How to Become a Notary in Pennsylvania: 4-Year Term, Exam

How to become a notary public in Pennsylvania: a 4-year commission, a surety bond, a required course, an exam, remote online notarization — verified from Pennsylvania Department of State.

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Pennsylvania Department of State, Office of Notaries, Commissions and Legislation (older Department material and its own application page also call it the Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation and the 'Bureau of Notaries, Commissions & Legislation'). Notaries are appointed and commissioned by the Department of State. County offices hold a mandatory but non-issuing role: the Department sends the commission certificate to the recorder of deeds of the county where the appointee maintains an office, and the appointee must record the bond, oath of office and commission there and register an official signature before the commission takes effect. (official site) and last verified August 13, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

1) QUALIFY. Per the Department's Apply to be a Notary service page and 4 Pa. Code s. 167.11(b): be at least 18 years old; be a US citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States; be a resident of, or have a place of employment or practice in, Pennsylvania; be able to read and write English; and not be disqualified under 57 Pa.C.S. s. 323(a). 2) TAKE THE 3-HOUR EDUCATION COURSE FIRST, from a Department-approved provider, 'within the 6-month period immediately preceding submission of the application' (s. 167.11(b)(6)) - the course comes before the application, not after. Initial applicants take an approved BASIC education course; renewing applicants take approved CONTINUING education (s. 167.12(b)(6)). 3) APPLY, online at www.notaries.pa.gov or on the Department's paper form, with the $42 fee (4 Pa. Code s. 161.1). The Department's checklist: full first and last name (initials alone and nicknames are rejected), a check for $42.00 made payable to 'Commonwealth of Pennsylvania', and proof of the 3-hour education. Processing 'generally ranges from 2 to 4 weeks.' 4) PASS THE EXAMINATION, if you do not already hold a current unexpired Pennsylvania commission. You cannot sit before the Department approves the application: 'An applicant may not take the examination prior to submission of and approval by the department of an application for appointment' (s. 167.15(b)). Pearson VUE administers it, $65 per test, a scaled score of 75 or higher to pass, a 6-month window in which to pass, no more than one attempt per 24-hour period. 5) THE 45-DAY CLOCK - this is where Pennsylvania commissions most often die. Within 45 days after the appointment date and before performing any notarial act, the appointee must (s. 167.17(c)): obtain a $25,000 surety bond; take the constitutional oath of office; appear before the recorder of deeds in the proper county and RECORD the bond, oath and commission; and REGISTER the official signature in the proper county office. 'If the requirements are not completed within 45 days, your commission will be nullified, and you will need to reapply' - s. 167.18(a) makes it 'null and void.' 6) SIGNATURE REGISTRATION, specifically: the signature is registered with the prothonotary of the county where the notary maintains an office; in counties of the second class it is the clerk of courts; and 'Starting January 3, 2023, applicants may register their signature in the office of Recorder of Deeds instead of the Prothonotary or Clerk of Courts.' When registering, 'the notary public must sign the notary public's name exactly and only as it appears on the commission.' A later move of the business/office address to another county requires re-registering the signature in the new county within 30 days. 7) THE RECORDER RETURNS THE COMMISSION: 'After recording the bond, oath and commission, the recorder of deeds shall deliver the commission certificate to the notary public' (s. 167.17(d)). 8) OBTAIN THE OFFICIAL STAMP - required equipment, see seal_requirements. 9) TO NOTARIZE ELECTRONICALLY OR REMOTELY, file the separate notification at www.notaries.pa.gov and select approved technology provider(s); the Department charges no extra fee and requires no extra training for it. WATCH THE APPOINTMENT DATE, which is not always the first day of the commission: 'For new notaries, the appointment date and the first day of the four-year commission are the same date. For renewing notaries who have timely submitted their renewals prior to commission expiration, the appointment date and the first day of the next commission term will not be the same. The appointment date for renewing notaries will predate the first day of the next commission.' The 45-day clock runs from the appointment date shown at the top right of the NOTICE TO APPOINTEE.

Legal basis

Pennsylvania Department of State, Office of Notaries, Commissions and Legislation (older Department material and its own application page also call it the Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation and the ‘Bureau of Notaries, Commissions & Legislation’). Notaries are appointed and commissioned by the Department of State. County offices hold a mandatory but non-issuing role: the Department sends the commission certificate to the recorder of deeds of the county where the appointee maintains an office, and the appointee must record the bond, oath of office and commission there and register an official signature before the commission takes effect. commissions notaries public in Pennsylvania. Every figure below is verified against the commissioning authority’s own official pages and dated.

What it’s called

The credential is a COMMISSION, and Pennsylvania’s own agency is consistent about it: ‘Notaries public are appointed by the Pennsylvania Department of State and hold their positions for four-year terms’; ‘A notary commission is valid for four years from the date it is granted’; and 4 Pa. Code s. 167.2 defines ‘Appoint or appointment’ as ‘The naming of an individual to the office of notary public.’ The Department calls notaries ‘public officials’ - ‘Notaries are public officials who play a vital role in commerce and are on the front lines of deterring document fraud.’ Folk terms that name the same thing and appear in search: ‘Pennsylvania notary license’, ‘PA notary license’, ’notary certification’, ‘getting your notary’. None of these is the Commonwealth’s word - unlike New York, the Pennsylvania Department of State does NOT use ’license’ for the notary credential in any page read on 2026-08-13. ‘Notary seal’ and ’notary stamp’ are both current in Pennsylvania and now mean the same device: the regulation calls it the ‘official stamp’ and the Department notes the commission number ‘is now required on the official stamp of the notary (FORMERLY CALLED THE NOTARY SEAL)’ - while the required inscription still reads ‘Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - Notary Seal’. ‘Notary register’ is the old Pennsylvania word for the journal: ‘Formerly called the notary register, the notary journal is where the notary public records all notarial acts that the notary performs in chronological order.’ ’eNotary’ / ’electronic notary’ names the s. 167.81(1) notification for notarizing electronic records with the signer physically present; ‘remote online notary’ / ‘RON’ names the s. 167.81(2) notification for a remotely located signer - and Pennsylvania’s public database collapses both into a single flag, ’e-notary capable’. ‘RULONA’ is the local shorthand for the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, 57 Pa.C.S. Chapter 3, effective in Pennsylvania October 26, 2017. ‘Notary signing agent’ and ’loan signing agent’ are NOT Pennsylvania credentials and appear in no Pennsylvania source read for this record. ‘Notario publico’ is a false friend the Department warns about by name -.

Types of notary commission

Notary public commission (traditional / tangible records) — An individual 18 or older who is a US citizen or permanent legal resident, resides in Pennsylvania or has a place of employment or practice there, can read and write English, completes a 3-hour approved education course and passes the state examination Appointed by the Department of State for a 4-year term. 4 Pa. Code s. 167.41(a): ‘A notary public may perform the notarial acts authorized under 57 Pa.C.S. Chapter 3 … in any county in this Commonwealth’ - and s. 167.41(b) bars performing them outside Pennsylvania’s borders unless the other jurisdiction authorizes it. The Department’s service page states ‘more than 85,000 people are commissioned as notaries in the Commonwealth.’
Electronic notary public (notification to the Department, not a separate commission) — A commissioned Pennsylvania notary public who wants to notarize electronic records using tamper-evident technology, with the signer still physically present 4 Pa. Code s. 167.2 defines an ‘Electronic notary public’ as ‘A notary public who has notified the department that the notary public is performing notarial acts with respect to electronic records and who has notified the department of each electronic notarization technology provider the notary public intends to use.’ s. 167.81(1) requires that notification at www.notaries.pa.gov BEFORE acting. It is an add-on to the existing commission, not a replacement of it - the Department’s own steps document says the approval authorizes the notary ’to act as an electronic or remote notary until the end of the notary public’s current four-year commission’, and ‘Steps 1-6 are repeated at the beginning of each four-year commission.’ Electronic notarization has existed in Pennsylvania since January 30, 2006.
Remote notary public (notification to the Department, not a separate commission) — A commissioned Pennsylvania notary public who wants to notarize for a remotely located individual appearing by audio-visual communication technology 4 Pa. Code s. 167.2: ‘Remote notary public - A notary public who has notified the department that the notary public is performing notarial acts for a remotely located individual using communication technology and who has notified the department of each remote notarization technology provider the notary public intends to use.’ s. 167.81(2) requires the notification before acting. The Department uses ONE application form for both capabilities: ‘The same form is used for electronic notaries and remote notaries’, and ‘At this time, all communications state “electronic notarization,” regardless if remote notarization capabilities are sought.’ The Department’s public database flags such a notary as ’e-notary capable’, which ‘means that the notary has been authorized to use either an electronic notary solution or a remote notary solution or both’ - so the public flag does NOT distinguish the two.

Who can be commissioned

AGE: 18 or older (4 Pa. Code s. 167.11(b)(1); Department service page ‘Be at least 18 years old’). CITIZENSHIP/STATUS: ‘Be a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States’ (s. 167.11(b)(2)) - the Department’s public page phrases it ‘Be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal U.S. resident.’ NEXUS TO PENNSYLVANIA: ‘Be a resident of or have a place of employment or practice in this Commonwealth’ (s. 167.11(b)(3)). For a non-resident the regulation is specific: ‘If an applicant is not a resident of this Commonwealth, the applicant must have an office in this Commonwealth. The office must be maintained on an ongoing basis and at an established location in this Commonwealth. The applicant must be able to receive mail at the office address’ (s. 167.11(c)). LANGUAGE: ‘Be able to read and write English’ (s. 167.11(b)(4)). NOT DISQUALIFIED under 57 Pa.C.S. s. 323(a) (s. 167.11(b)(5)). INCOMPATIBLE OFFICES - the Department’s Notaries program page states you may NOT serve as a notary if you ‘Are a U.S. Congress member’; ‘Hold an office or appointment of profit or trust under the federal government’s legislative, executive, or judiciary departments for which you receive a salary, fees, or related benefits’; or ‘Are a Pennsylvania General Assembly member.’ (The Department’s shorter Apply service page lists only the two legislative bars; the fuller list is on the program page. Both were read on 2026-08-13 and both are recorded rather than resolved.) CHARACTER AND CRIMINAL HISTORY: the Department’s published ‘Common Reasons an Applicant Will Not be Issued a Commission’ are: not providing evidence of the required notary education course completed within six months before the application; ‘Submitting false or misleading information on the notary application’; ‘A history of criminal convictions related to fraud, dishonesty, or deceit’; ‘Any prior disciplinary actions against their notary commission, such as revocation or suspension’; and ‘Failure to pay the application fees or maintain a bond.’ The March 2026 regulations added ‘a new and comprehensive list of crimes that involve fraud, dishonesty or deceit and which may be a basis for discipline upon conviction or acceptance of accelerated rehabilitative disposition by the applicant or notary public.’ NAME RULES ARE AN ELIGIBILITY-LEVEL TRAP IN PENNSYLVANIA: the commissioned name must be first + middle (or initial) + last, first + last, or first initial + middle + last; ‘The name of a notary public may not consist of initials alone or nicknames’ (s. 167.14(a)-(b)); generational suffixes (Junior, Senior, II, III, IV) are allowed but professional titles (‘Doctor’, ‘Reverend’, ‘Esquire’) are not (s. 167.14(c)); and the notary must then perform every notarial act under exactly that form - ‘a notary commissioned as John R. Doe may not perform notarial acts as John Roe Doe or J. Roe Doe.’ NO ATTORNEY EXEMPTION EXISTS in Pennsylvania - unlike New York, Pennsylvania attorneys are not exempt from the examination or the education; the Department states flatly ‘There is no exemption to the mandatory education requirement.’

Requirements

QUALIFY. Per the Department’s Apply to be a Notary service page and 4 Pa. Code s. 167.11(b): be at least 18 years old; be a US citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States; be a resident of, or have a place of employment or practice in, Pennsylvania; be able to read and write English; and not be disqualified under 57 Pa.C.S. s. 323(a). 2) TAKE THE 3-HOUR EDUCATION COURSE FIRST, from a Department-approved provider, ‘within the 6-month period immediately preceding submission of the application’ (s. 167.11(b)(6)) - the course comes before the application, not after. Initial applicants take an approved BASIC education course; renewing applicants take approved CONTINUING education (s. 167.12(b)(6)). 3) APPLY, online at www.notaries.pa.gov or on the Department’s paper form, with the $42 fee (4 Pa. Code s. 161.1). The Department’s checklist: full first and last name (initials alone and nicknames are rejected), a check for $42.00 made payable to ‘Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’, and proof of the 3-hour education. Processing ‘generally ranges from 2 to 4 weeks.’ 4) PASS THE EXAMINATION, if you do not already hold a current unexpired Pennsylvania commission. You cannot sit before the Department approves the application: ‘An applicant may not take the examination prior to submission of and approval by the department of an application for appointment’ (s. 167.15(b)). Pearson VUE administers it, $65 per test, a scaled score of 75 or higher to pass, a 6-month window in which to pass, no more than one attempt per 24-hour period. 5) THE 45-DAY CLOCK - this is where Pennsylvania commissions most often die. Within 45 days after the appointment date and before performing any notarial act, the appointee must (s. 167.17(c)): obtain a $25,000 surety bond; take the constitutional oath of office; appear before the recorder of deeds in the proper county and RECORD the bond, oath and commission; and REGISTER the official signature in the proper county office. ‘If the requirements are not completed within 45 days, your commission will be nullified, and you will need to reapply’ - s. 167.18(a) makes it ’null and void.’ 6) SIGNATURE REGISTRATION, specifically: the signature is registered with the prothonotary of the county where the notary maintains an office; in counties of the second class it is the clerk of courts; and ‘Starting January 3, 2023, applicants may register their signature in the office of Recorder of Deeds instead of the Prothonotary or Clerk of Courts.’ When registering, ’the notary public must sign the notary public’s name exactly and only as it appears on the commission.’ A later move of the business/office address to another county requires re-registering the signature in the new county within 30 days. 7) THE RECORDER RETURNS THE COMMISSION: ‘After recording the bond, oath and commission, the recorder of deeds shall deliver the commission certificate to the notary public’ (s. 167.17(d)). 8) OBTAIN THE OFFICIAL STAMP - required equipment, see seal_requirements. 9) TO NOTARIZE ELECTRONICALLY OR REMOTELY, file the separate notification at www.notaries.pa.gov and select approved technology provider(s); the Department charges no extra fee and requires no extra training for it. WATCH THE APPOINTMENT DATE, which is not always the first day of the commission: ‘For new notaries, the appointment date and the first day of the four-year commission are the same date. For renewing notaries who have timely submitted their renewals prior to commission expiration, the appointment date and the first day of the next commission term will not be the same. The appointment date for renewing notaries will predate the first day of the next commission.’ The 45-day clock runs from the appointment date shown at the top right of the NOTICE TO APPOINTEE.

Training

Pennsylvania requires a training course.

REQUIRED, 3 HOURS, BEFORE YOU APPLY - and required again at every renewal. 57 Pa.C.S. s. 322(b) (basic education) and s. 322(c) (continuing education), implemented at 4 Pa. Code ss. 167.11(b)(6), 167.12(b)(6) and Subchapter I. The Department: ‘As a condition for initial appointment and reappointment, all notaries public are required to complete a three-hour preapproved notary public education course within six months immediately preceding application.’ FORMAT: ‘An approved notary education course may be comprised of either interactive or classroom instruction and must contain a core curriculum covering the duties and responsibilities of the notary office and electronic notarization.’ ‘Interactive education’ is defined at s. 167.91 to include ’live online webinars and asynchronous interactive online courses.’ TWO TIERS OF APPROVED COURSE: ‘Courses preapproved by the Secretary are designated as approved for initial appointment or approved for reappointment. All courses approved for initial appointment may be used to satisfy the education requirement for reappointment, in addition to the courses approved solely for reappointment. Courses approved for reappointment are more advanced in content and are designed to be relevant for the notary who has already completed the basic education course and has encountered more complicated documents and advanced notary issues in the course of a previous commission.’ PROOF: the provider issues a ‘certificate of education’ under s. 167.95, which the applicant submits; the Department audits it - ‘The Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation will conduct periodic notary public education audits by checking the applicant’s name against a class roster provided by the approved education provider to ensure the authenticity of the proof submitted.’ NO EXEMPTION, STATED EXPRESSLY: ‘There is no exemption to the mandatory education requirement. With the implementation of the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts on October 26, 2017, the exemption previously available for notaries whose commission was in effect on July 1, 2003, is abolished. All notaries public are required to complete an approved notary education course in order to be appointed or reappointed, including those notaries previously “grandfathered” by the Tritt v. Cortes court ruling.’ WHO MAY TEACH IT: providers must hold a Department certificate of approval for each course of study (s. 167.92), the certificate expires 3 years from issuance, and the Department charges the PROVIDER $1,013 for approval and $525 for renewal of approval (4 Pa. Code s. 161.1). COURSE PRICE TO THE STUDENT IS NOT SET BY THE STATE - no Pennsylvania source read on 2026-08-13 (4 Pa. Code Chapters 161, 163 and 167, the Department’s Mandatory Education Requirement page, its Application Information page and its Apply to be a Notary service page) fixes or caps what an approved provider may charge a notary applicant.

Exam

Pennsylvania requires an exam.

REQUIRED to become a notary, and required again at renewal ONLY if the commission has lapsed. 57 Pa.C.S. s. 322(a), implemented at 4 Pa. Code s. 167.15. WHO MUST TAKE IT: ‘All applicants for appointment and commission who do not hold a current and unexpired notary public commission at the time the application is received by the Department of State must pass an examination administered by the Department’s examination vendor, Pearson VUE. This includes applicants who have never held notary commissions and all applicants who previously held notary commissions but whose commissions have lapsed or expired at the time their application for reappointment is received by the Department, EVEN JUST FOR ONE DAY.’ The Department repeats the point in its application guidance: ‘Only applicants who apply while their commission is active are exempt from the examination - if a notary applies for reappointment even one day after his or her commission is expired, RULONA requires that the applicant take and pass the examination, even if the notary has already passed the examination previously.’ ORDER OF OPERATIONS: ‘An applicant may not take the examination prior to submission of and approval by the department of an application for appointment’ (s. 167.15(b)) - the application and its $42 fee come first, then Pearson VUE emails testing instructions. FORMAT AND DELIVERY: ‘a proctored computer-based examination’ (s. 167.2 definition of Examination), ‘offered at Pearson VUE test centers in nearly all Pennsylvania counties.’ ONLINE OPTION, ONE SHOT: the Department states that applicants get ‘a one-time attempt opportunity to take the examination requirement from their home/office. If the initial attempt produces a failed result, any subsequent testing must be taken at an approved Pearson VUE testing center location.’ COST: ‘The cost of the examination is $65 per test.’ PASSING SCORE: ‘An applicant shall attain a scaled score of 75 or higher to pass the examination’ (s. 167.15(d)(1)) - Pennsylvania publishes the number, unlike several pass/fail-only states. WINDOW AND RETAKES: ‘Upon approval by the department of an application for appointment, an applicant will be authorized to take the examination for a period of 6 months’ and ‘An applicant may retake the examination within the 6-month period, but no more than one time per 24-hour period’ (s. 167.15(c)). RESULT SHELF LIFE: ‘Examination results are valid for a period of 1 year from the date of the examination’ (s. 167.15(d)(2)). FAILING THE WINDOW: ‘Applicants who are unable to pass the examination within six months will be required to retake the basic education course and reapply for appointment and commission to the Department’ - a new course AND a new $42 application. CONTENT: ‘The examination is based on the basic education course of study, which must cover the statutes, regulations, procedures and ethics relevant to notarial acts, with a core curriculum including the duties and responsibilities of the office of notary public and electronic notarization.’ SCORING ROUTE: ‘Examination results will be electronically reported to the Department by Pearson VUE.’ NO EXEMPTION FOR ATTORNEYS OR ANY OTHER PROFESSION was found; tiers searched on 2026-08-13 were 4 Pa. Code ss. 167.11-167.15 and Subchapter I, the Department’s Examination Requirement page, its Application Information page and its Apply to be a Notary service page.

Your surety bond

REQUIRED: a $25,000 surety bond, recorded with the county recorder of deeds within 45 days of appointment. The amount CHANGED on March 28, 2026 - read the transitional rule before quoting a figure. 4 Pa. Code s. 167.16: ‘(b) Bond amount. An applicant shall obtain a surety bond in the amount of $25,000. (c) Transitional provision. A notary public who holds a commission on March 28, 2026, may continue to use the notary public’s bond until the expiration of that commission.’ The Department’s own summary of the change: ‘The bond amount is increased from $10,000 to $25,000. A notary public who holds a current commission on March 28, 2026 may continue to use the same bond until the expiration of that commission. All notaries newly appointed or reappointed on or after March 28, 2026 must obtain a $25,000 bond. Notaries whose commissions expire after March 28, 2026, but who timely applied for reappointment and were reappointed before March 28, 2026, will receive the form for the $10,000 bond. If a renewing notary receives the form for the $10,000 bond but wishes to obtain and record a bond in the amount of $25,000, they are welcome to do so.’ WHAT THE BOND IS: ‘Notary surety bonds are contracts wherein the surety (an insurance company authorized to do business in Pennsylvania) has agreed to pay losses, up to $25,000, caused by the failure of the notary public to faithfully perform the duties and responsibilities of a notary public. A surety bond is intended to protect the customer from financial loss, not the notary.’ It ‘must be executed by an insurance company authorized to do business in this Commonwealth; cover acts performed during the term of the notary public commission; and be in the form prescribed by the Department of State’, and ’the surety (and not the notary public) completes the bond form.’ A CONTINUING CONDITION, NOT A ONE-TIME STEP: ‘A notary public may perform notarial acts in this Commonwealth only during the period in which a valid bond is on file’, and ‘Failure to pay the application fees or maintain a bond’ is listed by the Department as a reason a commission is not issued. INDEMNITY: ‘a notary public must repay to the surety company any amount paid to the customer on the notary’s behalf.’ E&O INSURANCE IS NOT REQUIRED - the Department says so in terms: ‘Errors and omissions insurance is not required in order to obtain or maintain a Pennsylvania notary commission. A $25,000 bond is required to get and keep a Pennsylvania notary commission.’ A notary ‘may also wish to purchase’ E&O for the notary’s own protection; that is optional. DEADLINE: the bond must be executed and, together with the oath and commission, recorded at the recorder of deeds within 45 days of the appointment date - miss it and ’the commission becomes null and void and the notary will need to reapply for appointment to the Department of State and obtain a new bond.’ BOND PREMIUM COST IS NOT SET BY THE STATE: no Pennsylvania source read on 2026-08-13 (4 Pa. Code Chapters 161 and 167, the Department’s Bonding Requirement page and its fee pages) fixes what a surety may charge for the bond.

Fees

PAID TO THE COMMONWEALTH (4 Pa. Code s. 161.1, ‘Schedule of fees’, as amended March 27, 2026 effective March 28, 2026 at 56 Pa.B. 1672, read live 2026-08-13): ‘Application for appointment and commission as a notary public $42’; ‘Application for renewal of appointment and commission as a notary public $42’; ‘Copies (per page) $1’; ‘Master list of notaries public $50’; ‘Other notary public-related lists and data requests $25’; ‘Approval of notary public education course $1,013’; ‘Renewal of approval of notary public education course $525’ (the last two are charged to education PROVIDERS, not to notaries); and for certificates, ‘For certifying copies of any public papers or records on file with the office, the copy fee (if the office furnished the copy), plus $15’ and the same $15 ‘For certifying matters of public record with the office (including no record).’ The Department’s own pages confirm the $42: ‘An application fee of $42 is required’, and ‘Include a check in the amount of $42.00 made payable to the “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”’ PAID TO PEARSON VUE: ‘The cost of the examination is $65 per test.’ PAID TO A THIRD PARTY AND NOT SET BY THE STATE: the 3-hour approved education course (provider-priced); the surety premium for the $25,000 bond (surety-priced); the official stamp/stamping device; and any electronic or remote notarization technology - the Department’s steps document says ‘The notary and the selected electronic/remote notary technology provider work together directly to obtain and pay for an electronic/remote notary technology.’ PAID TO THE COUNTY: recording the bond, oath and commission with the recorder of deeds, and registering the official signature, are county filings; NO STATE SOURCE READ ON 2026-08-13 SETS THAT COUNTY RECORDING FEE - tiers searched were 4 Pa. Code ss. 161.1 and 167.17-167.18 and the Department’s Application Information, Bonding Requirement and Prothonotary and Recorder of Deeds Registration pages, none of which states an amount, and Pennsylvania recording fee schedules are set county by county. NO STATE FEE FOR THE ELECTRONIC/REMOTE NOTARY NOTIFICATION: the Department states the notice ‘does not require the payment of any additional fees or any additional training.’ NO FEE APPEARS IN s. 161.1 FOR A DUPLICATE COMMISSION OR FOR A NAME OR ADDRESS CHANGE - the amended schedule read on 2026-08-13 lists only the items quoted above.

How long the commission lasts, and renewing it

4 years. The Department states it three ways: ‘Notaries public are appointed by the Pennsylvania Department of State and hold their positions for four-year terms’; ‘A notary commission is valid for four years from the date it is granted’; and ‘The notary public commission expires four years after the date of appointment. At the end of that term, the notary public may be appointed to another four-year term. There is no limit to the number of consecutive terms that may be served.’ 4 Pa. Code s. 167.2 defines renewal as the process by which a notary ‘is reappointed and obtains another 4-year commission to the office of notary public.’ A PENNSYLVANIA-SPECIFIC TIMING TRAP: the APPOINTMENT date and the first day of the COMMISSION are not always the same date. ‘For new notaries, the appointment date and the first day of the four-year commission are the same date. For renewing notaries who have timely submitted their renewals prior to commission expiration, the appointment date and the first day of the next commission term will not be the same. The appointment date for renewing notaries will predate the first day of the next commission. The appointment date for both new and renewing notaries is the date at the top right of the NOTICE TO APPOINTEE, at the time it is emailed to the new and renewing notary public.’ The 45-day recording deadline runs from the appointment date, not from the first day of the term. Renewal is a REAPPOINTMENT: a fresh application, a fresh $42 fee, a fresh 3-hour education course - and, if the old commission has lapsed even by one day, the examination again. WINDOW: ‘A notary public must submit an application for renewal prior to the expiration of the commission under which the notary public is acting. A notary public may submit an application for renewal up to 90 days prior to the expiration of the commission under which the notary public is acting’ (4 Pa. Code s. 167.12(c)). The Department advises more margin than the rule requires: ‘Applications for reappointment should be filed at least two to three months prior to the expiration date of a commission to ensure an uninterrupted commission.’ WHAT RENEWAL REQUIRES (s. 167.12(b)): be 18 or older; be a US citizen or permanent legal resident; be a Pennsylvania resident or have a place of employment or practice there; read and write English; not be disqualified under 57 Pa.C.S. s. 323(a); ‘Have completed at least 3 hours of department-approved continuing education within the 6-month period immediately preceding submission of the application’; submit the prescribed form; and pay the $42 fee. THE LAPSE PENALTY IS THE HEADLINE FACT: s. 167.13(b) - an applicant ‘who previously held a notary commission in this Commonwealth, but the commission has expired at the time the application for renewal is received by the department, must comply with s. 167.11’, i.e. the full initial-appointment path INCLUDING the Pearson VUE examination. The Department states it plainly: ‘if a notary applies for reappointment even one day after his or her commission is expired, RULONA requires that the applicant take and pass the examination, even if the notary has already passed the examination previously.’ AFTER REAPPOINTMENT THE 45-DAY COUNTY CLOCK RUNS AGAIN: a renewing notary must again obtain and record a bond, take and record the oath, record the commission and register the official signature within 45 days of the appointment date, or the new commission is null and void. ELECTRONIC/REMOTE CAPABILITY DOES NOT CARRY OVER: the Department’s steps document ends ‘Steps 1-6 are repeated at the beginning of each four-year commission’, and 4 Pa. Code s. 167.81(3) requires the notification to the Department ‘at the beginning of each new commission.’ 3 HOURS PER FOUR-YEAR CYCLE - Pennsylvania is a continuing-education state, and the CE is a precondition to FILING the renewal, not something accrued during the term. 57 Pa.C.S. s. 322(c), implemented at 4 Pa. Code s. 167.12(b)(6): a renewing applicant must ‘Have completed at least 3 hours of department-approved continuing education within the 6-month period immediately preceding submission of the application, as required by 57 Pa.C.S. s. 322(c). The applicant shall submit a certificate of education evidencing successful completion of the continuing education course.’ The Department states it as one rule covering both directions: ‘As a condition for initial appointment and reappointment, all notaries public are required to complete a three-hour preapproved notary public education course within six months immediately preceding application’, and ‘New and renewing notaries must complete a mandatory three-hour educational course.’ THE COURSE IS TIERED, AND THIS IS THE PART MOST OFTEN GOT WRONG: ‘Courses preapproved by the Secretary are designated as approved for initial appointment or approved for reappointment. All courses approved for initial appointment may be used to satisfy the education requirement for reappointment, in addition to the courses approved solely for reappointment. Courses approved for reappointment are more advanced in content and are designed to be relevant for the notary who has already completed the basic education course.’ So a reappointment-only course does NOT satisfy an initial application, while an initial-appointment course DOES satisfy a reappointment. NO EXEMPTION EXISTS: ‘There is no exemption to the mandatory education requirement … All notaries public are required to complete an approved notary education course in order to be appointed or reappointed, including those notaries previously “grandfathered” by the Tritt v. Cortes court ruling.’ The pre-RULONA exemption for notaries whose commission was in effect on July 1, 2003 was abolished when RULONA took effect on October 26, 2017. THE 6-MONTH WINDOW IS THE TRAP, not the hour count: a course taken seven months before the renewal application does not count, and the Department lists ‘Not providing evidence of having completed the required notary education course within six months before the application’ first among the reasons a commission is not issued.

Your seal or stamp

AN OFFICIAL STAMP IS REQUIRED, and its required CONTENT changed on March 28, 2026 - a stamp ordered against the old spec is now short one line. 4 Pa. Code s. 167.21(b): the official stamp ‘must be rectangular in shape and show clearly all of the following information in the following order: (1) The words “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania-Notary Seal.” (2) The name of the notary public as it appears on the commission and the words “Notary Public.” (3) The name of the county in which the notary public maintains an office. (4) The date the notary public’s current commission expires. (5) The seven-digit commission identification number assigned by the department.’ The Department’s plain-language summary of the change: ‘The seven-digit commission identification number assigned by the Department is now required on the official stamp of the notary (formerly called the notary seal).’ The Department’s published compliant example: ‘Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - Notary Seal / Jane Q. Doe, Notary Public / Dauphin County / My commission expires May 19, 2026 / Commission number 1234567’. SIZE: ‘a rubber stamp seal which must have a maximum height of 1 inch and a width of 3 1/2 inches with a plain border’, and ‘The size of the stamp remains the same’ under the new rules. ABBREVIATIONS: ‘A word or term on the official stamp may not be abbreviated, except for name suffixes’ (s. 167.21(c)). TRANSITIONAL: ‘A notary public who holds a commission on March 28, 2026, may continue to use the notary public’s official stamp until the expiration of that commission’ (s. 167.21(d)); ‘All notaries newly appointed or reappointed on or after March 28, 2026 must use the new seal format.’ EMBOSSER: optional and never a substitute - ‘Notaries may use an embosser in addition to the rubber stamp seal. However, the embosser is optional and may not replace the rubber stamp seal’, and s. 167.22(b) states ‘A stamping device may not be a non-inking embosser.’ PLACEMENT: ‘a notary public must ensure that the rubber stamp seal is stamped in a prominent place on the notarial certificate near the notary public’s signature in such a manner as to be capable of photographic reproduction.’ CUSTODY: ‘The stamping device is the exclusive property of the notary public. The notary public shall maintain sole custody and control of the stamping device at all times during the duration of the notary public’s commission. The notary public shall keep the physical stamping device in a secure location and accessible only to the notary public. The notary public shall secure an electronic stamping device by a password or other means of personal authentication’ (s. 167.22(c)). A notary ‘may keep more than one stamping device for the same commission’ (s. 167.22(d)). MISUSE: ‘The use of a notary public seal by a person who is not the notary public on the seal will be deemed an impersonation of a notary public and the individual will be subject to criminal penalties.’ END OF COMMISSION - DESTROY IT: ‘Upon resignation or on the expiration of the date set forth in the stamping device or on the death or adjudication of incompetency of a notary public, the notary public or the notary’s personal representative shall disable the stamping device by destroying, defacing, damaging, erasing or securing it against use in a manner which renders it unusable.’ DO NOT MAIL IT IN, except on discipline: ‘DO NOT send your old notary stamp to the Department unless your commission has been suspended or revoked or if you have been instructed or ordered to do so’ - and s. 167.22(f) requires an individual whose commission has been suspended or revoked to ‘deliver the stamping device to the department within 15 days after notice of the suspension or revocation.’ LOST OR STOLEN: written or email notice to the Department within 15 days of discovery, where ’loss’ expressly includes devices ‘misplaced, destroyed or otherwise made unavailable’ and ’theft’ includes ‘compromised security and unauthorized access’ (s. 167.22(e)).

Keeping a journal

Pennsylvania requires a notary journal.

REQUIRED OF EVERY PENNSYLVANIA NOTARY, for every notarial act - not only for electronic or remote acts. 57 Pa.C.S. s. 319, implemented in detail at 4 Pa. Code Subchapter D (ss. 167.31-167.36). The Department: ‘Formerly called the notary register, the notary journal is where the notary public records all notarial acts that the notary performs in chronological order.’ FORMAT: ‘A journal may be created on a tangible medium or in an electronic format. A notary public may maintain a separate journal for tangible records and for electronic records. If the journal is maintained on a tangible medium (i.e. on paper), it must be a bound register with numbered pages. If the journal is maintained in an electronic format, it must be in a tamper-evident electronic format complying with the regulations of the Department at 4 Pa. Code s. 167.34.’ The binding rule is unusually specific: ‘The cover and pages inside the cover must be bound together by any binding method that is designed to prevent the insertion, removal or substitution of the cover or a page. This includes smyth sewing or stitching, glue, staples, grommets or another permanent binding, but does not include the use of tape, paperclips or binder clips’; page numbers and entry numbers ‘must be preprinted’ (s. 167.33). ENTRY CONTENTS, made contemporaneously with the act: ‘The date and time of the notarial act’; ‘A description of the record, if any, and type of notarial act’; ‘The full name and full address (street and number, city and state) of each individual for whom the notarial act is performed’; ‘If identity of the individual is based on personal knowledge, a statement to that effect’; ‘If identity of the individual is based on satisfactory evidence, a brief description of the method of identification and any identification credential presented, including the date of issuance and expiration of an identification credential’; and ‘The fee charged by the notary public.’ MECHANICS: each notarial act ‘must be indicated as a separate entry’, ‘Blank lines between journal entries must be stricken’, and ‘Each entry in a journal shall be completed fully, with no blank spaces or boxes’ (s. 167.32(b)-(c)). WAIVED FEES MUST STILL BE SHOWN: ‘If a notary public waives the right to charge a fee, the notary public shall indicate this fact in the journal entry using notations such as “n/c” (no charge), “0” (zero) or “-” (dash)’ (s. 167.32(f)). WHAT MUST NOT GO IN - a Pennsylvania-specific prohibition: ‘A journal may not contain any personally identifiable information about an individual appearing before the notary public’, including ‘any part of a Social Security number, full driver’s license number or government-issued nondriver identification card number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name or biometric records’, and linked information ‘such as medical, educational, financial and employment information’ (s. 167.32(d)). Optional entries include the signer’s signature and ‘Terminal numbers of identification credentials, including the last four digits of a driver’s license or passport’ (s. 167.32(e)). FRONT-MATTER REQUIREMENT: each journal must carry the notary’s commissioned name, commission number, commission expiration date, office address and signature; ‘A statement that, in the event of the death or incompetency of the notary public, the journal shall be delivered within 30 days to the office of the recorder of deeds in the county where the notary public last maintained an office’; and the meaning of any uncommon abbreviation or symbol used (s. 167.31(a)). CUSTODY: ‘a notary public shall maintain custody and control of the journal at all times during the duration of the notary public’s commission. The journal is the exclusive property of the notary public. The notary public shall keep the journal in a secure location and accessible only to the notary public. The notary public shall secure an electronic journal by a password or other means of personal authentication’ (s. 167.35(a)). Loss or theft: written or email notice to the Department within 15 days of discovery (s. 167.35(b)). PUBLIC INSPECTION - Pennsylvania makes the journal openly inspectable: ‘A notary public shall permit inspection of the journal to any person requesting to view the journal. The request for inspection may be oral or in writing. The inspection shall occur in the presence of the notary public’ (s. 167.36(a)). Certified copies of specified entries or periods must be provided ‘within 15 days of receipt of the request’ (s. 167.36(b)). RETENTION AND DISPOSITION - PARTIAL, AND FLAGGED AS SUCH: the regulations repeatedly cross-reference 57 Pa.C.S. s. 319(e), (g) and (g.1) for delivery of the journal to the recorder of deeds and for certified copies, and s. 167.31(a)(2) fixes the 30-day delivery duty on death or incompetency. THE STATUTORY RETENTION PERIOD IN 57 Pa.C.S. s. 319 ITSELF WAS NOT READ AND IS NOT ASSERTED HERE: palegis.us, the General Assembly’s statute publisher, refused every connection on 2026-08-13 from the local vantage (plain automated access and a browser-imitating client, TCP connect timeout) and from the US-runner vantage (ConnectTimeout), and the Internet Archive availability API returned HTTP 429, so no archived copy could be obtained when this page was last verified either. What IS sourced live is the 10-year retention of the audio-visual RECORDING of a remote notarization (4 Pa. Code s. 167.86(6) and the Department’s remote-notarization guidance) - that is the recording, not the journal, and the two must not be conflated.

Online (remote) notarization

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

AUTHORIZED AND PERMANENT, and Pennsylvania keeps ELECTRONIC and REMOTE notarization as two distinct capabilities - the Department opens its own page by insisting on the difference: ‘It is important to understand the difference between electronic notarization and remote notarization. Electronic notarization (eNotarization) involves documents that are notarized in electronic form … But all other elements of a traditional paper notarization apply to electronic notarization, INCLUDING THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE SIGNER TO APPEAR PERSONALLY (PHYSICALLY) BEFORE THE NOTARY.’ HISTORY, WITH DATES: ‘Both electronic and remote notarization are permitted in Pennsylvania. The electronic notarization program was established on January 30, 2006. Remote notarization came in phases, beginning temporarily for limited transactions on March 25, 2020 and culminating with Act 97 of 2020, effective October 29, 2020. Act 97 made remote online notarization a permanent part of Pennsylvania law.’ (The Department’s separate remote-notarization guidance dates the temporary authorization from April 20, 2020 under Act 15 of 2020; both Department statements are recorded and neither is silently preferred.) REGISTRATION IS A NOTIFICATION, NOT A SECOND COMMISSION AND NOT A FEE: 4 Pa. Code s. 167.81 - ‘Prior to acting as a remote notary public, a notary public shall notify the department electronically at www.notaries.pa.gov that the notary public will be performing notarial acts for a remotely located individual using communication technology and shall identify each technology the notary public intends to use.’ The Department: ‘Notice is given to the Department in an online form provided by the Department and does not require the payment of any additional fees or any additional training.’ The notification must be repeated ‘with the addition or deletion of each electronic or remote notarization technology provider during the course of a notary public’s commission and at the beginning of each new commission.’ APPROVED VENDORS ONLY - Pennsylvania does approve technology, unlike New York: ‘A remote notary public shall use a remote notarization technology provider approved by the department’ (s. 167.82); the Department publishes a List of Approved Electronic and Remote Notarization Solution Providers, and warns ‘Skype, Zoom and FaceTime alone are NOT acceptable remote notarization technologies.’ A vendor must apply to the Department, describe its hardware and software and demonstrate the technology (s. 167.85). TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS (s. 167.86): simultaneous sight and sound; reasonable accommodations for vision, hearing or speech impairment; ’two types of processes or services by which a third person provides a remote notary public with a means to verify the identity of the remotely located individual’, which ‘may include the use of credential analysis, dynamic knowledge-based authentication, biometrics or other means of identification’; an audiovisual recording of ALL interactions during the act; retention of that recording ‘for a period of 10 years as designated by the remote notary public or enable the remote notary public to download and retain the audiovisual recording’; tamper-evidence; inclusion of all s. 167.21 official-stamp information in or securely attached to the record; verification of the notary’s name, commission number and expiration date with the Department before offering the technology; and suspension of the technology for any notary whose commission has expired or been revoked or suspended. IDENTITY, per the Department’s guidance: personal knowledge, the testimony of a credible witness, or at least two identity-proofing technologies or services - and ‘The identity of a witness must be determined in the same manner as the identity of the remotely located customer.’ CERTIFICATE WORDING: ‘The notarial certificate must disclose that the notarization was conducted using communication technology. This requirement is satisfied by using the following statement: “This notarial act involved the use of communication technology.”’ LOCATION: ‘The notary public must be in Pennsylvania at the time of the notarial act. The notarial certificate will reflect the county where the notary is physically located at the time of the notarization. The remotely located individual may be in Pennsylvania, another state or U.S. territory or possession, or in a foreign country. If the individual is not within the United States, the notarial act must relate to a record that will be used before a U.S. court or agency or will relate to property located in the U.S. or to a transaction substantially connected with the U.S. The signing of the document or making the statement must also not be prohibited by the law of the foreign country in which the individual is located. The failure to satisfy these requirements may provide grounds to challenge the validity of the notarial act, but the law does not impose any obligation on the notary public to ensure that foreign laws are not violated.’ PUBLIC FLAG, AND ITS LIMIT: ‘The notary will not show as “e-notary capable” on the Department’s searchable public database until the remote technology solution vendor provides the notary with authorization to use its services and notifies the Department that the vendor has done so. The term “e-notary capable” on the database means that the notary has been authorized to use either an electronic notary solution or a remote notary solution or both’ - so the database flag does not tell you which of the two a given notary may do. CAPABILITY IS TERM-BOUND: the approval authorizes the notary to act ‘until the end of the notary public’s current four-year commission’, and the whole notification-and-vendor sequence is repeated at the start of each new commission.

What you may charge

CAPPED BY REGULATION, and the schedule was re-adopted with one new line on March 28, 2026. 4 Pa. Code s. 167.3(a) - ‘The maximum fees that notaries public may charge for notarial acts may not exceed’: taking acknowledgement, per name of the first individual making the acknowledgment in the certificate, $5; taking acknowledgement, per each additional name in the same certificate, $2; administering an oath or affirmation, per individual taking it, $5; taking a verification on oath or affirmation, per individual making the declaration, $5; witnessing or attesting a signature, per signature, $5; certifying or attesting a copy or deposition, per certified copy, $5; noting a protest of a negotiable instrument, per page, $3. ELECTRONIC/REMOTE SURCHARGE: s. 167.3(b) - ‘In addition to the fees authorized in subsection (a), electronic notaries public and remote notaries public may charge a fee in an amount not to exceed $20 per notarial act performed with respect to electronic records or using communication technology.’ WHAT CHANGED IN 2026, in the Department’s own words: ‘The maximum fees which notaries public may charge for notarial acts remain unchanged, but a new fee of $5 (per signature) has been added for the notarial act of witnessing or attesting a signature. In addition, the new rules allow electronic notaries public and remote notaries public to charge a fee not to exceed $20 per notarial act performed with respect to electronic records or using communication technology.’ HARD CAP: ‘A notary public must not charge or receive a notary public fee in excess of the fees fixed by the Department.’ RECEIPTS ARE MANDATORY WHENEVER A FEE IS CHARGED: s. 167.3(c) - ‘A notary public shall provide an itemized receipt for all fees charged by the notary public.’ The Department’s guidance is explicit about the edge cases: ‘If the notary does not charge any fees related to the notarization, no receipt is necessary. If the notary does charge fees related to the notarization, a receipt is required … There is no exception to this rule - the Department intends that receipts are part of the notarial process, when fees are charged. This is intended to protect the consumer. The customer may discard the receipt if they do not want or need it’, and ’the notary public is not required to keep a copy of receipts issued to customers for the notary’s own records.’ DISCLOSURE: ‘If a notary charges fees, the notary must display the fees in a conspicuous place in the notary’s place of business or provide fees, upon request, to any person utilizing the services of the notary.’ WHOSE MONEY IT IS: ‘Notary fees are presumed to be the property of the notary public and do not belong to or be received by the entity that employs the notary public, unless mutually agreed by the notary public and the employer.’ TRAVEL AND CLERICAL CHARGES ARE PERMITTED BUT UNCAPPED: ‘Notaries public may charge a clerical or administrative fee for services they have provided related to the notarial act, such as copying documents, postage, travel and telephone calls. These clerical or administrative fees are not set by the Department. Such clerical or administrative fees must be customary and reasonable for the geographic area and for the service rendered. Customers should be informed prior to the notarization of a document if a clerical fee is being charged in addition to any notarial fees … Clerical and administrative fees, if charged, must be separately itemized in the notary journal and included on the receipt.’ NO-FEE ACTS: s. 167.3(d) - no fee for ’notarizing the supporting affidavit required in an Emergency Absentee Ballot or the affidavit of a person needing assistance to vote using an absentee ballot’; and s. 167.3(e) - no fee ‘when other applicable law dictates that no fee may be charged. For example, see 51 Pa.C.S. s. 9101 (relating to acknowledgments and administering oaths without charge).’ A notary may always waive the fee, and must then record the waiver in the journal entry.

Who does NOT need a commission — exemptions

NO PROFESSIONAL EXEMPTION FROM BECOMING A NOTARY EXISTS IN PENNSYLVANIA. Attorneys, judges and public officials get no pass from the 3-hour education, the examination, the bond or the county recording: the Department states ‘There is no exemption to the mandatory education requirement’, and the examination rule turns solely on whether the applicant holds a current unexpired Pennsylvania commission, not on the applicant’s profession. Tiers searched on 2026-08-13: 4 Pa. Code Chapter 167 as published (Subchapters A through K), Chapter 161, Chapter 163, and the Department’s Notaries program page, Apply to be a Notary service page, Application Information, Examination Requirement, Mandatory Education Requirement, Bonding Requirement and Prothonotary and Recorder of Deeds Registration pages. THE EXEMPTIONS THAT DO EXIST ARE FEE EXEMPTIONS, NOT CREDENTIAL EXEMPTIONS: 4 Pa. Code s. 167.3(e) bars charging a notarial fee ‘when other applicable law dictates that no fee may be charged. For example, see 51 Pa.C.S. s. 9101 (relating to acknowledgments and administering oaths without charge)’ - Pennsylvania’s military-code provision - and s. 167.3(d) bars any fee for notarizing the Emergency Absentee Ballot supporting affidavit or the affidavit of a person needing assistance to vote using an absentee ballot. WHEN PERSONAL APPEARANCE IS NOT REQUIRED (an exemption from a duty, not from the credential), 4 Pa. Code s. 167.42(b): personal appearance ‘Is not required when a notary public is certifying or attesting a copy or deposition’, and ‘Is not required when a notary public is administering an oral oath or affirmation in a criminal, civil or administrative proceeding in this Commonwealth, as long as the notary public and the individual taking the oath or affirmation are able to hear and communicate with each other by means of electronic devices such as telephones, computers or video cameras.’ Otherwise personal appearance means the parties are ‘Physically present before each other’, ‘Able to observe and interact with each other’, and able to see, hear, communicate with and give identification credentials to each other ‘without the use of electronic devices’ - except in a properly conducted remote notarization under 57 Pa.C.S. s. 306.1. A SEPARATE CREDENTIAL PENNSYLVANIA NOTARIES OFTEN ADD, WHICH THE COMMISSION DOES NOT INCLUDE: ‘After being appointed by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, some notaries public may wish to be able to process certain Pennsylvania Department of Transportation documents, such as titles, registrations and tags. These notaries public must apply for agent services status with the Regulated Client Services Section of PennDOT’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles.’ That PennDOT agent status is applied for separately and is not part of the notary commission. GEOGRAPHIC LIMIT, NOT AN EXEMPTION: ‘A notary public may perform the notarial acts authorized under 57 Pa.C.S. Chapter 3 in any county in this Commonwealth’, but ‘Notaries public may not perform the notarial acts authorized under 57 Pa.C.S. Chapter 3 outside the geographical borders of this Commonwealth or in other states or jurisdictions, unless authorized by the other state or jurisdiction to perform the acts’ (s. 167.41). WHAT WAS NOT LOCATED, AND IS THEREFORE NOT ASSERTED: which other officers (judges, clerks of court, recorders of deeds) qualify as ’notarial officers’ able to take acknowledgments in Pennsylvania without a notary commission is defined in 57 Pa.C.S. ss. 302 and 304, which could not be read on 2026-08-13 because palegis.us refused every connection from two vantages and no archived copy was obtainable.

How to apply

Applications are handled by Pennsylvania Department of State, Office of Notaries, Commissions and Legislation (older Department material and its own application page also call it the Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation and the ‘Bureau of Notaries, Commissions & Legislation’). Notaries are appointed and commissioned by the Department of State. County offices hold a mandatory but non-issuing role: the Department sends the commission certificate to the recorder of deeds of the county where the appointee maintains an office, and the appointee must record the bond, oath of office and commission there and register an official signature before the commission takes effect.. Start at the official application page .

Verify a license in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Department of State, Office of Notaries, Commissions and Legislation publishes a public license search , searchable by Not enumerated – www.notaries.pa.gov refused every fetch attempted for this record on 2026-08-13. Plain curl to https://www.notaries.pa.gov/Pages/NotarySearch.aspx returned HTTP 500 carrying an interstitial that reads ‘The URL you requested has been blocked … Error Code 3759’, and scripts/us_vantage_fetch.py returned the same HTTP 500 from the US-runner vantage, so the live field list could not be read. The Department of State links this exact URL as ‘Search Notaries’ from https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/notaries and reaches the same system from its Apply to be a Notary service page.. It covers Commissioned Pennsylvania notaries public. The Department’s Apply to be a Notary service page presents the same system under the heading ‘Verify your commission status’, and states that ‘more than 85,000 people are commissioned as notaries in the Commonwealth.’ ONE PUBLISHED FIELD IS DOCUMENTED EVEN THOUGH THE PORTAL WOULD NOT LOAD: the Department’s remote-notarization guidance states ‘The notary will not show as “e-notary capable” on the Department’s searchable public database until the remote technology solution vendor provides the notary with authorization to use its services and notifies the Department that the vendor has done so. The term “e-notary capable” on the Department’s database means that the notary has been authorized to use either an electronic notary solution or a remote notary solution or both’ – so the database carries an e-notary-capable flag that does NOT distinguish electronic authority from remote authority. The same host serves the application system (https://www.notaries.pa.gov/Pages/Home.aspx ) and a separate commission status check (https://www.notaries.pa.gov/Pages/CheckStatus.aspx) . A SECOND, OFFLINE VERIFICATION ROUTE EXISTS BY DESIGN IN PENNSYLVANIA: every notary’s bond, oath of office and commission are recorded with the recorder of deeds of the county where the notary maintains an office, and the official signature is registered with the prothonotary, the clerk of courts (counties of the second class) or the recorder of deeds of that county, so the county record is a primary check on a Pennsylvania notary’s commission and signature.

Records come from Pennsylvania Department of State, Office of Notaries, Commissions and Legislation’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 do you become a notary public in Pennsylvania?

Six steps, in this order. (1) Take a 3-hour notary education course from a Department-approved provider - it must be completed within the six months immediately before you apply, so the course comes first. (2) Apply to the Pennsylvania Department of State, online at notaries.pa.gov or on paper, with the $42 fee and your certificate of education. (3) Pass the Pearson VUE examination ($65, scaled score of 75 or higher) - you cannot sit for it until the Department approves your application, and you then have six months to pass. (4) Get a $25,000 surety bond from an insurance company authorized to do business in Pennsylvania. (5) Take the constitutional oath of office. (6) Within 45 days of your appointment date, record the bond, oath and commission with the recorder of deeds of the county where you maintain an office, and register your official signature in that county. Miss the 45 days and the commission is null and void - you start over with a new application and a new fee.

What does a Pennsylvania notary commission cost?

The state charges $42 for the application and $42 for each renewal (4 Pa. Code s. 161.1). Pearson VUE charges $65 per examination attempt. Three further costs are real but not set by the state: the 3-hour approved education course (provider-priced), the premium on the $25,000 surety bond (surety-priced) and the official stamp. Recording the bond, oath and commission is a county filing, and no state source read on 2026-08-13 fixes that county amount. Adding electronic or remote notarization capability costs nothing extra to the state - the Department says the notification ‘does not require the payment of any additional fees or any additional training’ - though the technology vendor sets its own price.

Does Pennsylvania require a notary bond, and how much is it now?

Yes: $25,000, and the amount changed recently. 4 Pa. Code s. 167.16(b) requires a $25,000 surety bond, up from $10,000. The transitional rule matters: a notary who held a commission on March 28, 2026 ‘may continue to use the same bond until the expiration of that commission’, while everyone newly appointed or reappointed on or after that date must obtain the $25,000 bond. The bond protects your customers, not you - ‘A surety bond is intended to protect the customer from financial loss, not the notary’ - and you must repay the surety anything it pays out on your behalf. Errors and omissions insurance is a separate, optional product: the Department states ‘Errors and omissions insurance is not required in order to obtain or maintain a Pennsylvania notary commission.’

Does a Pennsylvania notary have to take the exam again at renewal?

Only if the commission has lapsed - and the rule is literal. The Department: ‘Only applicants who apply while their commission is active are exempt from the examination - if a notary applies for reappointment even one day after his or her commission is expired, RULONA requires that the applicant take and pass the examination, even if the notary has already passed the examination previously.’ 4 Pa. Code s. 167.13 sends a lapsed applicant back through the full initial-appointment path. You may file the renewal up to 90 days before expiry, and the Department advises filing two to three months out to keep the commission uninterrupted.

Does Pennsylvania require notary continuing education?

Yes - 3 hours of Department-approved continuing education completed within the six months immediately before you file each renewal application (4 Pa. Code s. 167.12(b)(6); 57 Pa.C.S. s. 322(c)). The six-month window is the part people miss: a course taken seven months before you file does not count, and ‘Not providing evidence of having completed the required notary education course within six months before the application’ is the first reason the Department lists for refusing a commission. Note the course tiers too - courses approved for initial appointment also satisfy reappointment, but courses approved only for reappointment do not satisfy an initial application. There is no exemption, not for attorneys and not for notaries grandfathered before RULONA.

What has to be on a Pennsylvania notary stamp?

Since March 28, 2026 the official stamp must be rectangular and show, in this order: the words ‘Commonwealth of Pennsylvania-Notary Seal’; your name exactly as it appears on your commission plus the words ‘Notary Public’; the county where you maintain an office; the date your current commission expires; and the seven-digit commission identification number assigned by the Department (4 Pa. Code s. 167.21(b)). The commission number is the new element. Size is unchanged - a maximum height of 1 inch and a width of 3 1/2 inches with a plain border - and no word may be abbreviated except a name suffix. An embosser is optional and can never replace the stamp; a non-inking embosser may not be used as the stamping device at all. A notary who held a commission on March 28, 2026 may keep using the old stamp until that commission expires.

Does a Pennsylvania notary have to keep a journal, and can the public see it?

Yes to both. Every Pennsylvania notary must journal every notarial act, either on paper in a bound register with preprinted page and entry numbers, or in a tamper-evident electronic format meeting 4 Pa. Code s. 167.34. Each entry records the date and time, a description of the record and the type of act, the full name and street address of each person served, how you identified them (personal knowledge, or the credential presented with its issue and expiration dates), and the fee charged - with a waived fee written as ’n/c’, ‘0’ or a dash. Pennsylvania then adds two rules many states do not: the journal may NOT contain personally identifiable information such as any part of a Social Security number, a full driver’s license number, date and place of birth or biometric records; and ‘A notary public shall permit inspection of the journal to any person requesting to view the journal’, in your presence, on an oral or written request. Certified copies of entries must be provided within 15 days.

Can a Pennsylvania notary notarize remotely, and how is that different from eNotarization?

Both are allowed, and Pennsylvania insists they are different things. Electronic notarization (since January 30, 2006) means the document is electronic - but ‘all other elements of a traditional paper notarization apply to electronic notarization, including the requirement for the signer to appear personally (physically) before the notary.’ Remote notarization means the signer appears by audio-visual communication technology; it became permanent with Act 97 of 2020, effective October 29, 2020. For either, you first notify the Department at notaries.pa.gov and identify each technology you will use, then select a provider from the Department’s approved list - ‘Skype, Zoom and FaceTime alone are NOT acceptable.’ You must be physically in Pennsylvania during the act, the certificate must state ‘This notarial act involved the use of communication technology’, and the audio-visual recording is kept for ten years. The capability lasts only to the end of your current four-year commission and must be re-notified at the start of each new one.

How much can a Pennsylvania notary charge?

The Department of State caps it by regulation (4 Pa. Code s. 167.3): $5 for taking an acknowledgment for the first named individual and $2 for each additional name in the same certificate; $5 for administering an oath or affirmation; $5 for taking a verification on oath or affirmation; $5 for witnessing or attesting a signature (this line is new as of March 28, 2026); $5 for certifying or attesting a copy or deposition; and $3 per page for noting a protest of a negotiable instrument. Electronic and remote notaries may add up to $20 per act performed on an electronic record or using communication technology. Clerical and administrative charges - copying, postage, travel, telephone calls - are allowed, are NOT capped by the Department, must be ‘customary and reasonable’ and must be disclosed before the notarization. Whenever any fee is charged, an itemized receipt is mandatory, with no exceptions.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Pennsylvania.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: August 13, 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.