How to Become a Notary in South Carolina — Requirements & Fees

How to become a notary public in South Carolina: a 10-year commission — verified from official sources.

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from South Carolina Secretary of State's Office (the Secretary commissions notaries and keeps their oaths of office on file; the Governor appoints, and the applicant's county legislative delegation must endorse the application first) (official site) and last verified August 12, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

1) Qualify under S.C. Code Sec. 26-1-15: be a registered voter in South Carolina, be able to read and write English, and submit an application containing no significant misstatement or omission of fact. 2) Complete the paper Application/Renewal for Notary Public (the Secretary's form; version fetched 2026-08-12 is NP_Application_3.18.26.pdf). 'Legibly type or print all information on Page 2 prior to signing in the presence of a notary public. Print and sign your name on Page 2 exactly as you will each time you notarize documents in the future.' The form asks for name, home street address (you must be a registered voter at that address), county, mailing address, last four digits of the Social Security number, sex, date of birth, voter registration number, telephone, e-mail, and a certification checkbox that 'I hereby certify that I can read and write the English language.' 3) Take the constitutional oath of office printed on the application, sworn to and subscribed before another South Carolina notary public - 'The application must be signed with pen and ink and the signature of the applicant must be acknowledged by a person authorized to administer oaths (Sec. 26-1-40). The date of your signature and the date of the notarization must match. You cannot notarize your own signature on the application.' 4) Choose a payment method on Page 3 - the $25 statutory fee by credit/debit card (a $1.43 SC.GOV service fee applies), check, money order or cash. 5) MAIL ALL PAGES to your COUNTY LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION OFFICE (addresses are printed on Page 5 of the application) - or to the SC House of Representatives, P.O. Box 11867, Columbia, SC 29211-1867, if your county has no delegation office. 6) The delegation verifies your voter registration and ENDORSES the application (Page 4). Sec. 26-1-20 lets each county delegation choose its own endorsement method: one-half of the delegation members, or the senator and representative of the applicant's district; Sec. 26-1-25 also allows the delegation chair or secretary to sign on a legislator's behalf. 7) The delegation forwards the application to the Secretary of State, who issues and mails the commission. 'The application process can take anywhere from 2-12 weeks, depending on the county in which the applicant resides.' 8) AFTER the commission is issued, ENROLL IT WITH THE CLERK OF COURT of the county where you live: 'Within fifteen days after he has been commissioned, a notary public must exhibit his commission to the clerk of the court of the county in which he resides and be enrolled by the clerk' (Sec. 26-1-50). The Manual adds: 'Generally, you will be asked to provide photo identification and a fee when you enroll... however, there is no penalty for late enrollment.' 9) Buy a seal (see seal_requirements). TO ADD ELECTRONIC NOTARIZATION, separately: register through the Online Notary Portal, watch the educational video, pass the online test, select an approved technology vendor, pay $50, and print the electronic notarial certificate.

Legal basis

South Carolina Secretary of State’s Office (the Secretary commissions notaries and keeps their oaths of office on file; the Governor appoints, and the applicant’s county legislative delegation must endorse the application first) commissions notaries public in South Carolina. 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 the credential is a COMMISSION - Sec. 26-1-5(4) defines ‘Commission’ as ’the empowerment to perform notarial acts and the written evidence of authority to perform those acts’, and Sec. 26-1-5(10) makes a South Carolina notary ‘a public officer of the State of South Carolina’. ‘Notary license’ and ’notary certification’ are folk terms; South Carolina issues neither. ‘Electronic notary public’ is the statutory name for the add-on registration, and the Secretary of State’s own shorthand for it is IPEN (in-person electronic notarization) - do not read that as remote online notarization, which South Carolina does not have. ‘Notary signing agent’ and ’loan signing agent’ are private vendor credentials with no standing in South Carolina; worse than merely unrecognised, the Secretary’s own application form lists ‘performing a real estate or mortgage loan closing’ among examples of the unauthorized practice of law by a non-attorney notary. ‘Notario publico’ is prohibited outright: ‘A notary may not use the term “notario publico” or any equivalent non-English term in any business card, advertisement, notice, or sign’ (Sec. 26-1-90(L)), and a non-attorney notary advertising in a language other than English must publish, in English and in the advertising language, ‘I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, AND I MAY NOT GIVE LEGAL ADVICE OR ACCEPT FEES FOR LEGAL ADVICE’, together with the Sec. 26-1-100 fee schedule (Sec. 26-1-90(I)).

Types of notary commission

Notary Public commission (traditional / paper records) — South Carolina residents who are registered voters in the State. ‘South Carolina law does not allow out-of-state residents to become South Carolina notaries public, even if they are employed within the State of South Carolina’ (SC Notary Public Reference Manual and SOS FAQ). Ten-year term - the longest of any US notary commission. ‘The Governor may appoint from the qualified electors as many notaries public throughout the State as the public good requires, to hold their offices for a term of ten years’ (S.C. Code Sec. 26-1-10). Jurisdiction is statewide (Sec. 26-1-80). A South Carolina notary is ‘a public officer of the State of South Carolina’ (Sec. 26-1-5(10)).
Electronic Notary Public registration (added to an existing commission) — An already-commissioned South Carolina notary public who wants to notarize electronic records IN-PERSON ONLY - the Secretary of State calls it IPEN: ‘Electronic notarization, also known as IPEN, requires that the notary public and the signer must be in the presence of one another when the notarization takes place.’ The statute agrees: an electronic notary ‘shall perform an electronic notarization only if the principal appears in person before the electronic notary public at the time of notarization’ (Sec. 26-2-50(A)(1)). Registration carries a $50 fee (Sec. 26-2-20(A)) and requires an approved course AND a passing examination (Sec. 26-2-30), both delivered through the Online Notary Portal. The registration runs ‘as long as the notary public’s current commission remains valid’ (Sec. 26-2-20(B)).
NOT AVAILABLE in South Carolina - Remote Online Notarization (RON) — n/a South Carolina has no remote online notarization authority. The word ‘remote’ does not appear anywhere in Title 26, Chapter 2 (the Electronic Notary Public Act), Title 26 contains only four chapters (1 Notaries Public, 2 Electronic Notaries Public, 3 Uniform Recognition of Acknowledgments Act, 6 Uniform Electronic Transactions Act), and the Secretary of State’s live notaries page describes electronic notarization as requiring the parties to be ‘in the presence of one another’. Sec. 26-1-90(C)(1) forbids a notarial act where the ‘principal or subscribing witness is not in the notary’s presence at the time the notarial act is performed’.
Ancillary authority - marriage ceremonies — Any South Carolina notary public Not a separate credential, but an unusual power: ‘Pursuant to S.C. Code of Laws Sec. 20-1-20, a person authorized to administer oaths in South Carolina may perform marriage ceremonies. This includes notaries public’ (SC Notary Public Reference Manual, which prints sample vows and the license-filing procedure). The couple obtains the licence from a South Carolina Probate Court, all three copies are signed, the couple keeps one and the notary files two with the issuing Probate Court. ‘A South Carolina Notary may ONLY perform marriage ceremonies in the state of South Carolina.’

Who can be commissioned

S.C. Code Sec. 26-1-15 states the entire qualification list: ‘(1) must be a registered voter in this State; (2) shall read and write the English language; and (3) shall submit an application containing no significant misstatement or omission of fact.’ Being a registered SC voter carries the residency, citizenship and age (18) qualifications indirectly through the state’s voter-registration law - the notary statute itself states no separate age, citizenship or residency test, and Sec. 26-1-10 speaks of appointing ‘from the qualified electors’. The Secretary of State states the residency consequence plainly: ‘South Carolina law does not allow out-of-state residents to become South Carolina notaries public, even if they are employed within the State of South Carolina.’ Attorneys get no shortcut: ‘Attorneys are not automatically notaries public. They must apply and be commissioned like any other member of the public’ (SOS FAQ). CRIMINAL HISTORY: Chapter 1 states no conviction bar at the application stage; the bar operates after the fact - ‘A notary public convicted under the provisions of this section must forfeit his commission and must not be issued another commission’ (Sec. 26-1-160(G)), and the Secretary may terminate a commission on notification that the notary ‘has been charged with an offense listed in this section’ (Sec. 26-1-160(I), added by 2021 Act No. 85), with a 30-day right to a contested-case hearing at the SC Administrative Law Court. NO conviction question appears on the application form read on 2026-08-12. Tiers searched for an age or citizenship requirement: S.C. Code Title 26 ch. 1 in full, the application form, the Notary Public Reference Manual and the SOS FAQ - none states one, so none is claimed here.

Requirements

Qualify under S.C. Code Sec. 26-1-15: be a registered voter in South Carolina, be able to read and write English, and submit an application containing no significant misstatement or omission of fact. 2) Complete the paper Application/Renewal for Notary Public (the Secretary’s form; version fetched 2026-08-12 is NP_Application_3.18.26.pdf). ‘Legibly type or print all information on Page 2 prior to signing in the presence of a notary public. Print and sign your name on Page 2 exactly as you will each time you notarize documents in the future.’ The form asks for name, home street address (you must be a registered voter at that address), county, mailing address, last four digits of the Social Security number, sex, date of birth, voter registration number, telephone, e-mail, and a certification checkbox that ‘I hereby certify that I can read and write the English language.’ 3) Take the constitutional oath of office printed on the application, sworn to and subscribed before another South Carolina notary public - ‘The application must be signed with pen and ink and the signature of the applicant must be acknowledged by a person authorized to administer oaths (Sec. 26-1-40). The date of your signature and the date of the notarization must match. You cannot notarize your own signature on the application.’ 4) Choose a payment method on Page 3 - the $25 statutory fee by credit/debit card (a $1.43 SC.GOV service fee applies), check, money order or cash. 5) MAIL ALL PAGES to your COUNTY LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION OFFICE (addresses are printed on Page 5 of the application) - or to the SC House of Representatives, P.O. Box 11867, Columbia, SC 29211-1867, if your county has no delegation office. 6) The delegation verifies your voter registration and ENDORSES the application (Page 4). Sec. 26-1-20 lets each county delegation choose its own endorsement method: one-half of the delegation members, or the senator and representative of the applicant’s district; Sec. 26-1-25 also allows the delegation chair or secretary to sign on a legislator’s behalf. 7) The delegation forwards the application to the Secretary of State, who issues and mails the commission. ‘The application process can take anywhere from 2-12 weeks, depending on the county in which the applicant resides.’ 8) AFTER the commission is issued, ENROLL IT WITH THE CLERK OF COURT of the county where you live: ‘Within fifteen days after he has been commissioned, a notary public must exhibit his commission to the clerk of the court of the county in which he resides and be enrolled by the clerk’ (Sec. 26-1-50). The Manual adds: ‘Generally, you will be asked to provide photo identification and a fee when you enroll… however, there is no penalty for late enrollment.’ 9) Buy a seal (see seal_requirements). TO ADD ELECTRONIC NOTARIZATION, separately: register through the Online Notary Portal, watch the educational video, pass the online test, select an approved technology vendor, pay $50, and print the electronic notarial certificate.

Training

South Carolina requires training for some commission types.

NO education is required for the ordinary paper notary commission. Neither S.C. Code Title 26 ch. 1, the application form (rev. March 2026), the Notary Public Reference Manual nor the SOS FAQ imposes a course; the Secretary of State offers an optional ‘Notary Webinar’ and the Reference Manual as resources (tiers searched 2026-08-12). REQUIRED for the electronic-notary registration: S.C. Code Sec. 26-2-30 - ‘(A) Before performing electronic notary acts, an electronic notary public shall take a course of instruction of sufficient length to ensure that the electronic notary public understands his duties and responsibilities, as determined and approved by the Secretary of State, and shall pass an examination of this course. (B) The content of the course and the basis of the examination must be notarial laws, procedures, technology, and ethics as they pertain to notarizations and electronic notarizations.’ In practice the Secretary delivers it inside the Online Notary Portal: ‘The portal allows a commissioned notary public to watch an educational video, and complete online testing.’ No hour count is published in the statute or on the notaries page; Chapter 113, Article 4 of the S.C. Code of Regulations (cited by the Secretary as the source of the registration procedure) was NOT fetched when this page was last verified, so any hour figure there is unknown rather than absent.

Exam

South Carolina requires an exam for some commission types.

NO examination for the ordinary paper notary commission - South Carolina has no notary test for the traditional commission, in Title 26 ch. 1, the application form, the Reference Manual or the SOS FAQ (tiers searched 2026-08-12). REQUIRED for electronic-notary registration: Sec. 26-2-30 requires the applicant to ‘pass an examination’ of the Secretary-approved course, and Sec. 26-2-20(C)(1) requires the registration application to include ‘proof of the successful completion of the course and examination required pursuant to Section 26-2-30’. The Secretary administers it online: ‘After the successful completion of the electronic notary test, the notary public will then select the approved vendor that will provide the technology to perform an electronic notarization.’ NOT PUBLISHED in the sources read: the passing score, the number of questions, the time limit and whether retakes are allowed - none appears in Sec. 26-2-30, on the notaries page or in the 2023 Reference Manual (which predates none of it but does not cover the portal). No separate examination fee is stated; the $50 in Sec. 26-2-20(A) is a registration fee.

Bond & insurance

No bond, and no errors-and-omissions insurance. The Secretary of State answers it directly in its live FAQ: ‘Are notaries required to have a bond? South Carolina notaries public are not required to be bonded.’ The same sentence appears in the Notary Public Reference Manual. Confirmed against the statute: the word ‘bond’ does not appear anywhere in S.C. Code Title 26, Chapter 1 (checked by full-text search of the chapter on 2026-08-12), and neither does ‘insurance’; the application form has no bond field, no bond attachment and no surety line, and the fee page lists only the $25 statutory filing fee. The electronic-notary chapter (Title 26 ch. 2) likewise requires no bond and no E&O - its only money item is the $50 registration fee in Sec. 26-2-20(A). Tiers searched: statute (ch. 1 and ch. 2 in full), the application form (rev. March 2026), the Reference Manual and the SOS FAQ.

Fees

STATE FEES, verified 2026-08-12 against both the statute and the live application form, which agree: NEW COMMISSION OR RENEWAL - $25.00. ‘The fee for the issuance or renewal of a commission is twenty-five dollars, collected by the Secretary of State as other fees’ (S.C. Code Sec. 26-1-30); the form repeats it - ‘The statutory filing fee is $25.00 (USD), payable to “SC Secretary of State”’ - and the Reference Manual confirms ‘The fee is $25.00 for both new applications and renewals.’ CREDIT/DEBIT CARD SURCHARGE - ‘$1.43 will be charged by SC.GOV when paying by credit/debit card’ (application, Page 3); check, money order and cash are also accepted, though ‘some legislative delegation offices do not accept cash’. CHANGE OF STATUS / DUPLICATE COMMISSION - $10.00 filing fee, due within 45 days of a change of name, residence, business or mailing address, county or telephone number (Sec. 26-1-130(B); Reference Manual). RESIGNATION - ‘There is no filing fee for a resignation.’ ELECTRONIC NOTARY REGISTRATION - $50.00: ‘A registration fee of fifty dollars must be submitted to the Secretary of State with the registration form’ (Sec. 26-2-20(A)). CLERK OF COURT ENROLLMENT - a county fee that the state does not set: ‘Generally, you will be asked to provide photo identification and a fee when you enroll’ (Reference Manual); the amount varies by county and is not published by the Secretary of State. CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORITY / APOSTILLE - ‘The Secretary of State may charge a reasonable fee for issuing a certificate of authority or an Apostille’ (Sec. 26-1-220); no dollar amount is fixed in the statute. NOT a state fee: the seal or stamp, which is bought privately (‘Both seals and stamps can be purchased and personalized at any office supply store’), and the electronic-notary vendor’s technology subscription.

How long the commission lasts, and renewing it

10 - the longest notary term in the United States. ‘The Governor may appoint from the qualified electors as many notaries public throughout the State as the public good requires, to hold their offices for a term of ten years’ (S.C. Code Sec. 26-1-10); the Reference Manual repeats ‘In South Carolina, notaries public are appointed to terms of 10 years.’ The term runs from the commission issued by the Secretary of State - ‘The commission states the notary’s name and term expiration date’ - not from the clerk-of-court enrollment, which happens after the commission is issued. Filing a change of status for name, residency or contact information ‘will not affect the expiration date of the notary’s original term of service’. Renewal is a fresh application on the identical form, through the identical county-legislative-delegation route, for the identical $25 fee. ‘To renew your commission as a notary public, you will complete the same application as when you initially applied to become a notary public.’ There is no grace period and no state reminder: ‘There are no automatic renewals or reminders, so notaries must keep track of when to reapply. When reapplying, be sure to send in your application at least 8-12 weeks in advance of your term expiration date in order to allow time for processing by your legislative delegation and by the Secretary of State’s Office’ (Notary Public Reference Manual). Acting after expiration is an offence - it is a misdemeanor for a person to perform ‘a notarial act if the person’s commission has expired or been suspended or restricted’ (Sec. 26-1-160(A)(2)), punishable by a fine of up to $500 or up to 30 days’ imprisonment. Name/address changes must be filed BEFORE renewing: ‘If you are renewing your notary commission, and if your name and/or home address has changed since the issuance of your current commission, you must file the Change in Status form regarding these changes prior to renewing your commission. If your commission has already expired, or you are within 30 days of expiring, you will not need to complete the Change in Status form’ (application form, instruction 5). A renewed commission must be re-enrolled with the Clerk of Court, and a notary who moves counties ‘should enroll your commission with the Clerk of Court in your new county.’ The electronic-notary registration is not separately renewed - it ‘shall continue as long as the notary public’s current commission remains valid’ (Sec. 26-2-20(B)). None. South Carolina requires no continuing education of notaries public: renewal is the same application, endorsement and $25 fee as the original commission, with no hour requirement stated in S.C. Code Title 26 ch. 1, on the application form (rev. March 2026), in the Notary Public Reference Manual or in the SOS FAQ (all four tiers searched 2026-08-12). The electronic-notary course and examination under Sec. 26-2-30 are a one-time registration prerequisite, not recurring CE, and the registration itself ‘shall continue as long as the notary public’s current commission remains valid’ (Sec. 26-2-20(B)) - the statute states no periodic re-testing. Chapter 113, Article 4 of the S.C. Code of Regulations was not fetched, so any CE rule placed there would not be reflected here.

Your seal or stamp

A seal is required, but its absence does not void the act. Sec. 26-1-60: ‘A notary public shall have a seal of office, which must be affixed to his notarial acts. He shall indicate below his signature the date of expiration of his commission. The absence of the seal of office or date of expiration does not render his notarial acts invalid if his official title is affixed to it.’ CONTENT, from the statutory definition at Sec. 26-1-5(18): ‘Seal or stamp means a device for affixing on a paper record an image containing a notary’s name, the words “notary public”, and the words “State of South Carolina”. The device may be in the form of an ink stamp or an embosser.’ The expiration date inside the seal is optional - the Reference Manual says ‘The expiration date may also be included in the seal, but that is optional’, while Sec. 26-1-90(B)(3) requires the expiration date to appear somewhere, whether ‘in the notary’s stamp or seal or elsewhere in the notarial certificate’. NO shape, size or ink colour is specified in the statute or the Manual (tiers searched 2026-08-12: Title 26 ch. 1, the Manual, the application form and the SOS FAQ). Ink stamp vs embosser is the notary’s choice, with a practical note from the Secretary: ‘rubber stamps will show up more clearly when scanned electronically.’ The state does not sell seals. SIGNING: ‘When notarizing a paper record, a notary shall sign by hand in ink on the notarial certificate… The notary may not sign a paper record using the facsimile stamp or an electronic or other printing method; except that a notary with a disability may use a signature stamp that depicts the notary’s signature in a clear and legible manner, upon prior approval of the Secretary’ (Sec. 26-1-110). NAME CHANGE: use the former name until the Secretary confirms the change, then notarize under the new name and ‘destroy or deface all notary seals with the old name so they won’t be misused.’ A change of address or county does NOT require a new seal. END OF COMMISSION: a notary who resigns ‘shall destroy or deface all notary seals so that they may not be misused’ (Sec. 26-1-140(C)); on death the personal representative must do the same (Sec. 26-1-150). Misusing another’s seal is its own misdemeanor (Sec. 26-1-160(D)). ELECTRONIC SEAL (registered electronic notaries only): must contain the notary’s name exactly as commissioned, the title ‘Notary Public’, the words ‘State of South Carolina’, the electronic registration number and the commission expiration date (Sec. 26-2-60(D)); if no electronic seal is used, ’the words “Electronic Notary Public” and the words “State of South Carolina” must still be attached’ (Sec. 26-2-60(B)).

Keeping a journal

South Carolina requires a journal for some notarial acts.

PAPER NOTARIZATIONS - NOT REQUIRED. The Secretary of State’s live FAQ: ‘Are notaries required to keep a journal of notarial acts? South Carolina notaries public are not required to keep notary journals. However, it is STRONGLY encouraged. It is a good idea to have a record of all notarial acts performed in case questions arise related to the execution of a document.’ The Reference Manual repeats it and prints a blank sample journal-entry grid (signature of the person notarized, date, time, charge, date of document, type of notarial act, type of document, signer’s address, how the signer was identified, comments). No journal duty appears anywhere in Title 26 ch. 1. ELECTRONIC NOTARIZATIONS - REQUIRED, and detailed. Sec. 26-2-90(A): ‘An electronic notary public shall create and maintain an electronic journal of each electronic notarial act’, recording the date and time; the type of act; the title or description of the record; the printed full name of each principal; a statement if identity rested on personal knowledge, or a description of the satisfactory evidence and the name of any credible witness; the address of the notarization if not the notary’s business address; a description of the electronic notarization system used; and the fee charged. ‘An electronic notary public may not record a Social Security number in the electronic journal.’ The journal may not be used by another notary and may not be surrendered to an employer on termination of employment (Sec. 26-2-90(C)). A party to the transaction, or a party with a legitimate interest, may inspect or obtain a copy of specified entries on a signed written request naming the month, year, record type and principal - the notary keeps possession, shows only the entries specified, and makes a new journal entry explaining the request (Sec. 26-2-90(D)); a reasonable copying fee may be charged. The journal, public key certificate and electronic seal must be kept secure, with theft or vandalism reported immediately to law enforcement AND the Secretary of State (Sec. 26-2-100).

Online (remote) notarization

South Carolina does not authorize remote online notarization.

South Carolina does NOT authorize remote online notarization. The signer must be physically present for every notarial act, electronic ones included. Evidence, all read 2026-08-12: (1) The Secretary of State’s live notaries page: ‘Electronic notarization, also known as IPEN, requires that the notary public and the signer must be in the presence of one another when the notarization takes place.’ (2) S.C. Code Sec. 26-2-50(A): ‘An electronic notary public shall perform an electronic notarization only if the principal (1) appears in person before the electronic notary public at the time of notarization.’ (3) Sec. 26-1-90(C)(1) bars a notarial act where the ‘principal or subscribing witness is not in the notary’s presence at the time the notarial act is performed’, and Sec. 26-1-5(13) defines ‘personal appearance’ as ‘an individual and a notary are in the physical presence of one another so that they may freely see and communicate with one another and exchange records back and forth during the notarization process.’ (4) The word ‘remote’ does not occur once in the full text of Title 26 Chapter 2, and Title 26 has only four chapters, none of them a RON act. (5) The Secretary of State said it outright when the electronic-notary portal launched: ‘Electronic notarization differs from remote notarization in that electronic notarization requires the notary to be in the physical presence of the signer. At this time, South Carolina has not legalized remote notarization’ (SOS news release, November 30, 2022). WHAT SOUTH CAROLINA DOES HAVE is in-person electronic notarization (IPEN) under the South Carolina Electronic Notary Public Act, 2021 Act No. 85 (S.631), signed by Governor Henry McMaster on May 18, 2021 and codified as Title 26 ch. 2. The Act’s own SECTION 6 delayed operation - ‘This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor. Electronic online notary public applications will not be accepted for processing until the administrative rules are in effect and vendors of technology are approved by the Secretary of State’ - and that condition has since been satisfied: the Secretary’s live page states ‘The Electronic Notary Portal is now available… Online registration as an electronic notary public is now open to commissioned notaries.’ Registration requires a $50 fee (Sec. 26-2-20(A)), the approved course and examination (Sec. 26-2-30), disclosure of any licence or commission revocations or discipline (Sec. 26-2-20(C)(2)), and selection of a technology vendor registered with the Secretary of State (Sec. 26-2-120); the Secretary then issues a unique electronic registration number. Procedures also live in Chapter 113, Article 4 of the S.C. Code of Regulations, which the Secretary cites and which was NOT fetched when this page was last verified. Maximum electronic-notarial fees are double the paper ones - $10.00 per signature for each act type (Sec. 26-2-70(B)).

What you may charge

PAPER ACTS - $5.00 each, itemised in S.C. Code Sec. 26-1-100(A): ‘for an acknowledgment, five dollars per signature; for an oath or affirmation without a signature, five dollars per person; for a jurat, five dollars per signature; for a signature witnessing, five dollars per signature; and for a verification of fact, five dollars per certificate.’ ELECTRONIC ACTS - $10.00 each: Sec. 26-2-70(B) sets ten dollars per signature for acknowledgments, oaths and affirmations, attestations and jurats, signature witnessing, verifications of fact, and ‘any other acts authorized by law’. TRAVEL FEE - expressly allowed, on two conditions, and identically worded for paper (Sec. 26-1-100(C)) and electronic (Sec. 26-2-70(C)) acts: the notary and the requester must ‘agree upon the travel fee in advance of the travel’, and the notary must explain ’that the travel fee is both separate from the notarial fee prescribed by subsection (A) and is neither specified nor mandated by law.’ DISCLOSURE - a notary who charges ‘shall display conspicuously in his place of business, or present to each principal outside his place of business, an English language schedule of fees for notarial acts’ (Sec. 26-1-100(B)); for electronic notaries the schedule must also appear on their Internet websites and ‘may not appear or be printed in smaller than ten-point type’ (Sec. 26-2-70(D)). CHARGING IS OPTIONAL - ‘Nothing in this chapter compels a notary to charge a fee’ (Sec. 26-1-100(D)). Note the related conflict-of-interest rule: a notary may not act if the notary ‘will receive directly from a transaction connected with the notarial act any commission, fee, advantage, right, title, interest, cash, property, or other consideration exceeding in value the fees specified in Section 26-1-100’, with carve-outs for fees earned as a licensed attorney, licensed real estate broker or salesperson, motor vehicle dealer or banker (Sec. 26-1-90(C)(4)).

Who does NOT need a commission — exemptions

WHO ELSE MAY PERFORM NOTARIAL-TYPE ACTS, from the sources read on 2026-08-12: (1) Notarial certificates made outside South Carolina are recognised without a South Carolina commission - ‘A notarial certificate made in another jurisdiction is sufficient in this State if it is made in accordance with federal law or the laws of the jurisdiction where the notarial certificate was made’ (Sec. 26-1-120(G)); Chapter 3 of Title 26 is the Uniform Recognition of Acknowledgments Act, which governs that recognition. (2) Court employees get a partial carve-out from the conflict rules rather than an exemption from commissioning: the disqualification for being named in a record ‘does not apply to an employee of a court within the unified judicial system, a notary who is named in a record solely as the trustee in a deed of trust, the drafter of the record, the person to whom a registered document must be mailed or sent after recording, or the attorney for a party to the record’ (Sec. 26-1-90(C)(3)); and a court employee acting within the scope of employment may assist with filing a document without it being the unauthorized practice of law (Sec. 26-1-90(J)). (3) A notary who is a stockholder, director, officer or employee of a corporation may notarize for that corporation unless individually a party (Sec. 26-1-190); an attorney at law who is a notary may act despite being counsel in the matter (Sec. 26-1-180). WHAT A SOUTH CAROLINA NOTARY MAY NOT DO, so a notary is not the route: ‘A notary shall not certify or authenticate a photograph or photocopy’ (Sec. 26-1-90(E)); a notary ‘may not execute a certificate that is not written in the English language’ (Sec. 26-1-90(M)); a notary has ’no power or jurisdiction in criminal cases’ (Sec. 26-1-170); a non-attorney notary ‘may not assist another person in drafting, completing, selecting, or understanding a record or transaction requiring a notarial act’, and the Secretary’s application form lists ‘preparation of legal documents, giving legal advice or answering legal questions, and performing a real estate or mortgage loan closing’ as examples of unauthorized practice of law. TIERS SEARCHED: S.C. Code Title 26 ch. 1 and ch. 2 in full, the application form, the Notary Public Reference Manual and the SOS FAQ. NOT FOUND in any of them: any provision on military notarial powers under 10 U.S.C. Sec. 1044a or on ex officio notarial authority for clerks of court, magistrates or judges - so no claim is made here in either direction. Note that the South Carolina clerk of court appears in this cluster in a different role: enrolling the commission after the state issues it (Sec. 26-1-50), not conferring notarial power.

How to apply

Applications are handled by South Carolina Secretary of State’s Office (the Secretary commissions notaries and keeps their oaths of office on file; the Governor appoints, and the applicant’s county legislative delegation must endorse the application first). Start at the official application page .

Verify a license in South Carolina

South Carolina Secretary of State’s Office publishes a public license search , searchable by notary name. It covers The Secretary of State’s Notary Search. The Notary Public Reference Manual describes it: ‘To find a notary’s expiration date, you can search on the Secretary of State’s website at sos.sc.gov. From the home page, choose the tab that says “Notary Search.” You can find out a notary public’s county of residence and expiration date through searching by name.’ The live notaries page carries a ‘Notaries Search - Search all Notaries’ link. CAUTION - the Secretary of State publishes two contradictory statements about notary identification numbers, both live on 2026-08-12: the notaries page banner says ‘The South Carolina Secretary of State’s Office has begun issuing a unique identification number to each notary public. This number will be printed on all notary commissions and gives both notaries and members of the public an additional means of identifying a particular notary public. Notaries public may access this identification number on the Online Notary Portal’, while FAQ item 4 says ‘Am I issued an identification number once I become a notary public? No. South Carolina notaries public are not issued an identifying number. They are identified by their name and commission expiration date.’ Both are recorded; neither is resolved here.

Records come from South Carolina Secretary of State’s Office’s own system. LicensingAtlas does not hold license records and cannot confirm any individual’s status — the date on this page refers to the requirements described above, not to anyone’s credential.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a South Carolina notary commission last?

Ten years - the longest notary term in the country. S.C. Code Sec. 26-1-10 provides that the Governor may appoint notaries ’to hold their offices for a term of ten years’, and the Secretary of State’s Notary Public Reference Manual repeats that ’notaries public are appointed to terms of 10 years.’ There are no automatic renewals and no reminders from the state, so the Manual advises sending a renewal application 8-12 weeks before the expiration date. Performing a notarial act after the commission has expired is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 or up to 30 days in jail.

Why does a South Carolina notary application go to a legislator?

Because the county legislative delegation must endorse it before the Secretary of State can act. The application is mailed to the applicant’s county legislative delegation office (or to the SC House of Representatives if the county has none); the delegation verifies the applicant’s voter registration, signs the endorsement block, and forwards the application to the Secretary of State. Sec. 26-1-20 lets each county delegation pick its method - endorsement by one-half of the delegation members, or by the senator and representative for the applicant’s district - and Sec. 26-1-25 also permits the delegation chair or secretary to sign on a legislator’s behalf. The Reference Manual warns that ’the application process can take anywhere from 2-12 weeks, depending on the county in which the applicant resides.'

What does it cost to become a notary public in South Carolina?

$25.00, set by statute: ‘The fee for the issuance or renewal of a commission is twenty-five dollars, collected by the Secretary of State as other fees’ (Sec. 26-1-30), and the same $25 applies to renewals. Paying by credit or debit card adds a $1.43 SC.GOV service fee; check, money order and cash are also accepted, though some delegation offices will not take cash. On top of that: a seal or stamp bought privately, and a county fee charged by the Clerk of Court when the commission is enrolled (the state does not set that amount). Later filings cost $10 for a change of status or duplicate commission, nothing for a resignation, and $50 to register as an electronic notary.

Do you have to be a registered voter to be a South Carolina notary?

Yes. Sec. 26-1-15 makes it the first qualification - a person qualified for a notarial commission ‘must be a registered voter in this State’ - and the application requires the voter registration number and the home address at which the applicant is registered. The county legislative delegation verifies the registration before endorsing the application. The other two statutory qualifications are the ability to read and write English and an application containing no significant misstatement or omission of fact. Non-residents cannot qualify: the Secretary of State states that South Carolina law does not allow out-of-state residents to become notaries even if they work in the state.

Does South Carolina allow remote online notarization?

No. Every South Carolina notarial act requires the signer to be physically present. The Secretary of State’s electronic notarization program is IPEN - in-person electronic notarization - and the agency says so directly: it ‘requires that the notary public and the signer must be in the presence of one another when the notarization takes place.’ The statute agrees: an electronic notary may act ‘only if the principal appears in person before the electronic notary public at the time of notarization’ (Sec. 26-2-50(A)(1)), and ‘personal appearance’ means the individual and notary ‘are in the physical presence of one another’ (Sec. 26-1-5(13)). The word ‘remote’ does not appear anywhere in the Electronic Notary Public Act.

How does a South Carolina notary register to notarize electronic documents?

Through the Secretary of State’s Online Notary Portal, after already holding a commission. The portal has the notary watch an educational video and complete online testing - the statute requires a Secretary-approved course of instruction and a passing examination on notarial law, procedure, technology and ethics (Sec. 26-2-30) - then select an approved technology vendor and print the electronic notarial certificate. The registration fee is $50 (Sec. 26-2-20(A)), and the registration lasts as long as the underlying commission. Registered electronic notaries must keep an electronic journal of every electronic act, use an electronic seal carrying their registration number, and may charge up to $10 per act instead of $5.

Does a South Carolina notary need a bond or a journal?

Neither, for ordinary paper notarizations. The Secretary of State’s FAQ answers both: ‘South Carolina notaries public are not required to be bonded’ and ‘South Carolina notaries public are not required to keep notary journals. However, it is STRONGLY encouraged.’ The words ‘bond’ and ‘insurance’ do not appear anywhere in Title 26, Chapter 1. A journal IS mandatory for registered electronic notaries - Sec. 26-2-90 requires an electronic journal entry for every electronic notarial act, with the date and time, act type, record description, each principal’s printed name, how identity was established, the address if not the notary’s business address, the system used and any fee charged, and it forbids recording a Social Security number.

How much can a South Carolina notary charge?

Up to $5.00 per notarial act on paper - per signature for an acknowledgment, jurat or signature witnessing, per person for an oath or affirmation without a signature, and per certificate for a verification of fact (Sec. 26-1-100(A)). Registered electronic notaries may charge up to $10.00 per signature for electronic acts (Sec. 26-2-70(B)). A travel fee is permitted on top, but only if it is agreed in advance and the notary explains that it is separate from the notarial fee and ’neither specified nor mandated by law.’ A notary who charges must display an English-language fee schedule conspicuously, and no notary is compelled to charge at all.

Can a South Carolina notary perform a wedding?

Yes. The Secretary of State’s Notary Public Reference Manual states that under S.C. Code Sec. 20-1-20 ‘a person authorized to administer oaths in South Carolina may perform marriage ceremonies. This includes notaries public’, and the Manual prints sample vows. The procedure: the couple obtains the marriage licence from a South Carolina Probate Court, which issues three copies; the couple and the notary sign all three; the couple keeps one and the notary files the other two with the issuing Probate Court. The ceremony may only be performed inside South Carolina.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in South Carolina.

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.