioned. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: Minn. Stat. ch. 359 in full (359.01 commission, 359.02 term, 359.03 stamp, 359.04 powers, 359.061 record of commission, 359.085 standards of conduct); Minn. Stat. 358.645 (remote online notary public); the SOS ‘Become a Notary’ page; the SOS Notary FAQ; and the live ‘Notary Commission Application’ form, whose five numbered instructions run application -> $120 fee -> age/residency -> county recording -> buy a stamp, with no training step. Training exists only as a voluntary private market that the state explicitly declines to endorse: the SOS FAQ answers ‘Are there seminars available on how to be a notary?’ with ‘There are various notary organizations that offer seminars, training and education’, and its RON FAQ adds the disclaimer that the office ‘does not, by linking with any website guarantee the accuracy or appropriateness of the content of any website or validate these organizations.’ The same is true for RON: ‘Visit our Notary Training & Supplies website page to see list of organizations that offer a course of study’ - a list, not a requirement.

Exam

Minnesota does not require an exam.

Minnesota administers no notary examination and requires none. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: Minn. Stat. 359.01 (which lists the governor’s appointment power, the fee, the application contents and the electronic-notarization registration, and mentions no examination), 359.02, 359.03, 359.04 and 359.061; Minn. Stat. 358.645 for RON (registration is by certification of intent to use conforming communication technology, not by examination); the SOS ‘Become a Notary’ page; the SOS Notary FAQ; and the live application form, which has no exam or score field. The only knowledge-adjacent element is the sworn oath on the application form.

Bond & insurance

MINNESOTA REQUIRES NO SURETY BOND AND NO ERRORS-AND-OMISSIONS INSURANCE FOR A NOTARY COMMISSION. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12 with no bond requirement found in any of them: Minn. Stat. 359.01 (commission, fees, application, e-notarization registration), 359.02 (term), 359.03 (stamp; register), 359.04 (powers), 359.061 (record of commission), 359.07, 359.071, 359.08 (misconduct) and 359.085 (standards of conduct) - the full chapter text was read; Minn. Stat. 358.645 (remote online notary public), whose qualification subdivision requires registration and a certification about communication technology and no financial instrument; the SOS ‘Become a Notary’ page, whose list of what ’the applicant must’ do is application, $120 fee, age 18, residency - no bond; the SOS Notary FAQ, including its ‘What is the fee for becoming a notary?’ answer, which itemises only the $120 state fee and the $20 county recording fee; and the live ‘Notary Commission Application’ form and its five instructions. What Minnesota substitutes for a bond is a recorded signature specimen at the county (Minn. Stat. 359.061) and enforcement by the Commissioner of Commerce, who can impose civil penalties and remove a notary (Minn. Stat. 359.02 contemplates removal ‘by action of the commissioner of commerce’). This is the field most likely to be misstated by vendor-sourced material, because bond and E&O sellers advertise into this niche; nothing in the Minnesota sources listed above requires either product.

Fees

STATE COMMISSION FEE: $120, non-refundable. Minn. Stat. 359.01, subd. 3(a): ‘When making application for a commission the applicant must submit, along with the information required by the secretary of state, a nonrefundable fee of $120, which shall be forwarded by the secretary of state to the commissioner of management and budget to be deposited in the state treasury and credited to the general fund.’ The live application form matches: ‘The notary commission fee is $120.00. The fee is non-refundable and must be paid by check or money order made payable to the OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE.’ The same $120 applies to a New Appointment, a Reappointment (expired commission) and a Renewal - all three boxes on the form carry ‘Fee: $120’. RENEWAL may be paid by credit card (MasterCard, Visa, Discover, American Express) when filed online at notary.sos.state.mn.us; anything mailed must be check or money order. COUNTY RECORDING FEE: $20. The SOS states it twice - ‘The fee for recording your commission at the county is $20’ and ‘Note: there is a $20.00 fee charged at the county level’ - and directs applicants to ‘contact your resident county office for filing and fee requirements’. This fee recurs on every renewal or reappointment because the commission must be re-recorded. NO FEE: address change and name change are free (‘No Fee’ on the application form; ‘There is no fee for this service’), and terminating a RON authorization is free (‘There is no fee to terminate your remote online notarization authorization registration’). E-NOTARY AND RON REGISTRATION: no fee is stated for either registration in Minn. Stat. 359.01, subd. 5, in Minn. Stat. 358.645, or on the SOS E-Notarization Authorization and Remote Online Notarization Authorization pages read on 2026-08-12 - the SOS describes completing a form and certifying, and prices only the termination (free); a verifier should treat ’no fee published’ rather than a positively stated $0. STAMP: bought privately; no state-set price. COUNTY CERTIFICATE OF OFFICIAL ACTS: $5 - Minn. Stat. 359.061, subd. 4 sets the county department’s fee for certifying to a notary’s official acts at $5.

How long the commission lasts, and renewing it

Not a fixed number of years from issuance - the commission runs to a FIXED CALENDAR DATE. Minn. Stat. 359.02: ‘A notary commissioned under section 359.01 holds office until January 31 of the fifth year following the year the commission was issued, unless sooner removed by the governor or the district court, or by action of the commissioner of commerce.’ In practice that is up to about five years and one month, and the effective length depends on where in the year the commission is issued. The term runs from issuance by the state, not from the county recording. The SOS restates it on the application form: ‘Notary commissions expire on January 31 of the fifth year following the year of issue.’ Renewal is available in the six months before expiry, and the SOS narrows that to a concrete window. Minn. Stat. 359.02: ‘Six months before the expiration of the commission, a notary may renew the notary’s commission for a new term to commence and to be designated in the new commission as beginning upon the day immediately following the date of the expiration.’ Because every commission expires on January 31, the SOS states the window as calendar dates: ‘The time to renew is between August 1 and January 31. On August 1, you will have the option of filing either online or by mail.’ Renewal costs $120 to the state plus $20 to re-record at the county, and requires a NEW STAMP because the expiration date printed on the stamp changes: ‘Yes, since the commission expiration date is required on the stamp it will have to reflect the five year extension.’ The old stamp stays legal until the old commission actually expires - ‘A notary stamp may continue to be used until the date of expiration, even though the notary may have successfully renewed for an additional five year term.’ If the commission has already lapsed, the route is REAPPOINTMENT rather than renewal: Minn. Stat. 359.02, ‘A notary whose commission expires may apply for reappointment after the expiration date’, done by checking Re-appointment on the paper application and submitting by mail. The statute also confirms that a change of governor does not disturb it: ‘The reappointment or renewal takes effect and is valid although the appointing governor may not be in the Office of Governor on the effective day.’ A RON authorization does NOT self-renew across a commission gap - ‘If your notary commission expires, you must re-register for remote online notarization authorization with the Secretary of State.’ Name changes must be reported within 30 days, with legal documentation attached and a new stamp obtained; address changes must be reported within 30 days and can be done online. No continuing education is required of Minnesota notaries, at any point in the term or as a condition of renewal or reappointment. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: Minn. Stat. 359.01 and 359.02 (commission and term - renewal is described purely as a filing plus fee), the rest of ch. 359, Minn. Stat. 358.645 (which conditions RON registration on registration and a technology certification, not on hours), the SOS ‘How to Renew Your Commission’ page, the SOS Notary FAQ renewal answers, and the live application form, whose renewal instruction is ‘Applications for renewal may be submitted 6 months prior to the expiration date’ with no education step. Voluntary training is offered by private organizations the SOS lists but does not validate.

Your seal or stamp

A STAMP IS MANDATORY IN MINNESOTA, and the SOS states the consequence of omitting it: ‘A notary that fails to affix his or her stamp has not properly notarized the document.’ Minn. Stat. 359.03, subd. 1: ‘Every notary, including an ex officio notary under section 358.15, shall obtain an official notarial stamp as specified in subdivision 3, with which to authenticate official acts. The official notarial stamp, and the notary’s official journal, are the personal property of the notary and are exempt from execution.’ REQUIRED CONTENTS AND SHAPE - Minn. Stat. 359.03, subd. 3(a): the stamp ‘consists of the seal of the state of Minnesota, the name of the notary as it appears on the commission or the name of the ex officio notary, the words “Notary Public,” or “Notarial Officer” in the case of an ex officio notary, and the words “My commission expires …………… (or where applicable) My term is indeterminate,” with the expiration date shown on it and must be able to be reproduced in any legibly reproducible manner. The official notarial stamp shall be a rectangular form of not more than three-fourths of an inch vertically by 2-1/2 inches horizontally, with a serrated or milled edge border.’ A grandfather clause protects existing stamps: ‘A notarial stamp that complied with these requirements at the time of issuance may continue to be used during the remainder of the current term of the notary even if changes to any of these requirements subsequently become effective.’ The stamp may be applied electronically - subd. 4: ‘The information required by this section may be affixed electronically and shall be logically and securely affixed or associated with the electronic record being notarized’ - and subd. 2(b) makes the stamp ‘deemed to be a “seal” for purposes of the admission of a document in court’. SIGNATURE vs STAMP: the SOS notes the two need not be identical - ‘The notary may sign documents using their normal signature if different then what is listed on their commission certificate’ - but the stamped NAME must match the commission. NO ROOM ON THE PAGE: ‘A stamp is required so attach a loose notarial certificate.’ SMEARED STAMP: affix a second stamp nearby if there is room, otherwise attach a separate certificate and line through the original wording, signature and stamp. ON RENEWAL OR NAME CHANGE: a new stamp is required, and after a name change ‘you should contact your resident county to determine the appropriate office to register your signature again, and you also need to obtain a new stamp.’

Keeping a journal

Minnesota requires a journal for some notarial acts.

NOT required for paper or in-person electronic notarizations; MANDATORY for remote online notarizations. SOS Notary FAQ: ‘While Minnesota law does not require a journal, it is prudent of a notary public to keep one’, and the SOS ‘Become a Notary’ checklist lists ‘Make an entry in your Notary Journal, if you use one’ - conditional by design. For RON, Minn. Stat. 358.645, subd. 4(a) is mandatory: ‘A remote online notary public shall keep one or more secure electronic journals of notarial acts performed by the remote online notary public.’ Each entry must contain: the date and time of the notarization; the type of notarial act; the type, title or description of the electronic document or proceeding; the printed name and address of each principal; evidence of identity of each principal (a statement of personal knowledge, a notation of the type of identification document, or the printed name and address of each credible witness plus the identification documents of any witness not personally known); and ’the fee, if any, charged for the notarization’. Subd. 4(b): ‘The remote online notary public shall create an audio and video copy of the performance of the notarial act.’ RETENTION - subd. 4(d): ‘The electronic journal required by paragraph (a) and the recordings required by paragraph (b) shall be maintained for at least ten years after the date of the transaction or proceeding.’ The notary must take reasonable steps to ensure integrity, security and authenticity, to maintain a BACKUP of both the journal and the recordings, and to protect both from unauthorized access. A repository may be designated by written agreement - either the notary’s employer, if a signed record commits the employer to the same requirements, or another qualifying repository. Ownership: under Minn. Stat. 359.03, subd. 1 ’the notary’s official journal, are the personal property of the notary and are exempt from execution.’

Online (remote) notarization

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

Minnesota authorizes remote online notarization under Minn. Stat. 358.645, enacted by 2018 c 176 art 1 s 15 (subd. 2 later amended by 2024 c 112 art 2 s 66); the SOS says the authorization form became available on 1/1/2019. Minn. Stat. 359.04 confirms a notary’s power ’to perform online remote notarial acts in compliance with the requirements of sections 358.645 and 358.646.’ REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED AND IS SEPARATE FROM THE COMMISSION. Minn. Stat. 358.645, subd. 2(b): ‘Before a notary performs a remote online notarization, the notary must register the capability to perform notarial acts pursuant to this section with the secretary of state and must certify that the notary intends to use communication technology that conforms to this section.’ The SOS adds prerequisites of its own: ‘applicants must be currently registered as an active Minnesota Notary, must have filed the notary public commission in the county where they live, must be in possession of proof of filing (receipt or copy) and be able to produce that proof upon request.’ The registration is recorded under the notary’s existing commission number, and ’the term of registration to perform remote online notarial acts begins on the registration starting date set by the secretary of state and continues as long as the notary public’s current notary commission to perform notarial acts remains valid’ - so it never needs separate renewal, but it dies with the commission and must be re-registered after a reappointment. The SOS may reject a registration for non-compliance; the Commissioner of Commerce may revoke one. LOCATION RULES - subd. 3(a): ‘A remote online notary public may perform a remote online notarial act authorized under this section only while the remote online notary public is physically located in this state.’ The signer may be in Minnesota, elsewhere in the United States, or outside the United States, the last only if the notary has no actual knowledge that the act is prohibited where the signer is and the signer confirms that the document is part of a matter before a US court or governmental entity, relates to US property, or relates to a transaction substantially connected to the United States. NO APPROVED-VENDOR LIST: unlike some states, Minnesota does not publish a list of state-approved RON platforms in the sources read here - the statute sets performance standards and the notary certifies that the technology conforms. The SOS points notaries to its Notary Help page ‘for a list of providers that offer remote communications technology services’ and adds, ‘If you are unable to locate vendors that specialize in this remote notarization technology, we recommend you search the Internet for this information’ - which is a signposting, not an approval. IDENTITY PROOFING - subd. 5: knowledge-based authentication with at least five questions, at least five answer choices per question, drawn from a third-party provider of public and proprietary data sources, all answers within two minutes, at least 80 percent correct, one additional attempt allowed with no more than three repeated questions on the second attempt. Credential analysis and remote presentation of a government-issued credential are defined in subd. 1. TERMINATION - subd. 8: on termination the former RON notary ‘shall destroy the coding, disk, certificate, card, software, or password that enables electronic affixation of the online notary public’s official electronic signature or seal’ and must certify compliance to the SOS through the online commission record; destruction is excused if the registration ended for a reason other than revocation or denial of renewal and the person re-registers with the same electronic signature and seal within three months. Termination ‘can only be done online’ and is free. EXPIRED SPECIAL FEE: Minn. Stat. 358.645, subd. 3(c) allowed ‘a fee not to exceed $25 for the performance of a remote online notarial act, if the act occurs before January 1, 2023.’ That window has closed and the SOS states the consequence: ‘Beginning January 1, 2023, remote notaries must charge fees that comply with Minnesota Statute 357.17.’ Any source still quoting $25 for a Minnesota RON act is quoting expired law.

What you may charge

Minnesota’s cap is an itemised schedule in Minn. Stat. 357.17, not a single per-act number, and it is written in ‘folio’ units rather than pages. ‘The maximum fees to be charged and collected by a notary public shall be as follows: (1) for protest of nonpayment of note or bill of exchange or of nonacceptance of such bill; where protest is legally necessary, and copy thereof, $5; (2) for every other protest and copy, $5; (3) for making and serving every notice of nonpayment of note or nonacceptance of bill and copy thereof, $5; (4) for any affidavit or paper for which provision is not made herein, $5 per folio, and $1 per folio for copies; (5) for each oath administered, $5; (6) for acknowledgments of deeds and for other services authorized by law, the legal fees allowed other officers for like services; (7) for recording each instrument required by law to be recorded by the notary, $5 per folio.’ Note that clause (6) - acknowledgments of deeds, the commonest notarial act - does NOT state a dollar figure; it cross-references ’the legal fees allowed other officers for like services’, and this record does not expand that cross-reference into a number. The SOS reproduces the whole schedule verbatim in its FAQ answer to ‘What fees do I charge for performing notarial acts?’. REMOTE ACTS ARE INSIDE THE SAME SCHEDULE since January 1, 2023 (see ron_detail); the former $25 remote-act ceiling in Minn. Stat. 358.645, subd. 3(c) applied only to acts ‘before January 1, 2023’. TRAVEL FEES: not addressed in Minn. Stat. 357.17, in Minn. Stat. ch. 359, or on the SOS Notary FAQ, ‘Become a Notary’ page or RON FAQ, all searched on 2026-08-12 - Minnesota publishes no travel-fee rule in the sources read, and this record makes no claim about whether one may be charged.

Who does NOT need a commission — exemptions

EX OFFICIO NOTARIES - Minn. Stat. 358.15 gives ’the powers of a notary public within the state’ to officials who hold no notary commission: (1) ’every member of the legislature, while still a resident in the district from which elected; but no fee or compensation may be received for exercising these powers’; (2) ’the clerks or recorders of towns, and cities’; (3) ‘court commissioners, county recorders, and county auditors, and their several deputies, and county commissioners, all within their respective counties’; and (4) ‘peace officers licensed under section 626.845 for the purpose of administering oaths upon information submitted to establish probable cause to any judge or judicial officer under the Rules of Criminal Procedure.’ Each category has a prescribed official signature form, and those in clauses (1) to (3) must still ‘obtain an official stamp as specified under section 359.03, subdivisions 1, 3, and 4’ - so the exemption is from the commission, not from the stamp. Minnesota’s stamp statute even provides wording for officials with no fixed term: ‘My term is indeterminate.’ County auditors, county recorders, their deputies, and town or city clerks/recorders with ex officio powers may authenticate official acts related to their offices’ statutory duties. WHAT A NOTARY MAY NOT DO EVEN THOUGH COMMISSIONED: the SOS states that ‘A Notary should not certify a copy of a birth, death or marriage certificate’ and routes requesters to the Department of Health or the county; and that a real estate closing may require an additional ‘Real Estate Closing Agent License’ from the MN Department of Commerce for certain real estate and mortgage documents. Disqualification by interest: Minn. Stat. 358.54, subd. 2, as quoted by the SOS, provides that ‘a notarial officer may not perform a notarial act with respect to a record to which the officer’s spouse is a party, in which either of them has a direct interest’, and an act performed in violation ‘is voidable’. NOT SOURCED: no Minnesota source read when this page was last verified addresses notarial acts by military officers under 10 U.S.C. 1044a, or classes of documents that Minnesota law exempts from notarization altogether; the tiers listed above are silent, so this record makes no claim on those points.

How to apply

Applications are handled by Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division (the commission is issued by the GOVERNOR, with the advice and consent of the Senate; the Secretary of State receives applications and keeps the register). Start at the official application page .

Verify a license in Minnesota

Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State publishes a public license search , searchable by notary first and/or last name, commission number, business name, county of registration (filter), E-Notary only (filter), Remote Notary only (filter) or include inactive notaries (filter). It covers Per the SOS ‘Find a Notary’ help page: results list ‘Notary Names, Last, First, & Middle; Commission Number; Business Name; County of Registration; and Status’, with an asterisk marking a former name, capped at 500 records. Clicking a last name opens a Notary Details page adding ‘current E & RON Authority, Commission Expiration Date, Commission History, and Former Names’ - so the portal answers whether a given notary is authorized for electronic and/or remote acts. The search is full-text on whole words, not a ‘contains’ search: ‘Steph will not return results for Stephanie.’.

Records come from Office of the Minnesota 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.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a Minnesota notary commission last?

It runs to a fixed date rather than for a fixed number of years. Minn. Stat. 359.02 provides that a notary ‘holds office until January 31 of the fifth year following the year the commission was issued, unless sooner removed by the governor or the district court, or by action of the commissioner of commerce.’ Depending on when in the year it was issued, that is up to about five years and a month.

Does Minnesota require a notary bond?

No. There is no surety bond and no errors-and-omissions requirement anywhere in Minn. Stat. ch. 359, in Minn. Stat. 358.645, or in the Secretary of State’s application instructions, all of which were searched. The only money a new Minnesota notary must pay the government is the $120 state fee and the $20 county recording fee. This is a common point of confusion because bond and insurance products are marketed heavily to new notaries.

What does a Minnesota notary commission cost?

$120 to the state, non-refundable, set by Minn. Stat. 359.01, subd. 3(a), plus a $20 fee to record the commission with your county of residence. The same $120 applies to a new appointment, a renewal and a reappointment after expiry, and the $20 county fee recurs each time because the commission must be re-recorded. Mailed applications must be paid by check or money order; online renewals accept credit cards.

Do I have to register my commission with my county?

Yes, and it is not optional housekeeping. Minn. Stat. 359.061 requires the commission to be recorded with the local registrar in your county of residence, together with a signature matching your commission name and a sample of the signature you will actually use on notarial acts. The Secretary of State warns that ‘Failure to register with your resident county may result in a civil penalty fee (usually larger than the county recording fee) imposed by the Commissioner of the Department of Commerce of Minnesota.’

Do I need a notary stamp in Minnesota?

Yes. Minn. Stat. 359.03 requires every notary to obtain an official notarial stamp, and the Secretary of State states the consequence bluntly: ‘A notary that fails to affix his or her stamp has not properly notarized the document.’ The stamp must carry the state seal, your commissioned name, the words ‘Notary Public’ and your commission expiration date, must reproduce legibly, and must be rectangular - no more than three-fourths of an inch by 2-1/2 inches, with a serrated or milled edge border.

Do Minnesota notaries have to keep a journal?

Only for remote online notarizations. For ordinary paper and in-person electronic acts the Secretary of State says ‘Minnesota law does not require a journal’, though keeping one is prudent. For remote online acts Minn. Stat. 358.645, subd. 4 requires a secure electronic journal with prescribed contents plus an audio and video recording of every act, both kept ‘for at least ten years after the date of the transaction or proceeding’, with a backup.

Is there an exam or required class to become a Minnesota notary?

Neither. Nothing in Minn. Stat. ch. 359, Minn. Stat. 358.645, the Secretary of State’s ‘Become a Notary’ page or the application form imposes an examination or an education requirement. Private organizations offer notary seminars, and the Secretary of State links to some of them while explicitly declining to ‘guarantee the accuracy or appropriateness of the content of any website or validate these organizations.’

Can someone who lives in Wisconsin or the Dakotas be a Minnesota notary?

Yes. Minn. Stat. 359.01, subd. 2 allows appointment of a resident of Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota or South Dakota who designates the Secretary of State as agent for service of process for all matters relating to notarial acts, and designates the Minnesota county where the commission will be recorded. The application form carries the irrevocable service-of-process appointment that non-residents must sign.

How much can a Minnesota notary charge per act?

Minnesota sets an itemised schedule in Minn. Stat. 357.17 rather than a single per-act cap: $5 for each oath administered, $5 for protests and notices, $5 per folio for any affidavit or paper not otherwise provided for and $1 per folio for copies, and $5 per folio for recording an instrument. For acknowledgments of deeds the statute does not state a dollar figure - it allows ’the legal fees allowed other officers for like services.’ Since January 1, 2023 the same schedule governs remote online acts; the old $25 remote-act ceiling applied only to acts performed before that date.

How do I become a remote online notary in Minnesota?

You must already hold an active Minnesota commission, have recorded it with your county and be able to produce proof of that filing, then register separately with the Secretary of State under Minn. Stat. 358.645, subd. 2 and certify that you intend to use conforming communication technology. You must be physically located in Minnesota whenever you perform a remote act. The registration lasts as long as your commission and never renews on its own - but if the commission expires you must re-register after reappointment.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Minnesota.

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.