How to Become a Notary in Vermont — Requirements & Fees

How to become a notary public in Vermont: an exam, remote online notarization — verified from Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR).

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), Office of the Secretary of State (official site) and last verified August 12, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

Vermont commissions notaries through the Office of Professional Regulation, and the whole process is online. Per the Administrative Rules for Notaries Public Part 4-2 and 26 V.S.A. 5341(b), an applicant shall: '(a) Be at least 18 years old; (b) Be a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States; (c) Be a resident or have a place of employment or practice in the State of Vermont; (d) Not be disqualified to obtain a Commission based on the grounds listed in 26 V.S.A. 5342; (e) Pass an examination approved by the Office based on the statutes, rules, and ethics relevant to the provision of notarial acts; (f) Execute and submit to the Office a notarized oath of office; and (g) Pay the required non-refundable fee.' 26 V.S.A. 5341(c) makes the oath a precondition of issuance: 'Before issuance of a commission as a notary public, an applicant for the commission shall execute an oath of office and submit it to the Office.' Mechanically, per OPR's FAQ: create an account on OPR's online licensing system (or log into an existing one - 'Do not create an additional account if you already have one'), click Apply for Individual License, answer the application questions, upload a copy of the signed and notarized Oath of Office, and 'pay a $30.00 fee with a debit card, credit card or ACH'. OPR emails if more is needed; on approval 'Your commission is available for printing through your online licensing account.' An applicant's Social Security number is collected 'pursuant to the authority granted to the State under 42 U.S.C. 405(c)(2)(C)' and 'is not disclosed as part of a public records request.' TO ALSO NOTARIZE ELECTRONICALLY OR REMOTELY, apply separately for the Special Endorsement; under Rule 6-2 the notary must hold a current commission in good standing and attest to selecting and using compliant tamper-evident technology, communication technology and identity-proofing technology, and pay the fee.

Legal basis

Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), Office of the Secretary of State commissions notaries public in Vermont. 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 Vermont issues a COMMISSION - 26 V.S.A. 5341 is headed ‘Commission as notary public; qualifications’ and 5324(a) speaks of ’the issuance of a commission as a notary public’. The governing law is 26 V.S.A. chapter 103, Notaries Public. VERMONT ALSO USES LICENSING VOCABULARY, because notaries sit inside the Office of Professional Regulation alongside licensed professions: OPR’s own pages say ‘Apply for Individual License’, call the renewal page ’license renewal’, and its FAQ says a notary’s commission number ‘is also referred to as a “credential number” or “license number”’ and appears on the commission certificate as ‘credential number’. So ’notary license’ is not merely a folk term in Vermont - the agency uses it - but ‘commission’ is the statutory word and the one printed on the instrument. ‘Special Endorsement’ is Vermont’s own term for the electronic/remote authorization; ’endorsement’ and ‘specialty’ both appear on OPR pages (’the Remote and Electronic Specialty renewal’). Folk terms, named as folk terms: ’notary certification’ and ’notary license’ are common search phrasings. A ’notary signing agent’ or ’loan signing agent’ is a PRIVATE vendor credential - Vermont issues no such appointment, and no such role appears in chapter 103 or the 2025 Rules. Vermont speaks to the vendor question directly on its own FAQ: ‘Am I required to purchase supplies and/or packages from an association? No… Your notary commission is not linked to any outside association, vendor or company.’

Types of notary commission

Notary Public Commission — Anyone performing notarial acts in Vermont on paper records for people who appear in person. The base credential, and it is narrower than in most states. Administrative Rules for Notaries Public Part 4-1: ‘Notaries public holding a Commission may perform notarial acts only on tangible records and only for people appearing physically before the notary public. For all other notarial acts, notaries public shall obtain a Special Endorsement in accordance with Part 6.’ $30 fee under 26 V.S.A. 5324(a).
Special Endorsement (electronic records AND remotely located individuals) — Commissioned Vermont notaries who want to notarize electronic records, or to notarize for signers who are not physically present, or both. VERMONT USES ONE ENDORSEMENT FOR BOTH eNOTARIZATION AND RON - it does not issue separate electronic and remote credentials. 26 V.S.A. 5341(d): ‘A notary public shall not perform a notarial act on an electronic record or for a remotely located individual without obtaining a special endorsement from the Office.’ Separate $30 fee under 26 V.S.A. 5324(b), tied to the same biennial period as the commission, and carries one extra hour of continuing education at renewal.

Who can be commissioned

AGE: at least 18 (26 V.S.A. 5341(b)(1); Rule 4-2(a)). LEGAL PRESENCE: ‘be a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States’ (5341(b)(2); Rule 4-2(b)). RESIDENCY OR EMPLOYMENT NEXUS: must ‘be a resident of or have a place of employment or practice in this State’ (5341(b)(3)) - so non-residents who work or practice in Vermont qualify. EXAM: must ‘pass a basic examination approved by the Office based on the statutes, rules, and ethics relevant to notarial acts’ (5341(b)(5)). CRIMINAL HISTORY - NO AUTOMATIC BAR, BUT MANDATORY DISCLOSURE: applicants must ’not be disqualified to receive a commission under section 5342.’ OPR’s FAQ states that a first-time applicant ‘must report all convictions’, with ‘a detailed written explanation from you, the applicant, and certified court documents’; that ‘All convictions that happen while you hold a notary public commission must be reported to the office within 30 days’; that all convictions since the last renewal must be reported at renewal; and expressly that ‘A conviction will not necessarily prevent you from obtaining a notary public commission. OPR follows due process when considering convictions and licensure.’ LANGUAGE: no English-language requirement appears in 26 V.S.A. chapter 103 or in the February 26, 2025 Administrative Rules; tiers searched on 2026-08-12 were the full chapter text, the 23-page rules, the Notary FAQs and the renewal instructions. Vermont does not impose one in the sources read. CONFLICT OF INTEREST, ongoing rather than at entry: per OPR’s FAQ, ‘A notary public may not notarize a document in which the notary public or his/her spouse has a direct beneficial interest, which may include but is not limited to financial, oath, or real estate interest.’ WHERE THE NOTARY MUST BE: Rule 4-4 - ‘Notaries public shall be physically located within Vermont’s borders when performing all notarial acts under the authority of a Vermont notary public commission.’ OPR’s FAQ answers the corollary directly: a Vermont commission cannot be used to notarize in another state.

Requirements

Vermont commissions notaries through the Office of Professional Regulation, and the whole process is online. Per the Administrative Rules for Notaries Public Part 4-2 and 26 V.S.A. 5341(b), an applicant shall: ‘(a) Be at least 18 years old; (b) Be a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States; (c) Be a resident or have a place of employment or practice in the State of Vermont; (d) Not be disqualified to obtain a Commission based on the grounds listed in 26 V.S.A. 5342; (e) Pass an examination approved by the Office based on the statutes, rules, and ethics relevant to the provision of notarial acts; (f) Execute and submit to the Office a notarized oath of office; and (g) Pay the required non-refundable fee.’ 26 V.S.A. 5341(c) makes the oath a precondition of issuance: ‘Before issuance of a commission as a notary public, an applicant for the commission shall execute an oath of office and submit it to the Office.’ Mechanically, per OPR’s FAQ: create an account on OPR’s online licensing system (or log into an existing one - ‘Do not create an additional account if you already have one’), click Apply for Individual License, answer the application questions, upload a copy of the signed and notarized Oath of Office, and ‘pay a $30.00 fee with a debit card, credit card or ACH’. OPR emails if more is needed; on approval ‘Your commission is available for printing through your online licensing account.’ An applicant’s Social Security number is collected ‘pursuant to the authority granted to the State under 42 U.S.C. 405(c)(2)(C)’ and ‘is not disclosed as part of a public records request.’ TO ALSO NOTARIZE ELECTRONICALLY OR REMOTELY, apply separately for the Special Endorsement; under Rule 6-2 the notary must hold a current commission in good standing and attest to selecting and using compliant tamper-evident technology, communication technology and identity-proofing technology, and pay the fee.

Training

Vermont does not require a training course.

NO PRE-COMMISSION COURSE IS REQUIRED IN VERMONT. Vermont requires a passing examination but imposes no course, hour count or approved-provider requirement as a condition of an initial commission. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: 26 V.S.A. 5341 (the complete qualification list, which runs (b)(1) through (b)(5) plus the oath at (c)); the Administrative Rules for Notaries Public effective February 26, 2025, Part 4-2 (which enumerates items (a) through (g) and includes the exam but no course); the Notary FAQs; the Forms & Instructions page; and the renewal instructions. None imposes pre-commission education. EDUCATION ENTERS ONLY AT RENEWAL, as continuing education - see ce_hours. That is the reverse of the more common pattern and should not be flattened into ‘Vermont requires training.’

Exam

Vermont requires an exam.

REQUIRED, and required by statute rather than only by rule. 26 V.S.A. 5341(b)(5): an applicant shall ‘pass a basic examination approved by the Office based on the statutes, rules, and ethics relevant to notarial acts.’ The Administrative Rules Part 4-2(e) repeat it: ‘Pass an examination approved by the Office based on the statutes, rules, and ethics relevant to the provision of notarial acts.’ WHEN IT STARTED: OPR’s FAQ dates the requirement - ‘For applications received prior to February 1, 2021, no examination is required. Initial applicants submitting an application on or after February 1, 2021 will need to pass an examination based on the statutes, rules, and ethics relevant to notarial acts.’ Any source describing Vermont as an exam-free state is describing pre-2021 law. WHO IS EXEMPT: attorneys licensed and in good standing in Vermont are exempt from the examination by statute - 26 V.S.A. 5342(b)(1)(A) exempts them from ’the examination requirement set forth in subsection 5341(b)’; Rule 4-3(b)(i) repeats it. Judiciary-Related Employees are exempt from ‘Passage of the examination required under Part 4-2(e)’ (Rule 4-3(a)(i)(A)). Law-Enforcement-Related Employees need no commission at all within the scope of their official duties, so the exam does not reach them. Town clerks, town clerk assistants and justices of the peace are NOT exempt from the exam - they are exempt only from the fee (Rule 4-3(c)). ADMINISTERED BY: the Office of Professional Regulation approves the examination; it is taken as part of the online application. NOT PUBLISHED: the number of questions, the time limit, the passing score, any separate examination fee, and the retake policy. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: 26 V.S.A. 5341 and 5324 (the fee section sets only the $30 commission fee and the $30 endorsement fee - no exam fee), the February 26, 2025 Administrative Rules in full, the Notary FAQs, the Forms & Instructions page and the renewal instructions. None states a score or a separate exam charge.

Bond & insurance

VERMONT REQUIRES NO SURETY BOND AND NO ERRORS-AND-OMISSIONS INSURANCE. Neither is a condition of a commission or of the Special Endorsement. This is a NEGATIVE stated on positive evidence, not on silence: the word ‘bond’ does not occur anywhere in 26 V.S.A. chapter 103 (Notaries Public) as published by the Vermont General Assembly, nor anywhere in the 23-page Administrative Rules for Notaries Public effective February 26, 2025. The statutory qualification list at 5341(b) is exhaustive and closed - age, citizenship/legal residency, Vermont residency or place of employment, non-disqualification, examination - plus the oath of office at 5341(c) and the fee at 5324. A bond appears in none of them. Rule 4-2’s list (a) through (g) likewise contains no bond. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: the full statute chapter, the full 2025 Administrative Rules, the Notary FAQs, the Stamps & Certificates page, the Forms & Instructions page, and the February 2026 Notary Renewal Instructions. INSURANCE LIKEWISE ABSENT: no E&O requirement appears in any of those tiers, and Vermont adds an unusually direct anti-upsell statement in its FAQ - ‘Am I required to purchase supplies and/or packages from an association? No. Notaries are free to determine what supplies and services they need and where to purchase them as long as those supplies and services are in compliance with Vermont laws’ - and ‘Your notary commission is not linked to any outside association, vendor or company.’ A reader should note the distinction the site’s own guidance draws: a bond protects the public and E&O protects the notary. Vermont requires neither; a Vermont notary who buys E&O is buying an optional private product.

Fees

STATE FEES ARE SET BY STATUTE AND ARE SHORT. 26 V.S.A. 5324: ‘(a) For the issuance of a commission as a notary public, the Office shall collect a fee of $30.00. (b) For issuance of a special endorsement authorizing the performance of electronic and remote notarial acts in accordance with subsection 5341(d) of this chapter, the Office shall collect a fee of $30.00.’ So: $30.00 for the commission, and a further $30.00 for the Special Endorsement if the notary wants to notarize electronic records or for remotely located individuals. OPR’s FAQ confirms the intake figure in the same terms - ‘To complete the application, you will need to pay a $30.00 fee with a debit card, credit card or ACH (savings or checking account).’ Statutory fee and agency-collected fee agree; there is no divergence of the kind seen in some states between a published regulatory fee and what the agency actually charges, and Vermont publishes no separate paper application form that could carry a different figure. RENEWAL: the renewal fee is described as a ’non-refundable renewal fee’ payable through the Online Services System (February 2026 Notary Renewal Instructions); 26 V.S.A. 5343(a) routes renewal through ‘payment of the fee as set forth in section 5324’, which is the $30.00 figure. FEE EXEMPTIONS: town clerks, town clerk assistants and justices of the peace ‘are exempt from the fee set forth in section 5324’ (26 V.S.A. 5342(c)(2); Rule 4-3(c) - they ‘are subject to all the requirements of these Rules and 26 V.S.A. Chapter 103 except for paying the required fee’). Judiciary-Related Employees are exempt from ‘Paying the required fee’ (Rule 4-3(a)(i)(B)). Law-Enforcement-Related Employees need no commission within the scope of their duties and so pay nothing. LATE FEES: ‘Late renewals are subject to penalties’ and ‘Late renewal applications are subject to reinstatement penalty fees’ under 3 V.S.A. 127(d)(1); Rule 4-10 notes waivers ‘may be requested through the online licensing system.’ The penalty amount is set by 3 V.S.A. 127(d) and is not stated on the notary pages. NO COUNTY FEES: since the 2019 transfer of notary commissioning to OPR, no part of the process runs through a town or county. OPR’s FAQ: ‘Town and county clerks and other agencies are no longer accepting notary public commission renewals.’ NOT A STATE FEE: the stamp. Vermont does not require one at all, and where a notary chooses to buy one it is a private purchase with no state-set price. Continuing-education course costs are likewise private and not published by OPR.

How long the commission lasts, and renewing it

Two years, on a FIXED statewide cycle rather than a personal anniversary. Administrative Rules Part 4-7: ‘Commissions and associated Special Endorsements are valid for fixed, two-year periods. Expiration dates are printed on the Commission.’ OPR’s FAQ fixes the calendar date: ‘Notary commissions expire January 31st of odd years’ and ‘A notary public commission is now effective on a fixed two year cycle. In January of odd years, notaries public will need to renew their commissions if they wish to continue to perform notarial acts.’ The expiration date ‘must be included in your notary public certificate on each notarized document.’ SO THE TERM IS NOT A FULL TWO YEARS FOR MOST NEW NOTARIES - a commission issued mid-cycle expires at the next January 31 of an odd year, not two years after issuance. The one cushion is Rule 4-9: ‘An applicant issued an initial Commission or Special Endorsement within 90 days of the end of a biennial period will not be required to renew, pay any renewal fees, or complete any continuing education prior to the end of that biennial period. The Commission and any associated Special Endorsement will be issued through the next full biennial period.’ The Special Endorsement runs on the same clock as the commission and expires with it. Renewal is biennial, in January of odd-numbered years, through OPR’s Online Services System. WINDOW: ‘Renewal applications open six weeks before the expiration date and are submitted through the Online Services System’ (February 2026 Notary Renewal Instructions). OPR sends courtesy email reminders - the FAQ says three of them - but Rule 4-8 disclaims reliance: ’non-receipt of such reminders shall not excuse a Notaries public from the obligation to continuously maintain a Commission.’ The FAQ is blunter: ‘It is solely your responsibility to know the date your commission expires and to renew on time.’ STEPS: submit the online renewal application and pay the non-refundable renewal fee; and ‘Upload proof of your 1 hour of approved continuing education, unless your profession is exempt from CE.’ A Special Endorsement renewal requires one additional CE hour on electronic or remote acts. OPR asks for 3-5 business days for processing, and all convictions since the last renewal must be reported on the renewal application. IT IS A RENEWAL, NOT A RE-EXAMINATION: nothing in 26 V.S.A. 5343 or the 2025 Rules requires a renewing notary to re-sit the examination. 5343(a) provides that on ‘receipt of a notary public’s completed renewal, payment of the fee as set forth in section 5324 of this chapter, and evidence of eligibility, the Office shall issue to him or her a new commission.’ LAPSE: ‘A Commission and any associated Special Endorsement expires if not renewed by midnight at the conclusion of the date of expiration. Practice under an expired Commission or an expired Special Endorsement is a violation of 3 V.S.A. 127’ (Rule 4-7). Late renewals draw reinstatement penalty fees, waivable on request. PRACTICAL CONSEQUENCE: because Vermont stamps carry the expiration date, ‘stamps that include a commission expiration date must be replaced upon expiration of the commission, every two years.’ NAME CHANGE MID-TERM: within 30 days a notary must update their online file and, for a name change, submit court documentation and ‘an updated notarized oath of office signed with the notary public’s new signature.’ Rule 4-5(b): ‘Notaries public shall not perform notarial acts after a name change until the updated oath is submitted.’ ONE HOUR PER TWO-YEAR CYCLE, PLUS ONE ADDITIONAL HOUR FOR THE SPECIAL ENDORSEMENT. Vermont is one of the few states with genuine notary CE, and it is a renewal condition, not an entry condition. Rule 9-1(a): ‘Except as exempted under Parts 4-3 and 4-6, above, and 26 V.S.A. chapter 103, as a condition of Commission renewal, notaries public shall complete no fewer than one hour of continuing education over the full two-year biennial period preceding the application for renewal.’ Rule 9-1(b): ‘Special Endorsement renewal requires one additional hour of continuing education. The additional hour must pertain to the performance of notarial acts on electronic records or for remotely located individuals or both.’ So an endorsed notary owes two hours per cycle. STATUTORY CEILING: 26 V.S.A. 5343(b) requires continuing education ‘approved by the Office, which shall not be required to exceed two hours, during the preceding two-year period’, with the Office to ’establish by rule guidelines and criteria for continuing education credit’ with the advice of the advisor appointees. COURSE FORM: ‘A continuing education course shall be at least one hour in length. One hour means 60 minutes.’ It ‘may be synchronous or asynchronous, recorded or live, or in-person or remote’ and ‘may be interactive but does not have to be’, but ‘must include both audio and visual content.’ Credit is granted ‘only for actual time a notary public spends as a learner during the course. Breaks, business meetings, and lunches do not count.’ Content must be ‘directly related to the maintenance and enhancement of the skill, knowledge, and competency to perform notarial acts in accordance with Vermont’s laws and requirements.’ APPROVAL: courses ‘provided or approved by the following organizations are approved without prior approval from the Office: American Bar Association, Vermont Bar Association, and any Vermont State government agency.’ All other providers must apply to the Director for approval through OPR’s online portal and may not advertise a course as Vermont-approved until approved; courses not pre-approved ‘may be reviewed as part of a notary public’s renewal application.’ OPR publishes an approved-course list and warns applicants to search the term ’notaries public’. DOCUMENTATION AND AUDIT: proof must be uploaded with the renewal and must show ’the name and date of the course, proof of attendance, and the number of continuing education credit hours awarded.’ OPR ‘shall conduct continuing education audits of randomly selected notaries public.’ EXEMPT FROM CE: attorneys licensed and in good standing in Vermont (26 V.S.A. 5342(b)(1)(B), exempting them from ’the continuing education requirement set forth in section 5343’; Rule 4-3(b)(ii)); Judiciary-Related Employees (Rule 4-3(a)(i)(C)); and Law-Enforcement-Related Employees, who need no commission within the scope of their duties. Town clerks, town clerk assistants and justices of the peace are exempt only from the FEE, not from CE. Newly commissioned notaries get a first-cycle grace under Rule 4-9 where the commission issued within 90 days of the end of a biennial period.

Your seal or stamp

*** VERMONT DOES NOT REQUIRE A SEAL OR STAMP AT ALL. *** This is the single most commonly mis-stated Vermont fact. OPR, on both its Notary FAQs and its Stamps & Certificates page: ‘A notary public is not required to have an official stamp or to affix an official stamp on a record.’ IF THE NOTARY DOES NOT USE A STAMP, the information must be written out instead. Per OPR, the notary ‘shall clearly print or type’ the full name of the notary public, the date of the notarial act, the jurisdiction (state and county), the name of the person signing the record, the title of office (’notary public’), and the date of expiration of the notary public’s commission. The Stamps & Certificates page frames it as printing ’the notarial act certificate and all accompanying information (i.e., full name, commission number, title of office, expiration date of commission, date of notarial act, type of notarial act, jurisdiction, name of person signing the record).’ MIXING IS ALLOWED: ‘Any combination of official stamp and printing is acceptable as long as all the required information is included in the certificate’, and ‘If a stamp does not include all of this information, the notary public shall legibly print or type the missing information in the certificate.’ IF THE NOTARY DOES USE A STAMP, 26 V.S.A. 5369 requires that the official stamp ‘(1) include the notary public’s name, jurisdiction, and other information required by the Office; and (2) be capable of being copied together with the record to which it is affixed or attached or with which it is logically associated.’ OPR specifies the ‘other information required by the Office’ as the commission number issued by OPR, alongside the notary’s legal name and jurisdiction. On digits: ‘You may list all 10 digits; however, you are only required to list the last 7 digits.’ SHAPE AND SIZE ARE THE NOTARY’S CHOICE: ‘The shape and style of the stamp may be determined by each notary.’ An embosser is permissible - an official stamp is defined at 26 V.S.A. 5302(14) as ‘a physical image affixed to or embossed on a tangible record’, and a stamping device includes ‘a physical device capable of affixing to or embossing on a tangible record an official stamp.’ THE VERMONT STATE SEAL IS PROHIBITED: ‘Notaries public may not use the Vermont State Seal in the performance of notarial acts. Notary stamps or embossments must not include the Vermont State Seal.’ SIGNATURE IS ALWAYS REQUIRED: ‘All notarial act certificates must also be signed by the notary public, regardless of whether a stamp is used’, and under Rule 4-5(a) notaries ‘shall sign notarial acts using the same name they signed on the notarized oath of office.’ ON EXPIRY: ‘stamps that include a commission expiration date must be replaced upon expiration of the commission, every two years.’ On a new commission the number changes - OPR warns applicants to ‘wait to order your stamp until your Notary Public license is approved by the Office as a new commission number will be issued.’ SECURITY: 26 V.S.A. 5370 - ‘A notary public is responsible for the security of the notary public’s stamping device and shall not allow another individual to use the device to perform a notarial act’, and a lost or stolen device must be reported promptly to the Office. TANGIBLE-RECORD RULE IN THE STATUTE: where a notarial act on a tangible record is performed, ‘an official stamp shall be affixed to or embossed on the certificate or, in the alternative, the notary shall clearly print or type the notary public’s name and commission number on the certificate’ - the alternative is what makes the stamp optional.

Keeping a journal

Vermont does not require a notary journal.

VERMONT DOES NOT REQUIRE A NOTARY JOURNAL - not for paper acts, and not for electronic or remote acts. This is a negative stated on positive evidence: the word ‘journal’ does not occur anywhere in 26 V.S.A. chapter 103 as published by the Vermont General Assembly, nor anywhere in the 23-page Administrative Rules for Notaries Public effective February 26, 2025. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: the full statute chapter, the full 2025 Rules, the Notary FAQs, the Stamps & Certificates page, the Forms & Instructions page and the February 2026 Renewal Instructions. No journal, register or record-of-acts duty appears in any of them. *** BUT DO NOT READ THAT AS ‘NO RECORDKEEPING’. VERMONT IMPOSES AN AUDIOVISUAL RECORDING DUTY ON REMOTE ACTS, WITH A 10-YEAR RETENTION. *** Under 26 V.S.A. 5379(b)(4) a notarial act for a remotely located individual is valid only if ’the notary public, or a person acting on behalf of the notary public, creates an audiovisual recording of the performance of the notarial act.’ Subsection (k) requires that the notary public - or ‘a guardian, conservator, or agent of a notary public or a personal representative of a deceased notary public’ - ‘retain the audiovisual recording created under subdivision (b)(4) of this section or cause the recording to be retained by a repository designated by or on behalf of the person required to retain the recording’, and ‘Unless a different period is required by rules adopted under section 5323 of this chapter, the recording must be retained for a period of at least 10 years after the recording is made.’ So the retention obligation attaches to a VIDEO FILE, not to a book, and it applies only to remote acts. A page that answers ‘does Vermont require a journal’ with a bare ’no’ and stops is leaving out the only recordkeeping duty Vermont actually imposes. NO SURRENDER-TO-AUTHORITY RULE was found for either a journal or a recording; the statute contemplates retention by the notary or by a designated repository, and expressly survives the notary’s death through the personal representative.

Online (remote) notarization

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

Remote online notarization is authorized in Vermont and REQUIRES A SPECIAL ENDORSEMENT on top of the commission. STATUTORY BASIS: 26 V.S.A. 5341(d) - ‘A notary public shall not perform a notarial act on an electronic record or for a remotely located individual without obtaining a special endorsement from the Office.’ The remote-notarization mechanics live at 26 V.S.A. 5379 (notarial acts for remotely located individuals) and 5380 (communication technology and identity proofing). Chapter 103 was added by 2017, No. 160 (Adj. Sess.), section 1, effective July 1, 2019, and amended by 2021, No. 171 (Adj. Sess.), section 5, effective July 1, 2022. ONE ENDORSEMENT COVERS BOTH eNOTARIZATION AND RON - Vermont does not split them. 5324(b) calls it ‘a special endorsement authorizing the performance of electronic and remote notarial acts’. Note the two are genuinely distinct acts that happen to share one credential: Rule 7-1 points out that ‘Notarial acts on electronic records may be performed for individuals appearing physically before the notary public or for Remotely Located Individuals.’ *** A LIVE CONFLICT BETWEEN TWO OFFICIAL VERMONT SOURCES, RECORDED BOTH WAYS -. *** OPR’s Notary FAQs page states: ‘Remote notarization by all notaries public is allowed under Part 4 of the Emergency Rules for Remote and Electronic Notarial Acts. Electronic notarization is allowed for notaries holding a special endorsement under Parts 5 and 6 of the Rules. We are currently in the rulemaking process to adopt permanent Rules.’ That would mean NO endorsement is needed for remote acts, only for electronic ones. The statute and the permanent rules say the opposite. FEE: $30.00 (26 V.S.A. 5324(b)), separate from the $30.00 commission fee. ELIGIBILITY, per Rule 6-2: hold a current commission in good standing; attest to selecting and using tamper-evident technology complying with the Rules for acts on electronic records; attest to selecting and using compliant communication technology for remote acts; attest to selecting and using compliant identity-proofing technology for remote acts; and pay all required fees. Vermont thus uses a SELF-ATTESTATION model with no state-approved vendor list - contrast states that publish an approved-vendor roster. TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS: the tamper-evident technology must affix the notary’s electronic signature ‘in a manner that is capable of independent verification and renders evident any subsequent change or modification’, and must use ‘a valid digital certificate issued by a third-party provider’. A notary ‘shall not perform a notarial act with respect to an electronic record if the digital certificate’ has expired, been revoked or terminated, is invalid, or ‘Is incapable of authentication.’ The notary chooses the technology and ‘may refuse to perform a notarial act on an electronic record using technology not selected by the notary public.’ FILED WITH THE STATE: ‘The notary public shall submit to the Office copies of the notary public’s electronic signature and electronic official stamp’, which must be unique to the notary and kept under sole control; the employer ‘must not permit the use of a notary public’s electronic signature or electronic official stamp by anyone except the notary public.’ On resignation, revocation or expiry the notary must destroy and disable them. PROVIDER REGISTRATION: 26 V.S.A. 5379(l) - ‘Providers of the communication technologies, identity proofing, or storage must be registered with the Secretary of State to do business in Vermont.’ RECORDING: an audiovisual recording is mandatory and must be kept at least 10 years (5379(b)(4) and (k)). OUT-OF-COUNTRY SIGNERS are subject to extra conditions under 5379(b)(5), which requires that the record be one ’to be filed with or relates to a matter before a public official or court, governmental entity, or other entity subject to the jurisdiction of’ the United States, or otherwise satisfy the statute. THE NOTARY STILL MUST BE IN VERMONT: Rule 4-4 requires notaries to ‘be physically located within Vermont’s borders when performing all notarial acts’ - remote notarization moves the SIGNER, never the notary. RENEWAL: the endorsement expires with the commission and needs one extra CE hour on electronic or remote acts.

What you may charge

VERMONT PUBLISHES NO MAXIMUM FEE FOR A NOTARIAL ACT, AND NO TRAVEL-FEE RULE. Neither the statute nor the rules set a per-act ceiling, and OPR does not publish a fee schedule for what notaries may charge the public. This is a searched negative, not an omission. Tiers searched on 2026-08-12: (1) 26 V.S.A. chapter 103 in full - the ONLY dollar figures in the entire chapter are the $30.00 commission fee and $30.00 special-endorsement fee at 5324 and the maximum $5,000.00 criminal fine at 5305, and there is no section capping charges to the public; (2) the Administrative Rules for Notaries Public effective February 26, 2025, in full - no dollar amount appears anywhere in the 23 pages; (3) the Notary FAQs - the words ‘charge’, ‘fee for’ and ‘how much’ return no answer about charging the public; (4) the Stamps & Certificates page; (5) the Forms & Instructions page; (6) the February 2026 Renewal Instructions. So a Vermont notary’s charge to the public appears to be unregulated as to amount, and no posted-fee-schedule duty was found either - contrast states that both cap the fee and require the schedule to be displayed. WHAT IS REGULATED is refusal rather than price: under 26 V.S.A. 5372, per OPR’s FAQ, ‘a notary public may refuse to perform a notarial act if the notary is (1) not satisfied that the individual before them has capacity or is competent to execute the record, or (2) not satisfied that the individual’s signature is knowingly and voluntarily made. A notary public may also refuse to perform notarial acts under other circumstances so long as the notary public’s refusal is not otherwise prohibited by law.’ CAVEAT FOR A VERIFIER: a fee cap sitting in a Vermont statute OUTSIDE chapter 103 - for example in Title 32 (Taxation and Finance) fee schedules - would not have been caught by this search, which covered the notary chapter and the notary rules. The claim made here is precisely that chapter 103, the 2025 Rules and OPR’s notary pages set no cap.

Who does NOT need a commission — exemptions

Vermont publishes an unusually explicit exemption structure, in Rule 4-3 and 26 V.S.A. 5342, and it has FOUR distinct tiers that must not be collapsed into one another. Rule 4-3 opens with the controlling caveat: ‘Except as noted for Law-Enforcement-Related Employees, these exemptions apply only to Commissions, not Special Endorsements.’ 1. LAW-ENFORCEMENT-RELATED EMPLOYEES NEED NO COMMISSION AT ALL. Rule 4-3(d): they ‘do not have to obtain a Commission to perform notarial acts within the scope of their Official Duties. They also do not have to obtain a Special Endorsement to perform, within the scope of their Official Duties, notarial acts on electronic records or for remotely located individuals.’ This is the one exemption that reaches the endorsement. OPR’s FAQ lists who qualifies: law enforcement officers certified under 20 V.S.A. chapter 151; non-certified constables; Vermont law enforcement agency employees; and employees of the Departments of Public Safety, Fish and Wildlife, Motor Vehicles, Liquor Control, Children and Families, and Corrections, the Office of the Defender General, the Office of the Vermont Attorney General, State’s Attorney employees, and Sheriff employees. They ‘are exempt from all provisions of 26 V.S.A. Chapter 103, including the requirements regarding the content of certificates. See 26 V.S.A. Section 5305(a)(1)(B)(i).’ The exemption is strictly scope-limited: ‘You may not provide notary public services outside of work’ - to notarize outside official duties they must obtain an ordinary commission. OPR recommends (but cannot require) that such an employee include their printed name, signature, the date, and the statement ‘Exempt as a Law Enforcement-Related Employee’. 2. JUDICIARY-RELATED EMPLOYEES MUST BE COMMISSIONED but are exempt from three things - Rule 4-3(a)(i): ‘A. Passage of the examination required under Part 4-2(e); B. Paying the required fee; and C. Completing the continuing education as a condition of renewing a Commission under Part 9.’ Acts outside their official duties must comply with everything. 3. ATTORNEYS licensed and in good standing in Vermont must be commissioned and pay, but are exempt from the examination and from continuing education (26 V.S.A. 5342(b)(1); Rule 4-3(b)). A complaint against a Vermont-licensed attorney is referred by the Office to the Professional Responsibility Board. 4. TOWN CLERKS, TOWN CLERK ASSISTANTS AND JUSTICES OF THE PEACE are ‘subject to all the requirements of these Rules and 26 V.S.A. Chapter 103 except for paying the required fee’ (Rule 4-3(c); 26 V.S.A. 5342(c)(2)). They still take the exam and still do CE - a point that is easy to get wrong. MILITARY: 10 U.S.C. 1044a is a federal provision and is not addressed in 26 V.S.A. chapter 103, the 2025 Rules or any OPR notary page read on 2026-08-12; this record makes no claim about it. ACTS THAT DO NOT NEED A VERMONT NOTARY: 26 V.S.A. 5374 provides that ‘A notarial act performed in another state has the same effect under the law of this State as if performed by a notary public of this State.’ Separately, apostilles and certificates of authenticity are NOT issued by OPR - they come from the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA). TIERS SEARCHED for this field on 2026-08-12: 26 V.S.A. chapter 103 in full (including 5305 and 5342), the Administrative Rules for Notaries Public effective February 26, 2025 in full, the Notary FAQs, and the Forms & Instructions page.

How to apply

Applications are handled by Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), Office of the Secretary of State. Start at the official application page .

Verify a license in Vermont

Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Office of the Secretary of State publishes a public license search , searchable by Name (OPR notes ‘Most searches are successful using only the name field’), City, State, Zip, License number or License type / profession. It covers Current and former OPR licensees including notaries public. Returns name; city, state, zip; license number and type; issue, effective and expiration dates; and license status - and ‘Where applicable, information regarding supervision, endorsements/specialties and disciplinary action is also available’, which is how a notary’s Special Endorsement (electronic/remote authority) can be checked publicly. A full profession roster can be downloaded, and OPR’s notary FAQ points users to the downloadable public roster - available as an Excel sheet that can be sorted by city or town - to find a notary in their area. Rule 4-7 gives the lookup unusual legal weight: ‘A search tool on the Office website may be considered a primary source verification as to Commission and Special Endorsement status and expiration.’ Discipline is separately searchable via OPR’s Conduct Decision Search.

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

Frequently asked questions

How long does a Vermont notary commission last?

Two years, on a fixed statewide cycle. Under the Administrative Rules Part 4-7, ‘Commissions and associated Special Endorsements are valid for fixed, two-year periods’, and OPR states that ‘Notary commissions expire January 31st of odd years.’ Because the cycle is fixed rather than personal, a commission issued mid-cycle expires at the next January 31 of an odd year rather than two years after issuance - except that a commission issued within 90 days of the end of a biennial period runs through the next full period without a renewal fee or CE.

Does Vermont require a notary bond or E&O insurance?

No - neither. The word ‘bond’ does not appear anywhere in 26 V.S.A. chapter 103 or in the Administrative Rules for Notaries Public effective February 26, 2025, and no insurance requirement appears in the statute, the rules, the FAQs, the renewal instructions or the forms page. Vermont’s statutory qualification list at 26 V.S.A. 5341(b) is closed - age, citizenship or permanent legal residency, Vermont residency or place of employment, non-disqualification, and passing the examination - plus the oath and the $30 fee. OPR also states plainly that notaries need not buy supplies or packages from any association and that ‘Your notary commission is not linked to any outside association, vendor or company.’

Does Vermont require a notary stamp or seal?

No. OPR states that ‘A notary public is not required to have an official stamp or to affix an official stamp on a record.’ A notary who does not use a stamp must clearly print or type the required information in the certificate instead - full name, commission number, title of office (’notary public’), commission expiration date, date and type of the notarial act, jurisdiction, and the name of the person signing. Any combination of stamp and printing is acceptable so long as everything required appears. If a stamp is used it must include the notary’s legal name, jurisdiction and OPR commission number and be capable of being copied with the record; the shape and style are up to the notary, an embosser is allowed, and the Vermont State Seal must never be used.

Is there an exam to become a notary in Vermont?

Yes. 26 V.S.A. 5341(b)(5) requires an applicant to ‘pass a basic examination approved by the Office based on the statutes, rules, and ethics relevant to notarial acts.’ It applies to initial applications submitted on or after February 1, 2021 - applications received before that date required no examination, so older descriptions of Vermont as an exam-free state are out of date. Vermont-licensed attorneys in good standing and Judiciary-Related Employees are exempt from the exam. Town clerks, town clerk assistants and justices of the peace are not exempt from the exam - they are exempt only from the fee. OPR does not publish the passing score, question count or time limit.

How much does it cost to become a notary in Vermont?

$30.00, set by statute. 26 V.S.A. 5324(a): ‘For the issuance of a commission as a notary public, the Office shall collect a fee of $30.00’, and OPR’s FAQ confirms the same $30.00 charge at application. The Special Endorsement that allows electronic and remote notarial acts costs a further $30.00 under 5324(b). There is no bond to buy, no required stamp, and no separate examination fee published. Town clerks, town clerk assistants and justices of the peace are exempt from the fee, as are Judiciary-Related Employees.

Do Vermont notaries need continuing education?

Yes - one hour per two-year cycle, which is unusual among states. Rule 9-1(a) requires ’no fewer than one hour of continuing education over the full two-year biennial period preceding the application for renewal’, and a Special Endorsement renewal requires one additional hour that ‘must pertain to the performance of notarial acts on electronic records or for remotely located individuals or both.’ By statute CE ‘shall not be required to exceed two hours’ per period. A course must be at least 60 minutes, may be live or recorded and in-person or remote, but must include both audio and visual content. Courses from the American Bar Association, the Vermont Bar Association and any Vermont State government agency are approved automatically; all other providers must be approved by OPR. Attorneys and Judiciary-Related Employees are exempt, and OPR audits CE at random.

Can a Vermont notary perform remote online notarizations?

Yes, but only with a Special Endorsement. 26 V.S.A. 5341(d) provides that ‘A notary public shall not perform a notarial act on an electronic record or for a remotely located individual without obtaining a special endorsement from the Office’, and the Administrative Rules effective February 26, 2025 confirm at Part 4-1 that commission-only notaries ‘may perform notarial acts only on tangible records and only for people appearing physically before the notary public.’ One endorsement covers both electronic and remote acts and costs $30.00. Note that OPR’s FAQ page still carries older guidance, based on 2024 emergency rules, saying remote notarization is open to all notaries - the statute and the permanent rules require the endorsement. A remote act also requires an audiovisual recording kept at least 10 years, and the notary must be physically inside Vermont.

Do Vermont notaries have to keep a journal?

No. The word ‘journal’ does not appear in 26 V.S.A. chapter 103 or in the Administrative Rules for Notaries Public effective February 26, 2025, and no journal duty appears on OPR’s notary pages. But Vermont does impose a recordkeeping duty on remote acts specifically: under 26 V.S.A. 5379(b)(4) a notarial act for a remotely located individual requires that an audiovisual recording of the act be created, and subsection (k) requires that recording to be retained ‘for a period of at least 10 years after the recording is made’ - by the notary or a designated repository, and by a personal representative if the notary dies.

Who can notarize in Vermont without a commission?

Law-enforcement-related employees, and only within the scope of their official duties. Under Rule 4-3(d) they need neither a commission nor a Special Endorsement for acts within those duties, and 26 V.S.A. 5305(a)(1)(B)(i) exempts them from the chapter, including its certificate-content rules. OPR lists certified law enforcement officers, non-certified constables, law enforcement agency employees, and employees of Public Safety, Fish and Wildlife, Motor Vehicles, Liquor Control, Children and Families, Corrections, the Defender General, the Attorney General, State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs. The exemption stops at the job: ‘You may not provide notary public services outside of work’ - for that, an ordinary commission is required. Everyone else, including judiciary-related employees, attorneys, town clerks and justices of the peace, must hold a commission; their exemptions go to the exam, the fee or CE, not to the commission itself.

How much can a Vermont notary charge for a notarial act?

Vermont does not publish a maximum. No per-act fee cap, travel-fee rule or posted-fee-schedule duty appears in 26 V.S.A. chapter 103, in the Administrative Rules effective February 26, 2025, or on OPR’s notary pages - the only dollar figures in the whole chapter are the $30.00 commission fee, the $30.00 endorsement fee and the maximum $5,000.00 criminal fine. What Vermont does regulate is refusal: under 26 V.S.A. 5372 a notary may decline an act when not satisfied the individual has capacity or competence, or that the signature is knowingly and voluntarily made, and may refuse in other circumstances so long as the refusal is not otherwise prohibited by law.

How do I verify a Vermont notary's commission?

Use OPR’s Find a Professional lookup, which covers current and former licensees and returns name; city, state and zip; license number and type; issue, effective and expiration dates; and status, plus endorsements or specialties and any disciplinary action - so the Special Endorsement is publicly checkable. The Administrative Rules give the tool formal weight: Part 4-7 states that ‘A search tool on the Office website may be considered a primary source verification as to Commission and Special Endorsement status and expiration.’ A full notary roster can also be downloaded and sorted by city or town.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Vermont.

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.