How to Become a Notary in Oklahoma — Requirements & Fees

Q: Does Oklahoma require a bond to be a notary?

Yes -- a surety bond is required before you may act, and the current amount published by the Secretary of State is $10,000. The Guide: 'Before a person can act as a notary and no more than sixty (60) days after the issuance of his/her commission, he/she must file a $10,000.00 surety bond, an oath of office, loyalty oath and a $25.00 filing fee with the Office of the Secretary of State.' The bond may come from an insurance agency or bonding company, or from individual sureties who own property in your county. Errors-and-omissions insurance is a separate, private product and is not required anywhere in Oklahoma law or in the Secretary of State's materials.

How to become a notary public in Oklahoma: a surety bond, remote online notarization — verified from Oklahoma Secretary of State, Notary Public Division.

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Oklahoma Secretary of State, Notary Public Division (official site) and last verified August 12, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

1) Meet the qualifications in 49 O.S. Sec. 1 (age, residency-or-employment nexus, no felony conviction, ability to read and write English). 2) File the Oklahoma Application for Notary Public Commission online at sos.ok.gov/notary, by mail, or in person, with the filing fee -- the live application instructions and the application form itself (revision stamp '(1/1/2026)') state '$50.00 for a new commission and $45.00 for a renewal commission.' 3) Complete the national criminal history record check: 'Effective January 1, 2026, and in accordance with SB 1028 (2025), the Secretary of State will require notaries public applicants to submit to a national criminal history check. Following submission of your new or renewal application, directions for completing the national criminal history record check will be sent to the email listed on your application. The national criminal history record check CANNOT be completed until your application has been submitted. Your application will be held until the national criminal history record check is completed' (SOS Notary FAQ). The check is fingerprint-based and runs against the FBI's Next Generation Identification system (SOS Privacy Act Statement and Applicant Notification). 4) On approval the commission is mailed; allow 2 to 4 weeks. 5) BEFORE performing any notarial act and NOT MORE THAN 60 DAYS after the commission is issued, file with the Secretary of State the surety bond, the oath of office, the loyalty oath, the official signature and an impression of the official seal, with the bond filing fee (the live guide, application instructions and bond form all state $25.00). 6) Purchase a seal or stamp; the Secretary of State does not supply them. 'A notary public shall NOT perform any notarial act until his or her bond, official seal, oath of office, and loyalty oath have been received and approved by the Secretary of State' (application instructions; 49 O.S. Sec. 2(D)).

Legal basis

Oklahoma Secretary of State, Notary Public Division commissions notaries public in Oklahoma. Every figure below is verified against the commissioning authority’s own official pages and dated.

What it’s called

Statutory noun: ’notary public’ – ‘The Secretary of State shall appoint and commission in this state notaries public’ (49 O.S. Sec. 1), so what Oklahoma issues is a COMMISSION and an appointment, not a ’notary license’; the agency’s own filing menu uses ‘New Commission’, ‘Commission Renewal’ and ‘Expired Commission Renewal’. ‘Remote online notary’ is the state’s term for a commissioned notary who has separately registered under the Remote Online Notary Act (49 O.S. Secs. 201-214). Folk terms: ’notary license’, ’notary certification’ and ’notary registration’ do not name anything Oklahoma issues, except that ‘registration’ is the statute’s own word for the RON step (‘Registration required’, 49 O.S. Sec. 204). ‘Notary signing agent’ / ’loan signing agent’ are private vendor credentials, not Oklahoma credentials – neither phrase appears in Title 49, the Notary Public Guide, the application instructions or the FAQ (all searched 2026-08-12); several individuals in the state’s own published RON contact list use such terms in their private email addresses, which is a self-description, not a state credential. IMMIGRATION-CONSULTANT WARNING PUBLISHED BY THE STATE: 49 O.S. Sec. 6(B) bars a non-attorney notary from holding out expertise in immigration or citizenship matters and requires any notary giving non-legal assistance on such a matter to state, verbally and in writing, ‘I am not a licensed attorney or representative of any government agency with authority over immigration or citizenship and, therefore, cannot offer legal advice about immigration or any other legal matters’, with the notice given in English and in any other language the notary advertises in; violation is a misdemeanor with a fine up to $1,000 and revocation for eight years (49 O.S. Sec. 6.1).

Types of notary commission

Notary public commission (traditional / paper) — An individual 18 or older who is a legal resident of Oklahoma OR a non-resident employed within Oklahoma. Statewide authority despite a county-of-appointment field: ‘An Oklahoma notary public may perform notarial acts anywhere in the state of Oklahoma even though the appointment is for the county of residence or, in the case of a non-resident employed in Oklahoma, the county of employment. Whenever a document is notarized, the notary must indicate on the document the county in which the notarization is taking place’ (SOS Notary Public Guide, 12/2025). Confirmed by 49 O.S. Sec. 6(A): ‘Notaries public shall have authority within any county in this state.’
Electronic notarization (in-person, electronic signature and seal) — Any commissioned Oklahoma notary – no separate registration is described by the Secretary of State. 49 O.S. Sec. 5(B): ‘As authorized by Section 15-111 of Title 12A of the Oklahoma Statutes, regarding electronic transactions, a notary public’s use of an electronic signature and electronic seal satisfies the requirement in this section to authenticate an official act with an official signature and seal of office. The electronic seal must legibly reproduce the required elements of the notarial seal.’ No separate application for in-person electronic notarization appears on the Secretary of State’s notary filing menu, which lists only New Commission, Commission Renewal, Bond Filing, Remote Online Notarization, Notary Information Updates and Resignation.
Remote online notarization (RON) authorization — A currently commissioned Oklahoma notary public whose bond has been filed and approved. SEPARATE registration with the Secretary of State under the Remote Online Notary Act, 49 O.S. Sec. 204, with its own $25 fee. ‘Applications for authorization to perform remote online notarizations may only be filed online’ (SOS notary fee schedule). The authorization runs only to the end of the current commission: ‘The renewal of your commission as a notary does not constitute renewal of such authorization. A new application for authorization must be filed for each four-year term’ (SOS Remote Online Notary Information page).

Who can be commissioned

The Secretary of State states the qualification set four times in identical terms – on the notary home page, in the FAQ, in the Notary Public Guide (12/2025) and on the application form: ‘An applicant for a notary commission must be at least eighteen (18) years of age, be able to read and write English, be a legal resident of or employed within Oklahoma, and never have been convicted of a felony.’ A non-resident must give the street address, city, zip and county of the Oklahoma place of employment; P.O. boxes are not accepted (application instructions item 5). The applicant signs three declarations on the form: ‘a. I am 18 years of age or older; and b. I have never been convicted of a felony; and c. I am able to read and write in English.’ CITIZENSHIP – A CONFLICT, RECORDED BOTH WAYS: the statutory text of 49 O.S. Sec. 1 as published by the Oklahoma Senate reads ‘An applicant for a notary commission shall be eighteen (18) years of age or older, a citizen of the United States, and employed within this state or a legal resident of this state’, and 49 O.S. Sec. 1.1(9) requires the application to contain ‘A statement that the applicant is a citizen of the United States.’ The Secretary of State’s CURRENT application form (revision 1/1/2026) contains no citizenship declaration and none of the agency’s four live qualification statements mentions citizenship. The statute text available to this scrape is a 2019/2022-vintage publication and the current OSCN text could not be read, so this record does not assert whether a citizenship requirement is presently in force – both sources are quoted and attributed. Felony effect: ‘A felony conviction shall be grounds for removal of a person from the office of notary public’ (49 O.S. Sec. 1) and is a ground to deny, refuse to renew or revoke (49 O.S. Sec. 12(A)(1)).

Requirements

Meet the qualifications in 49 O.S. Sec. 1 (age, residency-or-employment nexus, no felony conviction, ability to read and write English). 2) File the Oklahoma Application for Notary Public Commission online at sos.ok.gov/notary, by mail, or in person, with the filing fee – the live application instructions and the application form itself (revision stamp ‘(1/1/2026)’) state ‘$50.00 for a new commission and $45.00 for a renewal commission.’ 3) Complete the national criminal history record check: ‘Effective January 1, 2026, and in accordance with SB 1028 (2025), the Secretary of State will require notaries public applicants to submit to a national criminal history check. Following submission of your new or renewal application, directions for completing the national criminal history record check will be sent to the email listed on your application. The national criminal history record check CANNOT be completed until your application has been submitted. Your application will be held until the national criminal history record check is completed’ (SOS Notary FAQ). The check is fingerprint-based and runs against the FBI’s Next Generation Identification system (SOS Privacy Act Statement and Applicant Notification). 4) On approval the commission is mailed; allow 2 to 4 weeks. 5) BEFORE performing any notarial act and NOT MORE THAN 60 DAYS after the commission is issued, file with the Secretary of State the surety bond, the oath of office, the loyalty oath, the official signature and an impression of the official seal, with the bond filing fee (the live guide, application instructions and bond form all state $25.00). 6) Purchase a seal or stamp; the Secretary of State does not supply them. ‘A notary public shall NOT perform any notarial act until his or her bond, official seal, oath of office, and loyalty oath have been received and approved by the Secretary of State’ (application instructions; 49 O.S. Sec. 2(D)).

Training

Oklahoma does not require a training course.

Oklahoma requires NO education or training course to be commissioned. Sourced negative: no training requirement appears in the Secretary of State’s Notary Public Guide (12/2025), in the Instructions for Completing the Oklahoma Application for Notary Public Commission, on the application form itself, in the agency’s Notary FAQ, on the notary home page, or in Title 49 of the Oklahoma Statutes as published by the Oklahoma Senate (Secs. 1, 1.1, 2, 5, 6, 11, 12 read in full). Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: statute, the agency’s handbook, the live application form and its instructions, and the agency FAQ. The FAQ instead warns about the vendors that fill the gap: ‘Notary Associations are businesses that provide notary supplies and services for a fee. Many offer to file your notary public application and bond with the Oklahoma Secretary of State for a fee. The Oklahoma Secretary of State does not provide a listing of these associations.’ For RON the only training named by the state is vendor-side: ‘Each online notarization company provides training for their respective systems and on how to perform a Remote Online Notarization’ (SOS Remote Online Notary Information).

Exam

Oklahoma does not require an exam.

Oklahoma administers NO notary examination. Sourced negative: no examination is mentioned in the Notary Public Guide (12/2025), the application instructions, the application form, the agency’s Notary FAQ, the agency’s Remote Online Notarization FAQ, or Title 49 of the Oklahoma Statutes as published by the Oklahoma Senate. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: statute, agency handbook, live application form and instructions, agency FAQ and RON FAQ. The only screening step is the fingerprint-based national criminal history record check that became a requirement on January 1, 2026.

Your surety bond

A surety bond IS required, and it is a condition of ACTING rather than of appointment: ‘Before a person can act as a notary and no more than sixty (60) days after the issuance of his/her commission, he/she must file a $10,000.00 surety bond, an oath of office, loyalty oath and a $25.00 filing fee with the Office of the Secretary of State’ (SOS Notary Public Guide, 12/2025). The official NOTARIAL BOND form published by the Secretary of State binds the principal and sureties ‘in the penal sum of Ten Thousand ($10,000.00) Dollars’ and instructs ‘Submit the completed bond with a $25.00 fee.’ Term: ‘The bond must be issued for a term that commences on the bond’s effective date and terminates on the commission’s expiration date’ (Guide). Who may sign: ‘An insurance agent licensed by the State of Oklahoma; An attorney-in-fact on behalf of an insurance company with a power of attorney attached; or One or more individual sureties who are property owners in the county of residence of the notary, or if a nonresident, the county of employment’ (49 O.S. Sec. 2(B)); each individual surety swears they are ‘worth at least Ten Thousand ($10,000.00) Dollars over and above all debts and liabilities’ (bond form). Effect of non-filing: ‘A notary public shall not perform any notarial act until his or her bond, official seal, oath of office and loyalty oath, as required by subsection A of this section, has been received and approved by the Secretary of State’ (49 O.S. Sec. 2(D)). E&O INSURANCE IS NOT REQUIRED and is not mentioned anywhere: no errors-and-omissions or liability-insurance requirement appears in Title 49, the Guide, the application instructions, the bond form or the FAQ (all five searched 2026-08-12). AMOUNT CONFLICT, RECORDED BOTH WAYS: every CURRENT Secretary of State document says $10,000, but the statutory text of 49 O.S. Sec. 2(A) as published by the Oklahoma Senate says ‘a good and sufficient bond to the State of Oklahoma, in the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00)’ and Sec. 2(C) sets the bond filing fee at ’the sum of Ten Dollars ($10.00)’. That publication is 2019/2022 vintage; the current statute text could not be read. The state’s own live bond FORM is the controlling practical source and it says $10,000 with a $25 fee.

Fees

TWO OFFICIAL OKLAHOMA SOURCES DISAGREE, AND BOTH ARE ON sos.ok.gov. CURRENT SET (the live Notary Public Guide dated 12/2025, the Instructions for Completing the Oklahoma Application for Notary Public Commission, the application form revision-stamped 1/1/2026, and the agency’s Notary FAQ): new commission $50.00; renewal $45.00; expired commission processed as new, $50.00; bond filing fee $25.00; name change (new commission under the new name) $50.00; address change no fee. OLDER SET (the ‘Notary Filing Fee Schedule’ table on the Secretary of State’s own notary home page, and the agency’s Remote Online Notarization FAQ): ‘New Commission 49 O.S. 1 $25.00; Expired Commission 49 O.S. 1 $25.00; Notary Renewal 49 O.S., Sec. 1 $20.00; Notary Bond 49 O.S., Sec. 2(C) $10.00; Remote Online Notarization 49 O.S., Sec. 204(B) $25.00; Notary Amendment 49 O.S., Sec. 11 No Fee.’ The older set matches the statutory text of 49 O.S. Secs. 1 and 2(C) in the Oklahoma Senate’s published Title 49 ($25 new, $20 renewal, $10 bond), which is why it reads as the stale one – the fee table cites the statute, while the guide and the live form reflect what the agency now charges. This record reports the LIVE FORM figures as the operative amounts and preserves the fee-table figures verbatim, per the read-the-live-form rule. UNDISPUTED: RON registration $25.00 to the Secretary of State (49 O.S. Sec. 204(B), the fee schedule and the RON FAQ all agree); same-day (walk-in) filing service $25.00 additional – ‘If filing a document in person, there will be an additional $25.00 fee if you want the document to be processed while you wait’ (fee schedule; 49 O.S. Sec. 1); notary amendment/information update, no fee; notifying the Secretary of State of a new RON technology vendor, ‘There is no filing fee associated with this notification’ (RON FAQ). NOT STATE-SET: the seal or stamp price (‘The Oklahoma Secretary of State does not provide notarial stamps or seals’) and the national criminal history record check fee, which is not published in any of the four agency documents read on 2026-08-12.

How long the commission lasts, and renewing it

‘The Oklahoma Secretary of State shall appoint and commission notaries public, who shall hold their office for four (4) years’ (49 O.S. Sec. 1; repeated verbatim on the SOS notary home page, in the FAQ and in the Notary Public Guide). The term runs from the commission the Secretary of State issues, not from the bond filing – the bond, oaths, signature and seal impression must be filed within 60 days AFTER issuance and the bond ‘commences on the bond’s effective date and terminates on the commission’s expiration date’, so a late-filed bond shortens the usable period rather than moving the expiry (Guide; 49 O.S. Sec. 2(A),(C)). Renewal is a fresh application, and the window is narrow at both ends. ‘A renewal application will not be accepted earlier than six (6) weeks prior to the expiration of the notary’s current appointment, or after the expiration date’ (Notary Public Guide). If it arrives late there is no renewal at all: ‘An application that is received after a notary public commission has expired must be processed as a new appointment. A new commission number and date will be issued’ (Guide) – and the FAQ prices that at the new-commission fee. A renewal also requires a NEW notarial bond: ‘A new notarial bond will also need to be filed with the Secretary of State’ (FAQ). Since January 1, 2026 a renewal applicant must also complete the national criminal history record check (FAQ). A RON authorization does NOT ride along: ‘The renewal of your commission as a notary does not constitute renewal of such authorization. A new application for authorization must be filed for each four-year term’ (SOS Remote Online Notary Information). None. Oklahoma imposes no continuing education on a notary public. Sourced negative: no continuing-education requirement appears in Title 49 of the Oklahoma Statutes as published by the Oklahoma Senate, in the Secretary of State’s Notary Public Guide (12/2025), in the application instructions, in the Notary FAQ or in the Remote Online Notarization FAQ – all five searched 2026-08-12. Renewal turns on the application, the fee, a new bond and (since January 1, 2026) the national criminal history record check, not on coursework.

Your seal or stamp

A seal is mandatory and either technology is allowed: ‘Oklahoma law allows for the use of either a metal seal, which leaves an embossed impression, or a rubber stamp. All notary seals shall contain the name of the notary public and the words “State of Oklahoma” and “Notary Public.” The expiration date and commission number may be part of the stamp or seal’ (Notary Public Guide; the statutory version is 49 O.S. Sec. 5(A)). Authentication duty: ‘A notary public must authenticate all of their official acts, attestations and instruments with their notary seal, official signature, commission number and the expiration date of their notary public commission. If any notary public shall neglect or refuse to comply with this requirement they shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined a sum not to exceed Fifty Dollars ($50.00)’ (Guide; 49 O.S. Sec. 5(A), which adds that omitting the number or expiration date ‘shall not affect the recordability of the instrument or the notice given by such recording’). LOSS OR THEFT: ‘Within ten (10) days after the loss of the seal, the notary shall deliver to the Secretary of State a written notice of the loss or theft and the date the seal was first discovered missing’, plus a law-enforcement report in the case of theft; the replacement ‘is advisable to have a character or symbol added to the seal to distinguish it from the missing one’, and ‘Within ten (10) days after purchasing a new seal, notify the Secretary of State in writing of the date of purchase and the distinguishing character or symbol added’ (Guide). NAME CHANGE: the notary may keep using the former name until the commission expires, or resign and file a new application (‘It will be necessary for the individual to purchase a new seal and file a new surety bond’). ADDRESS CHANGE: notify in writing within 30 days; ‘It will not be necessary for the individual to purchase a new seal or file a new application and bond. There is no filing fee to change an address.’ ON RESIGNATION OR DEATH: ‘The notary seal should be destroyed upon resignation or death’ (Guide). ELECTRONIC SEAL for RON: ‘a rectangular or circular seal with the notary public’s name exactly as indicated on the notary’s commission, the words “State of Oklahoma” and “Notary Public”, the notary public’s commission number, and the date of expiration’ (SOS RON FAQ, citing 49 O.S. Sec. 202(5)).

Keeping a journal

Oklahoma requires a journal for some notarial acts.

NOT REQUIRED for ordinary paper notarizations; REQUIRED for remote online notarizations. The Secretary of State is explicit on the paper side: ‘Is a notary public required to keep any records? No. However it is recommended that a notary maintain a record or journal of all their official acts’ (Notary FAQ), and the Guide says ‘State law does not require a notary to keep records of their official acts. However, it is recommended…’ – then lists eight recommended fields (date, type of act, description of the document, signature and printed name and address of each person, form of identification or ‘personally known’, location, fee charged, personal notes). FOR RON THE JOURNAL IS MANDATORY AND ELECTRONIC: ‘A notary public shall maintain a journal in a permanent, tamper-evident electronic format complying with standards promulgated by the Secretary of State in which the notary public chronicles all remote online notarial acts…. An entry in a journal shall be made contemporaneously’ recording the date and time; a description of the document and type of act; the full name and address of each principal; a statement if identity rested on personal knowledge; a brief description of the credential-analysis and identity-proofing results including the credential’s issuance and expiration dates; the credible-witness details where used; and the fee charged (49 O.S. Sec. 206, restated in the SOS RON FAQ). RETENTION: ‘An electronic journal must be retained for at least ten (10) years after the last notarial act chronicled in the journal. An audio-visual recording must be retained for at least ten (10) years after the recording is made’ (SOS RON FAQ, citing 49 O.S. Sec. 206(D)). One paper-side exception is statutory: for protests for banks, ’notaries shall keep a register thereof in a book provided for that purpose by the bank, and the notary shall not be required to deliver such register to the county clerk, but shall leave the same in the possession of such bank’ (49 O.S. Sec. 7).

Online (remote) notarization

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

Authorized by the Remote Online Notary Act, 49 O.S. Secs. 201 to 214, ‘Added by Laws 2019, c. 338, Sec. 2, eff. Jan. 1, 2020’ – the agency dates it the same way: ‘Remote online notarization was authorized by SB 915 (2019), effective January 1, 2020’ (SOS Remote Online Notary Information). REGISTRATION IS MANDATORY: ‘A notary public appointed and commissioned under Section 1 of Title 49 … may perform remote online notarizations under Title 49 of the Oklahoma Statutes if authorized by the Secretary of State. Before a notary public performs the notary public’s initial remote online notarization, the notary public shall register with the Secretary of State … and receive written authorization’ (49 O.S. Sec. 204(A)). Fee: ‘A notary public applying to register to perform remote online notarizations shall pay a fee of Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) to the Secretary of State with the application’ (Sec. 204(B)). The application must describe the technology the applicant intends to use (Sec. 204(C)(2)); changing vendors later requires a free notification giving ’the name, address, and website of the vendor’ under OAC 655:25-11-3(d) (SOS RON FAQ). The state’s published sequence is: hold a commission, have an APPROVED bond on file, then file the RON application online – ‘Applications for authorization to perform remote online notarizations may only be filed online’ (fee schedule). NO SECOND BOND: ‘Are remote online notaries required to submit a second bond in addition to the bond required for traditional notaries? No. The Oklahoma Remote Notary Act does not require an additional bond be filed to perform remote notary acts’ (SOS RON FAQ). Identity: personal knowledge, a credible witness’s oath, or ’the multi-factor authentication process (credential analysis and identity proofing) outlined in OAC 655:25-11-5’ (RON FAQ). Duration: valid ‘from the date of authorization through the end of the term of your current commission’, and a new application is required each four-year term (RON FAQ). On termination or revocation the notary must destroy the coding, disk, certificate, card, software or password enabling the electronic signature and seal, and certify that destruction to the Secretary of State (49 O.S. Sec. 210(A)).

What you may charge

PAPER AND IN-PERSON ACTS: ‘The maximum fee a notary may charge and collect for each notarial act is five dollars ($5.00). A notary may not charge a fee to notarize an absentee ballot’ (Notary Public Guide); the statute puts it the same way and makes the ballot rule an exception rather than a courtesy – ‘The maximum fee a notary may charge and collect for each notarial act is Five Dollars ($5.00), except no fee shall be charged for the notarization of an official absentee ballot affidavit’ (49 O.S. Sec. 5(A)). Charging is optional: ‘Notaries are not required to charge a fee. If a fee is charged, it is recommended that it be recorded in the notary’s official records/journal’ (Notary FAQ). REMOTE ONLINE ACTS: ‘A notary public, or a person acting for or on behalf of a notary public, may charge and collect a fee not to exceed Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) for a remote online notarial act’ (49 O.S. Sec. 209), restated by the agency as ‘A remote online notary may charge and collect a fee not to exceed Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) for a remote online notarial act’ (SOS RON FAQ). TRAVEL FEE: Oklahoma publishes no rule. No travel-fee provision appears in Title 49 as published by the Oklahoma Senate, in the Notary Public Guide, in the agency’s Notary FAQ or in its RON FAQ – all four tiers searched 2026-08-12; the guide’s only fee guidance is the $5 cap and the recommendation to log ‘The amount of fee charged, if any.’

Who does NOT need a commission — exemptions

WHO MAY NOTARIZE IN OKLAHOMA WITHOUT A NOTARY COMMISSION – 49 O.S. Sec. 114(A): ‘A notarial act may be performed within this state by the following persons: 1. a notary public of this state; 2. a judge, secretary-bailiff of a judge, clerk, or deputy clerk of any court of this state; 3. all judge advocates, staff judge advocates, assistant judge advocates and all legal officers of the state military forces in performance of their official duties for military personnel and their dependents; or 4. any other person authorized to perform the specific act by the law of this state.’ Sec. 114(B) adds that ‘Notarial acts performed within this state under federal authority have the same effect as if performed by a notarial officer of this state’, which is the hook through which federal military notarial authority (10 U.S.C. 1044a) operates – Title 49 itself does not cite that federal section, and neither do the Guide, the application instructions or the FAQ (all four tiers searched 2026-08-12), so no claim is made here about its scope. OUT-OF-STATE ACTS are recognised when performed by ‘a notary public of that jurisdiction; a judge, clerk, or deputy clerk of a court of that jurisdiction; all judge advocates, staff judge advocates, assistant judge advocates and all legal officers of the state military forces; or any other person authorized by the law of that jurisdiction’ (49 O.S. Sec. 115). ACTS THAT NEED NO NOTARY AT ALL: none is identified in the sources read; the only fee-free act named is the absentee ballot affidavit, which still requires a notary but at no charge (49 O.S. Sec. 5(A)). NOT ESTABLISHED: no ex officio commission for county clerks, mayors or legislators appears anywhere in Title 49.

How to apply

Applications are handled by Oklahoma Secretary of State, Notary Public Division. Start at the official application page .

Verify a license in Oklahoma

Oklahoma Secretary of State publishes a public license search , searchable by Name (first, last, or both), Commission Number, County at the time of appointment, City or Zipcode. It covers Oklahoma notaries public. The page’s own instructions: ‘Name: This search returns a listing of all notaries matching the name entered. The search can be performed on the first name, last name, or both names. Commission Number: This search returns the name of the notary issued the Commission Number entered. County: This search returns a listing of all notaries for a given county. City: This search returns a listing of all notaries for a given city.’ A checkbox limits results to ‘Active or Pending Notaries Only’. The Secretary of State separately publishes bulk data (‘Notary Master Download (Data)’, ‘Notary Daily Download (Data)’, ‘Notary Reports’) and a directory of currently commissioned notaries who have volunteered to be contacted for remote online notarizations, listing commission number, name, email and phone.

Records come from Oklahoma 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 an Oklahoma notary commission last?

Four years. ‘The Oklahoma Secretary of State shall appoint and commission notaries public, who shall hold their office for four (4) years’ (49 O.S. Sec. 1), repeated on the Secretary of State’s notary home page, in the FAQ and in the Notary Public Guide. A renewal application may not be filed earlier than six weeks before expiration, and one filed after expiration is processed as a brand-new commission with a new number and expiration date.

Does Oklahoma require a bond to be a notary?

Yes – a surety bond is required before you may act, and the current amount published by the Secretary of State is $10,000. The Guide: ‘Before a person can act as a notary and no more than sixty (60) days after the issuance of his/her commission, he/she must file a $10,000.00 surety bond, an oath of office, loyalty oath and a $25.00 filing fee with the Office of the Secretary of State.’ The bond may come from an insurance agency or bonding company, or from individual sureties who own property in your county. Errors-and-omissions insurance is a separate, private product and is not required anywhere in Oklahoma law or in the Secretary of State’s materials.

Is there an exam or a training course to become an Oklahoma notary?

No. Neither Title 49 nor any Secretary of State publication – the Notary Public Guide, the application instructions, the application form or the FAQ – imposes an education, training or examination requirement. The one screening step, new as of January 1, 2026, is a fingerprint-based national criminal history record check under SB 1028 (2025), which the Secretary of State initiates by email after the application is submitted.

What does an Oklahoma notary commission cost?

The Secretary of State’s live guide, application instructions, application form and FAQ all state $50.00 for a new commission and $45.00 for a renewal, plus a $25.00 fee to file the bond – so about $75 in state fees for a new notary, before the cost of the bond itself and a seal. The fee table on the agency’s own notary home page still shows the older $25.00 / $20.00 / $10.00 figures that match the published statutory text; where the two disagree, the live application form is the operative source.

Can an Oklahoma notary perform remote online notarizations?

Only after registering separately. Under the Remote Online Notary Act (49 O.S. Secs. 201-214, effective January 1, 2020) a commissioned notary with an approved bond on file must register with the Secretary of State, pay $25, describe the technology to be used, and receive written authorization before the first remote act. No second bond is required. The authorization lasts only until the current commission expires – ‘A new application for authorization must be filed for each four-year term.’

How much can an Oklahoma notary charge?

Up to $5.00 per notarial act, and nothing at all for notarizing an official absentee ballot affidavit (49 O.S. Sec. 5(A)). For a remote online notarial act the cap is $25.00 (49 O.S. Sec. 209). Charging is optional. Oklahoma publishes no rule on travel fees – the subject is absent from Title 49, the Notary Public Guide, the Notary FAQ and the RON FAQ.

Does an Oklahoma notary have to keep a journal?

Not for ordinary notarizations. ‘State law does not require a notary to keep records of their official acts. However, it is recommended that a notary maintain a log’ – and the Guide lists eight fields worth recording. A journal IS mandatory for remote online notarizations: it must be a permanent, tamper-evident electronic journal with contemporaneous entries, kept at least ten years, and the audio-video recording of each remote act must also be kept at least ten years.

Can an Oklahoma notary notarize outside their own county?

Yes. ‘An Oklahoma notary public may perform notarial acts anywhere in the state of Oklahoma even though the appointment is for the county of residence or, in the case of a non-resident employed in Oklahoma, the county of employment’ – but ‘Whenever a document is notarized, the notary must indicate on the document the county in which the notarization is taking place’ (Notary Public Guide; 49 O.S. Sec. 6(A)). Moving to another county does not require a new bond or seal, though the address change must be reported in writing within thirty days.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Oklahoma.

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.