How to Become a Notary in Rhode Island — Requirements & Fees

How to become a notary public in Rhode Island: remote online notarization — verified from Rhode Island Department of State.

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division - Notary Public Section (the "commissioning agency"); the Governor of Rhode Island is the "commissioning officer" who appoints notaries (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 R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 42-30.1-15 (see eligibility). 2) Learn the powers and duties: the Department of State says that before submitting the application an applicant 'should' review the notary manual, RIGL Chapter 42-30.1 and the Standards of Conduct, attend the free RI Notary Public Training, and 'Take the Notary Knowledge Assessment and achieve a score of at least 80%' (Apply for a New Commission page, Step 1). 3) Complete the two-page Application for/Renewal of Appointment to Office of Notary Public (form rev. 4/2025) - typed, both pages, original (not digital) signatures, no photocopies. 4) Declare the notarial signature that will be used on all notarial acts (initials alone and nicknames are not accepted; prefixes such as 'Doctor', 'Reverend' or 'Esquire' may not be used). 5) Answer the misconduct and criminal-conviction questions required by RIGL Sec. 42-30.1-16. 6) Appear before a Rhode Island Notary Public to take the Oath of Office on the form; the administering notary completes the notarial certificate on the application. 7) Attorneys must enclose a copy of an unexpired RI Bar Association membership card and give their Bar number; CPAs must enclose a copy of an unexpired card from the RI Board of Accountancy and give their certificate number. 8) Mail or hand-deliver the application with the $80 fee to the Business Services Division/Notary, 148 West River Street, Providence, RI 02904 - 'We cannot accept applications via email.' Processing is 3-5 business days and the commission certificate arrives by mail (the application form's instructions say 'in approximately one week').

Legal basis

Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division - Notary Public Section (the “commissioning agency”); the Governor of Rhode Island is the “commissioning officer” who appoints notaries commissions notaries public in Rhode Island. Every figure below is verified against the commissioning authority’s own official pages and dated.

What it’s called

The statutory noun is ’notary public’, and what the state issues is a ‘commission’ - R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 42-30.1-2 defines ‘Commission’ as ‘both to empower to perform notarial acts and the written evidence of authority to perform those acts’, and the application is an ‘Application for/Renewal of Appointment to Office of Notary Public’. Folk terms: ’notary license’ and ’notary certification’ are commonly used by the public; Rhode Island issues neither - the Department of State’s own documents use ‘commission’, ‘appointment’ and ‘Office of Notary Public’. ‘Notary signing agent’ / ’loan signing agent’ is a private vendor credential, not issued or recognised by the Department of State; nothing in the Manual, the Standards of Conduct or the application form addresses it. ‘Justice of the Peace’ names a different Rhode Island commission (Chapter 42-30), not a notary. ‘Notario publico’ is barred in Rhode Island: the Standards of Conduct as reproduced in the Manual (p.9) say ‘A notary public, other than an attorney licensed to practice law in this state, may not use the term “notario” or “notario publico”’, and a non-attorney notary who advertises notarial services must include the statement ‘I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in this state. I am not licensed to draft legal records, give advice on legal matters, including immigration, or charge a fee for those activities.’

Types of notary commission

Notary Public commission (traditional / tangible records) — Rhode Island residents; non-residents who have a place of employment or practice in Rhode Island; and Rhode Island Bar members or Rhode Island-certified CPAs in good standing (who are exempt from the residency requirement) Four-year term. Appointed by the Governor; the commission certificate bears the facsimile signatures of the Governor and the Secretary of State and is issued with a pocket card showing the notary’s name, expiration date and identification number (Notary Public Manual, rev. 7/2024, p.5). Jurisdiction is statewide only: RI notaries ‘may NOT perform notarial acts outside of the State of Rhode Island’ (Manual p.3).
Electronic notarization authority (added to an existing commission by registration) — A currently commissioned RI notary public who wants to notarize electronic records while the signer is physically present ‘Prior to performing e-notarizations, the notary must register with the Rhode Island Department of State and identify the technology they intend to use’ (Manual p.8, citing RIGL 42-30.1-14). The SOS distinguishes it from RON: ‘Electronic Notarization involves the notary and signer physically being in each other’s presence’ (Remote Online Notarization Performance Guide, FAQ). Registration is by the Notary Public Information Update form; changes to electronic-notarization status must be reported within 5 days (Manual p.4).
Remote Online Notarization (RON) authority (added to an existing commission by registration) — A currently commissioned RI notary public who wants to notarize for a remotely located individual over audio-video technology Requires a separate registration naming an approved solution provider and supplying exemplars of the electronic signature and electronic stamp; the notary must ‘await confirmation from the RI Department of State via email before notarizing remotely’ (RON Performance Guide, ‘Before You Begin’).
NOT a notary credential - Justice of the Peace (separate commission, same office) — Separate applicants; administered by the same Department of State Notary Section A distinct four-year, $80 commission under R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 42-30, not Chapter 42-30.1. The Department’s own page states ‘Justices of the Peace do not have the power to perform marriage ceremonies in Rhode Island.’ The state’s public lookup is a combined ‘NOTARY PUBLIC AND JUSTICE OF THE PEACE (JP) STATUS LOOKUP’. Listed here so the two commissions are not confused; this record covers the Notary Public commission.

Who can be commissioned

Per the Department of State’s published requirements list (Apply page and Notary Public Manual p.4, tracking R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 42-30.1-15): be at least eighteen (18) years of age; be a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States; be a resident of, or have a place of employment or practice in, Rhode Island; be able to read and write English (the application form’s attestation says ’they can speak, read and write the English language’); not be disqualified to receive a commission under RIGL Sec. 42-30.1-16; and demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the powers and duties of the office. Residency alternative: ‘Attorneys and CPAs in good standing with the RI Bar Association or RI Board of Accountancy are exempt from the residency requirement.’ Criminal history is not an automatic bar: under RIGL Sec. 42-30.1-16(a)(3) the commissioning officer may deny, refuse to renew, revoke, suspend or condition a commission for ‘A conviction of the applicant or notary public of any crime that involves fraud, dishonesty, or deceit’ but ‘shall consider such factors as the seriousness of the crime; whether the crime relates directly to the training and skills needed for the commission of a notary public; how much time has elapsed since the crime was committed; and the applicant’s actions and conduct since the crime was committed’ (quoted in full in the Manual, p.5). Other listed grounds include false statements on the application, adverse findings in disciplinary or legal proceedings based on fraud/dishonesty/deceit, false or misleading advertising, denial or revocation of a notary commission in another state, and termination of RI bar admission or a certificate of public accountancy.

Requirements

Meet the qualifications in R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 42-30.1-15 (see eligibility). 2) Learn the powers and duties: the Department of State says that before submitting the application an applicant ‘should’ review the notary manual, RIGL Chapter 42-30.1 and the Standards of Conduct, attend the free RI Notary Public Training, and ‘Take the Notary Knowledge Assessment and achieve a score of at least 80%’ (Apply for a New Commission page, Step 1). 3) Complete the two-page Application for/Renewal of Appointment to Office of Notary Public (form rev. 4/2025) - typed, both pages, original (not digital) signatures, no photocopies. 4) Declare the notarial signature that will be used on all notarial acts (initials alone and nicknames are not accepted; prefixes such as ‘Doctor’, ‘Reverend’ or ‘Esquire’ may not be used). 5) Answer the misconduct and criminal-conviction questions required by RIGL Sec. 42-30.1-16. 6) Appear before a Rhode Island Notary Public to take the Oath of Office on the form; the administering notary completes the notarial certificate on the application. 7) Attorneys must enclose a copy of an unexpired RI Bar Association membership card and give their Bar number; CPAs must enclose a copy of an unexpired card from the RI Board of Accountancy and give their certificate number. 8) Mail or hand-deliver the application with the $80 fee to the Business Services Division/Notary, 148 West River Street, Providence, RI 02904 - ‘We cannot accept applications via email.’ Processing is 3-5 business days and the commission certificate arrives by mail (the application form’s instructions say ‘in approximately one week’).

Training

Rhode Island does not require a training course.

No mandatory pre-appointment education. The Department of State offers ‘free RI Notary Public Training’ and lists attending it among the things an applicant ‘should’ do before applying (Apply for a New Commission page, Step 1) - it is not stated as a condition of appointment, and the application form (rev. 4/2025) says only that ‘applicants should take notary training and the notary knowledge assessment.’ The statutory qualification is worded as an outcome, not a course: ‘Demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the powers and duties of the office.’ A side note published by the Department: ‘RI attorneys and CPAs can earn two continuing education credits by attending our free notary public training’ - that is professional CE for those licensees, not a notary requirement. Tiers searched for a mandatory-education rule on 2026-08-12: the Notary Public Manual (rev. 7/2024), the Standards of Conduct for Notaries Public (effective 9/22/2022), the application form (rev. 4/2025), the Apply for a New Commission page and the Become an Electronic/Remote Notary page. R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 42-30.1 itself could not be fetched.

Exam

Rhode Island does not require an exam.

Rhode Island has no proctored licensing examination for notaries public. What exists is the Department of State’s own ‘Notary Knowledge Assessment’, described in the Notary Public Manual (p.4) as ‘a multi-question tool available on our website to help notaries fullfil the requirement of demonstrating sufficient knowledge of the powers and duties of the Office. It is available on our website as well as in paper form. A score of 80% or higher demonstrates sufficient knowledge of the powers and duties of the Office. Notaries who receive a score of less than 80% are strongly encouraged to review the notary manual and if necessary, take the assessment again.’ The Apply for a New Commission page lists, under things an applicant ‘should’ do, ‘Take the Notary Knowledge Assessment and achieve a score of at least 80%.’ Neither the application form nor the apply page requires a score to be submitted or attached; the application instead carries an attestation that the applicant ‘ha[s] gained sufficient knowledge of the powers and duties pertaining to the Rhode Island Office of Notary Public.’ Classified ’not-required’ on that basis (self-administered, no score filed, no stated consequence below 80%) - a verifier should test this classification first. There is no fee for the assessment separate from the $80 application fee. Separately, for RON the state says outright: ‘Do I need training or have to take a test? You do not have to take a test’ (RON Performance Guide FAQ). A notary who renews more than 30 days after expiration ‘is considered a new notary applicant for qualification purposes’ and ‘must meet all new notary filing requirements. This includes demonstrating sufficient knowledge of the powers and duties pertaining to the office by taking the Notary Knowledge Assessment’ (Manual p.4).

Bond & insurance

Rhode Island does not require a notary surety bond, and does not require errors-and-omissions insurance. Sourced negative, tiers searched on 2026-08-12: (a) the Notary Public Manual (rev. 7/2024, 24 pages) - no bond or insurance requirement appears anywhere, and the ‘NOTARY TOOLS’ section lists only the stamp (required) and a journal (recommended); (b) the Standards of Conduct for Notaries Public (effective 9/22/2022, 11 pages) - the words ‘bond’ and ‘insurance’ appear zero times in the document text; (c) the application/renewal form (rev. 4/2025) - the only money item is ‘Filing Fee: $80.00 (Four year commission)’, with no bond attachment or bond-number field, and no oath-and-bond filing step; (d) the Apply for a New Commission page - Step 6, ‘Purchase your notary tools’, lists only a stamp and (optionally) a journal; (e) the Become an Electronic/Remote Notary page and the RON Performance Guide - no bond or E&O for the RON registration either. Not searched directly: the text of R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 42-30.1, because the Rhode Island General Assembly statute server was unreachable on 2026-08-12.

Fees

State fees published by the Rhode Island Department of State, verified 2026-08-12 on both the live application form and the live apply page (they agree exactly): NEW COMMISSION - $80.00, non-refundable, for a four-year commission (‘Filing Fee: $80.00 (Four year commission)’ on the form; ‘The non-refundable fee to apply is $80’ on the apply page). RENEWAL - the same $80 form and fee; the form is a single ‘Application for/Renewal of Appointment’ with a New/Renewing checkbox. PAYMENT - ‘payable either by mail via check made payable to RI Department of State or in person via cash, credit card, or check at the Business Services Division, 148 W. River Street, Providence, RI 02904.’ ELECTRONIC / REMOTE ONLINE NOTARIZATION REGISTRATION - no state fee: the Become an Electronic/Remote Notary page states ‘There is no fee to file this form’ for the Notary Public Information Update form used to register. APOSTILLE / CERTIFICATION of a notary’s signature - ‘$5.00 per apostille or certification being requested’ (Manual p.21). NOT state fees: the notary stamp and journal - ‘The Rhode Island Department of State does not sell or issue notary tools’; the RON/eNotary solution-provider subscription, which is bought from a private approved provider. No county recording fee applies: the commission is issued and recorded by the Department of State, and nothing in the manual, form or apply page routes the commission through a city or town clerk.

How long the commission lasts, and renewing it

4 - ‘In RI, notaries public are issued four-year commissions’ (Apply page) and ‘Each notary public is appointed by the Governor for a term of four years’ (Manual p.5). The term runs from the date of commission, not from the application date: the form’s instructions say ‘Your term will expire four years from the date of commission.’ For a timely renewal the Department preserves the original expiration day and month; for a late renewal ’the effective commission date will be the date the application is received by our office’ (Manual p.4). Renewal is a reappointment on the same $80 four-year application form, with the existing commission ID number entered. ‘Approximately two months prior to the notary commission expiration date, a courtesy renewal notice is mailed to the notary’s address of record.’ ‘NOTE: Renewal applications will ONLY be processed two months prior to the expiration date’ - so there is no early renewal beyond that two-month window. Filing before the expiration date keeps the same expiration day and month; filing after it resets the expiration date. Grace period: ‘Per RI General Law 42-30.1-15(g) Every notary public appointed by the commissioning officer and not reappointed may continue to officiate for a space of thirty (30) days after the date on which his or her commission expires.’ After 30 days the person ‘is no longer a notary public and cannot perform notarial acts’, and a renewal filed after that point is treated as a new application, including taking the Notary Knowledge Assessment. A renewing notary keeps the original notary ID number. (All quotes: Notary Public Manual rev. 7/2024, p.4.) Separately, notaries must report changes of name, address, employment, phone, email, or public-listing preference within 10 days, and changes to electronic-notarization status within 5 days, using the Notary Public Information Update form. None. Rhode Island imposes no continuing-education requirement on notaries public for renewal: the renewal path is the same $80 application form with the commission ID number, and the Department’s renewal instructions (Notary Public Manual p.4, Apply for a New Commission page) state no hour requirement. The only education-hour item the Department publishes runs the other way: ‘RI attorneys and CPAs can earn two continuing education credits by attending our free notary public training’ - i.e. the notary training earns CE for those professions rather than being CE required of notaries. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: Notary Public Manual (rev. 7/2024), Standards of Conduct (eff. 9/22/2022), application/renewal form (rev. 4/2025), Apply for a New Commission page, Become an Electronic/Remote Notary page, RON Performance Guide. R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 42-30.1 was not readable.

Your seal or stamp

An inked stamp is mandatory for every notarization. ‘Rhode Island General Law requires the use of a notary stamp when notarizing documents’ and ‘Notaries public must use their notary stamp with every notarization’ (Manual pp.7-8). Specification, stated identically in the Standards of Conduct Sec. 3(d) and on the apply page: the stamp must be inked; be round (circular) or rectangular; have an edge border surrounding the required elements; contain the notary’s name exactly as it appears on the commission; and contain the words ‘NOTARY PUBLIC’ and ‘RHODE ISLAND’. Optional elements: ‘The stamp may also include the notary’s identification number and commission expiration date.’ No ink colour and no dimensions are specified in the Manual, the Standards of Conduct or the apply page (tiers searched 2026-08-12). Embossers: permitted only if made reproducible - ‘For notaries who have an embosser and wish to continue using it, they must render the seal with the ability to be photocopied and/or scanned. This may be accomplished through the use of a pre-inked seal highlighter.’ Ownership: ‘A notary’s stamp is the exclusive property of the notary; it may not be used by any other person’, and a notary who is an employee ‘must keep their stamp and journal under their control at all times and not surrender them to anyone, including an employer.’ Lost or damaged stamp: ‘immediately deliver written notice of that fact to the Rhode Island Department of State’, and again on recovery or replacement. End of commission: ‘Upon the expiration, voluntary resignation, or revocation of a commission, all notaries, as soon as is practical, must destroy or deface all seals or stamps so that they may not be used’; on the death of a notary the personal representative must do the same. Name change: report within 10 days on the Notary Public Information Update form - the Department’s sources read on 2026-08-12 do not separately state a deadline for replacing the stamp after a name change. For electronic and remote notarizations the notary uses an electronic stamp and electronic signature issued through the approved solution provider, exemplars of which must be filed with the Department before use.

Keeping a journal

Rhode Island recommends a journal but does not require one.

Not required by law. ‘RI general law does not mandate that notaries use a journal of notarial acts’ (Manual p.7); Standards of Conduct Sec. 3(e): ‘The keeping of a journal is recommended as best practice but not required’; apply page: ‘Although a notary journal is not required by law, it is strongly suggested that you use one.’ A journal is defined as ‘a permanently bound book that creates and preserves a chronological record of notarizations performed by a notary public.’ If a notary elects to keep one, the Standards say it should record: the date and time of the act; the type of notarial act; the type, title or description of the document (a single entry suffices for multiple documents signed by the same principal in one transaction, e.g. a real-estate closing); the signature, printed name and address of each principal and witness; a description of the satisfactory evidence of identity (personally known; or ID type, issuing agency, serial number and issue/expiration date - writing ‘SSN’ instead of a Social Security number; or a notation that a credible witness or personal knowledge was used); the fee, if any, charged; and the circumstances of any act not completed. ‘A notary public should not record a Social Security or credit card number in the journal.’ Retention: if a journal was kept, ’the notary should retain the journal and records for seven years after the date of expiration, resignation or revocation’ (Standards Sec. 7(b)); on the notary’s death the personal representative should preserve it for seven years. Nothing surrenders the journal to the state. For remote online notarization the Department’s own procedure includes a journal step - ‘The notary completes their electronic journal entry, stating they used RON’ (RON Performance Guide, step 8) - and separately requires that the audio-video ‘recording must be kept by the notary public for at least ten (10) years’ (step 3).

Online (remote) notarization

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

Rhode Island authorizes remote online notarization and requires a separate registration on top of the traditional commission. Authority: Standards of Conduct for Notaries Public Sec. 8, ‘Authority to Perform Secure Remote Online Notarization’, in the instrument endorsed by Governor Daniel J. McKee and Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea and made ‘EFFECTIVE AS OF SEPTEMBER 22, 2022’ (the Standards’ own history line records the earlier versions: Executive Order 09-08 of 4/9/2009, supplemented by Executive Order 09-25 of 10/1/2009, amended 11/18/2009, amended and restated 1/1/2019, and again in 2020). Sec. 8(a): ‘a notary public commissioned under Rhode Island laws may perform a notarization for a remotely located individual not in the physical presence of the notary if: (1) the remotely located individual and the notary public can communicate simultaneously by sight and sound through an electronic device or process at the time of the notarization.’ The Department also grounds RON in R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 42-30.1. REGISTRATION (no fee): apply or renew as a traditional RI notary; read the updated Standards of Conduct; contract with one of the approved solution providers listed on the Department’s website; complete any training the provider gives; file the Notary Public Information Update form with a copy of the digital stamp and digital signature issued by the provider; and ‘Await confirmation from the RI Department of State via email before notarizing remotely.’ The Become an Electronic/Remote Notary page states ‘There is no fee to file this form’ and publishes a table of 20+ approved providers. TECHNOLOGY: an approved provider is mandatory - ‘Electronic and remote notarizations cannot be performed using technology such as FaceTime, Zoom, WebEx, etc.’; the subscription ‘must include both an electronic signature and electronic notary stamp’; a digital certificate ‘is not required by the State of Rhode Island but may be required by the solution provider’. IDENTIFICATION: government photo ID plus Knowledge Based Authentication facilitated by the provider. RECORDING: ‘The recording must be kept by the notary public for at least ten (10) years.’ PAPER DOCUMENTS ARE ALLOWED: the signer signs in full view of the notary on camera and ‘mails the signed document to the notary public within 30 days of the remote online notarization’; the notary then completes the certificate and affixes the inked stamp, and ‘The official date and time of the notarization shall be the date and time when the notary public witnesses the signature via the electronic devices’ (Standards Sec. 8(d)-(e); RON Guide p.2). SIGNER OUTSIDE RHODE ISLAND: permitted only if the record is intended for filing with, or relates to a matter before, a court, governmental entity, public official or other entity subject to US jurisdiction, or involves property in the US or a transaction substantially connected to the US, and the notary has no actual knowledge that the act is prohibited where the signer is located. NO EXTRA CHARGE ALLOWED: ‘The maximum fee for any notarial act is $25, whether the notarization is performed in person or remotely.’ NOTE the RI naming: ‘Electronic Notarization involves the notary and signer physically being in each other’s presence’ - it is a separate registration concept from RON, and both are filed on the same update form.

What you may charge

$25.00 maximum per document/notarization, in person or remote. ‘A notary public may charge a fee not to exceed $25 per document/notarization. All fees must be posted in a conspicuous place in the notary’s place of business or upon request, fees must be disclosed to any person utilizing the services of the notary’ (Notary Public Manual, rev. 7/2024, p.6, stated as ‘Pursuant to the Standards of Conduct for Rhode Island Notaries’). Confirmed independently for remote work in the Remote Online Notarization Performance Guide FAQ: ‘The maximum fee for any notarial act is $25, whether the notarization is performed in person or remotely.’ No differentiated caps by act type appear in either source. TRAVEL FEES: not addressed. Searched on 2026-08-12 in the Notary Public Manual, the Standards of Conduct (effective 9/22/2022), the RON Performance Guide, the application form and the Apply for a New Commission page - none mentions travel, mileage or a separate service fee, so no Rhode Island rule on travel fees is claimed here.

Who does NOT need a commission — exemptions

WHO CAN PERFORM NOTARIAL ACTS IN RHODE ISLAND WITHOUT A RHODE ISLAND NOTARY COMMISSION, per sources read 2026-08-12: (1) Federal and military notarial officers under 10 U.S.C. Sec. 1044a, which the Notary Public Manual (p.6) reproduces - ‘All judge advocates, including reserve judge advocates when not in a duty status; All civilian attorneys serving as legal assistance attorneys; All adjutants, assistant adjutants, and personnel adjutants, including reserve members when not in a duty status;’ military-department and Coast Guard employees so designated for acts performed outside the US; other designated members of the armed forces; and ‘All civilian paralegals serving at military legal assistance offices, supervised by a military legal assistance counsel.’ Their powers ‘include the administration of oaths and affirmations, administering acknowledgments and certifying copies.’ (2) US consular and Foreign Service notarizing officers under 22 U.S.C. Sec. 4221 and designated Department of State employees, whose authority ‘shall not include the authority to perform authentications, to notarize patent applications, or take testimony in a criminal action or proceeding pursuant to a commission issued by a court in the United States, but shall otherwise encompass all notarial acts.’ (3) Justices of the Peace, who hold a separate four-year Rhode Island commission under R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 42-30 (application fee also $80) and appear alongside notaries in the Department’s combined public lookup; the Department states that ‘Justices of the Peace do not have the power to perform marriage ceremonies in Rhode Island.’ ACTS A RHODE ISLAND NOTARY MAY NOT DO, so no notary is needed: certifying a translation (‘A notary public has no authority to certify translations’), and certifying a copy of a vital record or of a publicly recordable document available as a certified copy from an official source. Tiers searched: the Notary Public Manual (rev. 7/2024), the Standards of Conduct (eff. 9/22/2022), the application form (rev. 4/2025) and the Department’s notary and Justice of the Peace pages. R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 42-30.1 itself, which would carry any further ex officio list (clerks, judges), could not be fetched on 2026-08-12 - no claim is made about court clerks or judges either way.

How to apply

Applications are handled by Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division - Notary Public Section (the “commissioning agency”); the Governor of Rhode Island is the “commissioning officer” who appoints notaries. Start at the official application page .

Verify a license in Rhode Island

Rhode Island Department of State (Business Services Division) publishes a public license search , searchable by notary or JP name, commission/notary ID number, in-person notary service (find a notary) or online (remote) notary service (find a notary). It covers Headed ‘NOTARY PUBLIC AND JUSTICE OF THE PEACE (JP) STATUS LOOKUP’. The Department describes it as a tool ’to verify that a Notary Public or JP has an active commission or to find a notary to perform notarial services’, and it separates ‘Looking for a notary? Select your preferred type of notary service’ (in-person vs online) from ‘Need to verify an active Notary Public or Justice of the Peace commission? Select your preferred search method.’ The Department’s application form points renewing notaries to it to retrieve their commission ID number, and a notary may opt in to have their name and email address published in the lookup so the public can find notary services.

Records come from Rhode Island Department of State (Business Services Division)’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 much does it cost to become a notary public in Rhode Island?

$80, non-refundable, for a four-year commission. The Department of State’s application form states ‘Filing Fee: $80.00 (Four year commission)’ and its Apply for a New Commission page states ‘The non-refundable fee to apply is $80.’ Payment is by check or money order payable to the RI Department of State by mail, or cash, credit card or check in person at 148 W. River Street, Providence. The state charges nothing extra to register for electronic or remote online notarization - ‘There is no fee to file this form.’ The notary stamp is bought separately: ‘The Rhode Island Department of State does not sell or issue notary tools.’

Does Rhode Island require a notary bond or errors-and-omissions insurance?

No. Neither a surety bond nor E&O insurance is required. The words ‘bond’ and ‘insurance’ do not appear in the Standards of Conduct for Notaries Public (effective 9/22/2022), the 24-page Notary Public Manual carries no bond requirement, the application form (rev. 4/2025) has no bond field and lists only the $80 filing fee, and the Department’s ‘Purchase your notary tools’ step lists only a stamp and an optional journal. E&O insurance is a private product some notaries buy voluntarily; Rhode Island does not require it.

Is there a Rhode Island notary exam?

There is no proctored licensing examination. The Department of State publishes a self-administered ‘Notary Knowledge Assessment’ online and on paper, and its Apply page tells applicants to ‘Take the Notary Knowledge Assessment and achieve a score of at least 80%.’ The Manual explains that the assessment exists ’to help notaries fullfil the requirement of demonstrating sufficient knowledge of the powers and duties of the Office’ and that ‘A score of 80% or higher demonstrates sufficient knowledge’; notaries scoring below 80% ‘are strongly encouraged to review the notary manual and if necessary, take the assessment again.’ No score is filed with the application - the application instead carries an attestation of sufficient knowledge. For remote online notarization the state says plainly: ‘You do not have to take a test.’

How long is a Rhode Island notary commission, and how do I renew it?

Four years, running from the date of commission. The Department mails a courtesy renewal notice about two months before expiration, and ‘Renewal applications will ONLY be processed two months prior to the expiration date.’ Renewing on the same $80 form before the expiration date keeps the same expiration day and month and the same notary ID number; renewing later resets the expiration date to the receipt date. Under RIGL 42-30.1-15(g) a notary who is not reappointed ‘may continue to officiate for a space of thirty (30) days after the date on which his or her commission expires’ - after that the person is no longer a notary, and a renewal filed more than 30 days late is treated as a brand-new application, including retaking the Notary Knowledge Assessment.

Can a Rhode Island notary perform remote online notarizations?

Yes, after a separate free registration. Section 8 of the Standards of Conduct (effective September 22, 2022) authorizes notarizing for a remotely located individual where the signer and notary ‘can communicate simultaneously by sight and sound through an electronic device or process at the time of the notarization.’ Before the first remote act the notary must contract with one of the Department’s approved solution providers, complete that provider’s training, file the Notary Public Information Update form with exemplars of the electronic stamp and signature, and wait for email confirmation from the Department. Zoom, FaceTime and WebEx may not be used. The audio-video recording must be kept for at least ten years. Paper documents can be notarized remotely if the signer mails the signed original to the notary within 30 days. The $25 fee cap applies the same as in person.

Does a Rhode Island notary have to keep a journal?

No. Section 3(e) of the Standards of Conduct says ‘The keeping of a journal is recommended as best practice but not required’, and the Manual states ‘RI general law does not mandate that notaries use a journal of notarial acts.’ The state strongly recommends one anyway and, if a notary keeps one, sets out what should be recorded (date and time, act type, document description, each principal’s and witness’s signature, printed name and address, the evidence of identity, and any fee charged) with a warning not to record Social Security or credit card numbers. A journal that was kept should be retained for seven years after the commission expires, is resigned or is revoked. For remote online notarizations the Department’s own procedure includes completing an electronic journal entry stating that RON was used.

What must a Rhode Island notary stamp look like?

It must be inked and used on every notarization. The stamp must be round (circular) or rectangular with an edge border, and must contain the notary’s name exactly as it appears on the commission plus the words ‘Notary Public’ and ‘Rhode Island’. It may also carry the notary’s ID number and commission expiration date. An existing embosser may still be used only if the impression is made photocopiable and scannable, for example with a pre-inked seal highlighter. The stamp belongs to the notary, not the employer, and must be destroyed or defaced when the commission ends.

How much can a Rhode Island notary charge per notarization?

No more than $25 per document/notarization, and the same cap applies to remote online notarizations. Fees ‘must be posted in a conspicuous place in the notary’s place of business or upon request, fees must be disclosed to any person utilizing the services of the notary.’ The Department’s sources do not address travel or mileage charges.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Rhode Island.

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.