Illinois mobile notary guide
How to Become a Notary in Illinois and Work as a Mobile Notary
How to become a notary in Illinois: the short answer
Illinois notaries are commissioned by the Secretary of State for four years. You must be 18, live in Illinois for 30 days, be proficient in English and have no felony conviction. Pass a 3-hour approved course and exam, buy a $5,000 bond and apply online with a $15 fee. You may charge at most $5 per act, or $25 for an electronic act.
Illinois mobile notary rules at a glance
| Rule | Illinois |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgment fee cap | $5 for each non-electronic notarial act[1] |
| Jurat fee cap | $5. Illinois sets one cap for every non-electronic notarial act, and a jurat is a notarial act[1] |
| Travel fee | The Illinois Notary Public Act and the Secretary of State rules do not set or cap a travel fee. You must tell the signer your notarial fee before the act, and the itemized receipt must show the notarial fee separately from any other charge, so list travel as its own line. Any clerical or administrative fee must also be itemized separately in your journal.[1] |
| Commission term | 4 years[2] |
| Bond | $5,000 surety bond for 4 years; $30,000 total if you notarize remotely or electronically[2] |
| Training | Required: a course from an SOS-certified provider with at least 180 minutes of instruction, for new and renewing notaries[2] |
| Exam | Required: pass the exam at the end of the course, then apply within 2 years[2] |
| Journal required | Yes, for every notarial act (in person, remote or electronic) |
| Remote online notarization | Allowed[3] |
How to become a mobile notary in Illinois
First, check you qualify. Illinois requires that you are:
- Be at least 18 years old[4]
- Live in Illinois for at least 30 days before applying, or live in a bordering state and work or keep a business in Illinois[5]
- Be a US citizen or a lawful permanent resident[5]
- Be proficient in English[4]
- Have no felony conviction and no prior commission revoked by the Secretary of State[4]
- Complete an SOS-certified course of study and pass the exam (required since January 1, 2024)[6]
- Get a 4-year, $5,000 surety bond ($30,000 total if you will notarize remotely or electronically)[7]
Then follow these steps.
- Check that you qualifyConfirm you are 18, have lived in Illinois for 30 days (or work in Illinois and live in a bordering state), read English well and have no felony. Bordering-state residents only get a one-year term.[4]
- Take the course and pass the examTake a course from a provider certified by the Secretary of State. It must include at least 180 minutes of instruction and ends with an exam. You then have 2 years from the exam date to apply.[6]
- Buy your bondGet a 4-year, $5,000 surety bond from a company licensed in Illinois. If you will notarize remotely or electronically by audio-video, you need $25,000 more, and one $30,000 bond covers both.[7]
$5,000 bond amount (premium set by the surety) - Apply onlineSince August 1, 2024, Illinois residents must use the Secretary of State's online application. Pay the $15 state fee. An electronic notary commission is a separate application with an extra $25 fee.[4]
$15 state fee - Get a seal stamp and a journalOrder a rubber stamp seal in the format set by rule and a bound journal with preprinted page and line numbers. Illinois requires a journal entry for every notarial act.[8]
- Add remote or electronic work if you want itAny commissioned notary may notarize remotely over two-way audio-video if the signer is physically in Illinois. To perform electronic notarial acts, you need the electronic commission and must register an SOS-approved technology vendor first.[9]
$25 extra state fee for the electronic commission
the maximum fee for non-electronic notarization in this State is $5 for any notarial act performed
What it costs to get commissioned in Illinois
These are the amounts the state sets. Bond, training and supply prices vary by vendor, so we list the legal requirement rather than a price.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Notary public application fee (Secretary of State) | $15[10] |
| Electronic notary public commission fee (in addition to the $15) | $25[10] |
| Surety bond (legal amount, not the premium) | $5,000 for 4 years[7] |
| Combined bond for remote or electronic notarization (legal amount) | $30,000[7] |
| Required course and exam | Price set by the SOS-certified provider; the state sets no price[11] |
| Certificate of authority for a notarized document | $2[12] |
| Apostille (Secretary of State, Index Department) | $2 per document[13] |
How much can a mobile notary charge in Illinois?
The notarial fee in Illinois is capped at $5 per act, or up to $25 for an electronic act by an electronic notary. Illinois law sets no travel fee, so travel is whatever you and the signer agree in advance, shown as a separate line on the receipt.
| Notarial act | Maximum fee |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgment | $5 for each non-electronic notarial act[1] |
| Jurat | $5. Illinois sets one cap for every non-electronic notarial act, and a jurat is a notarial act[1] |
| Oath or affirmation | $5 to administer an oath or affirmation, the same cap as any other non-electronic notarial act[1] |
| Electronic notarial act (electronic notary commission only) | Up to $25 |
| Copy of an electronic journal entry or audio-video recording (electronic notary) | A reasonable fee to recover cost |
| Notarizing a Secretary of State Homeless Status Certification form | No fee allowed |
| Non-attorney help with immigration forms: completing a form | $10 per form |
| Non-attorney help with immigration forms: translation into English | $10 per page |
| Non-attorney help with immigration forms: notarizing | $5 |
| Non-attorney help with immigration forms: obtaining a required document | $3 |
| Non-attorney help with immigration forms: one complete application | $75 maximum in total |
| Remote online notarization | Electronic notarial acts: up to $25 per act. Remote acts done by a regular notary over audio-video fall under the $5 non-electronic cap[1] |
Travel fees in Illinois
Illinois law does not set or cap a travel fee. You must tell the signer your notarial fee before the act, and the itemized receipt must show the notarial fee as separate and distinct from any other charge. Agree any travel fee up front, list it on its own line, and itemize clerical fees separately in your journal.[1]
Price a signing in Illinois with the fee calculator, which uses these caps.
All notaries public must provide itemized receipts and keep records for fees accepted for services provided. Notarial fees must appear on the itemized receipt as separate and distinct from any other charges assessed.
Journal, ID and seal rules for mobile work
Journal
Each entry needs the principal's name, any credible witness, anyone who signed for the principal, the document title, the date, whether it was in person, remote or electronic, the fee charged and where the notary and principal were. Do not record ID numbers, Social Security or driver's license numbers, or biometrics. A paper journal must be bound with preprinted page and line numbers, stay in your exclusive control and be kept 7 years after the last entry.[1]
Need one? Our free printable notary journal has a column for every field most states ask for.
Identifying the signer
Identify the signer by personal knowledge, by a credible witness you know, or by an ID that is valid at the time of the act, issued by a state agency, federal agency or consulate, and shows the person's photo and signature.[14]
Seal or stamp
Use a rubber stamp seal with a serrated or milled border, no larger than one inch by two and one half inches, showing "Official Seal", your name, "Notary Public, State of Illinois", your commission number and expiration date. Stamp it in black ink.[15]
Before performing any notarial act, the notary public or electronic notary public must inform the requestor of the notary's or electronic notary's fee, if any, that will be charged.
Working as a loan signing agent in Illinois
Illinois has no separate license or registration for loan signing agents in the Notary Public Act or on the Secretary of State notary pages. A signing agent works under the normal notary rules: $5 per notarial act, a journal entry for each act, an itemized receipt, and no preparing legal instruments or filling in blanks other than the notary certificate. We found no official Illinois source on attorney closing requirements, so follow the title company's or lender's instructions on each file.[16][1][4]
Remote online notarization in Illinois
Any commissioned Illinois notary may notarize remotely by two-way audio-video if the signer says they are physically in Illinois, with the $5 cap and a $30,000 combined bond. Electronic notarization needs a separate electronic notary commission ($25 extra fee), an SOS-approved technology you register first, and allows up to $25 per electronic act.[3]
Apostilles and authentications
Clients often ask a mobile notary about apostilles. A notary does not issue them. In Illinois, the office that does is the Illinois Secretary of State, Index Department, and the fee is $2 per document.[13] Mail the application and documents to the Index Department in Springfield (111 E. Monroe) or walk in at Springfield or Chicago (17 N. State Street, Ste. 1010). The Chicago office only handles documents for foreign use. Mail processing is normally 7 to 10 business days. We read this from a 2022 copy of the page, so confirm the fee before you send.
Mistakes that get Illinois notaries in trouble
- Charging more than $5 for a notarial act. Under 5 ILCS 312/3-104, that is a Class A misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class 3 felony for a repeat.
- Folding travel into the notarial fee. Section 3-104(e) requires an itemized receipt with notarial fees separate and distinct from other charges.
- Writing the signer's driver's license or ID number in the journal. 14 Ill. Adm. Code 176.910(c) prohibits recording ID numbers.
- Filling in blanks on a loan document. Section 6-104(h) bars notaries from preparing legal instruments or filling in blanks other than the notary certificate.
- Doing remote notarizations with only the $5,000 bond. Section 2-105(b) requires a $25,000 bond for remote or electronic acts, or one $30,000 bond in total.
Watch: Illinois notary basics
How To Become A Notary In Illinois, from Notary Public Association. Walkthrough of the Illinois application steps; check each number against the statute and SOS page cited here
How to Become an Online Notary in Illinois, from BlueNotary. Explains the extra steps for remote and electronic notarization in Illinois; vendor channel, so verify fees against 5 ILCS 312
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to become a notary in IL?
The state fee is $15, plus $25 more if you also want an electronic notary commission. You must also buy a 4-year, $5,000 surety bond and take a required course and exam from an SOS-certified provider. The state does not set the bond premium or the course price, so those vary by company. A seal stamp and a bound journal are extra costs you buy yourself.
Is there a downside to being a notary?
The main downsides in Illinois are the low fee cap and the legal exposure. You can charge only $5 per notarial act, and overcharging is a Class A misdemeanor, then a felony for a repeat offense. You must keep a journal entry for every act and keep a paper journal for 7 years. Your $5,000 bond protects the public, not you, so mistakes can still cost you money.
Can notary be a side hustle?
Yes. An Illinois commission lasts four years and has no minimum number of acts, so many notaries work part time. As a mobile notary you may charge a travel fee that Illinois law does not cap, as long as you agree it in advance and show it separately from the $5 notarial fee on an itemized receipt. You still need the course, exam, bond and journal before your first appointment.
How much money can you make as a notary in Illinois?
No official Illinois source publishes notary income, so we will not quote one. What the law does set is the ceiling on the notarial part: $5 per non-electronic act and up to $25 per electronic act. Any travel fee is set by agreement with the signer. Your income therefore depends on how many acts and trips you do, not on a state rate.
How hard is the IL notary exam?
The state does not publish a pass rate. Since January 1, 2024, every new and renewing applicant must finish a course from an SOS-certified provider and pass its exam. The course covers at least 180 minutes of instruction on Illinois notary law, and you can take up to 30 days to finish it. After you pass, you have 2 years to apply for your commission.
What type of notaries make the most money?
We found no official data that ranks notary types by income. In Illinois the notarial fee is capped at $5 per act, or up to $25 for an electronic act by an electronic notary, so the fee itself is small. Travel fees are not capped, which is why mobile and loan signing work can pay more per appointment than walk-in notarizations.
Sources
Every number on this page comes from one of these official pages. We read them on October 1, 2026.
- 5 ILCS 312/3-104, Maximum fee. ilga.gov
- 5 ILCS 312/2-101.5, Course of study and examination. ilga.gov
- 5 ILCS 312/6-102.5, Remote notarial acts. ilga.gov
- Check that you qualify. ilsos.gov
- ilga.gov. ilga.gov
- Take the course and pass the exam. ilga.gov
- Buy your bond. ilga.gov
- Get a seal stamp and a journal. ilga.gov
- Add remote or electronic work if you want it. ilga.gov
- 5 ILCS 312/2-103, Appointment fee. ilga.gov
- ilga.gov. ilga.gov
- ilga.gov. ilga.gov
- Apostilles and Certifications. ilsos.gov
- 14 Ill. Adm. Code 176.910, Journal entries. ilga.gov
- 14 Ill. Adm. Code 176.920, Paper journals. ilga.gov
- 5 ILCS 312/6-104, Acts prohibited. ilga.gov
- 14 Ill. Adm. Code 176.540, Fees. ilga.gov
Junaid runs Ertiqah LLC and edits this site. He is not a notary or a lawyer. His job here is narrow: read the statute and the Secretary of State page for each rule, quote it, and link it, so you can check every number yourself. How we check facts.
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