New York mobile notary guide
How to Become a Notary in New York and Work as a Mobile Notary
How to become a notary in New York: the short answer
You must live in New York or have an office or business there, be of good moral character, and pass the $15 state exam unless you are an attorney or court clerk. The application fee is $60, no bond or course is required, and the term is four years. Fees are capped at $2 per act, or $25 for an electronic act.
New York mobile notary rules at a glance
| Rule | New York |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgment fee cap | $2 for the first person signing, and $2 for each additional person[1] |
| Jurat fee cap | New York sets no separate jurat fee. Swearing a signer to an affidavit is an oath with a certificate, capped at $2[1] |
| Travel fee | New York law does not mention travel fees. Executive Law 136 caps only the notarial act. Agree any travel charge with the signer before the appointment and keep it separate from the $2 notarial fee. |
| Commission term | 4 years[2] |
| Bond | None required[2] |
| Training | Not required[2] |
| Exam | Required ($15), except attorneys admitted in New York and Unified Court System court clerks[2] |
| Journal required | Yes. All notaries, not just electronic notaries, must keep records of their notarial acts for at least ten years |
| Remote online notarization | Allowed[3] |
How to become a mobile notary in New York
First, check you qualify. New York requires that you are:
- A New York resident, or have an office or place of business in New York[4]
- Good moral character and the equivalent of a common school education[4]
- Pass the written state exam (attorneys admitted in New York and Unified Court System court clerks are exempt)[5]
- No disqualifying criminal conviction, unless the Secretary of State makes a finding under Correction Law article 23-A[4]
Then follow these steps.
- Check you qualifyYou must live in New York or have an office or place of business there. There is no required training course, but you must know the notary law, which is printed in the Department of State's Notary Public License Law booklet.[5]
- Pass the state examRegister for the written exam through the Department of State. Attorneys admitted in New York and Unified Court System court clerks skip this step.[5]
$15 - Complete the oath of officeFill in and sign the Oath of Office form (DOS-2201) and scan it, because it is uploaded with your application.[5]
- Apply onlineApply through NY Business Express and choose a traditional or an electronic notary commission. The $60 fee is non-refundable, and $20 of it goes to your county clerk for filing your oath.[5]
$60 - Get a stamp or print your detailsUnder every notarial signature you must print, typewrite or stamp in black ink your name, the words Notary Public State of New York, your county of qualification, and your commission expiration date. A seal is not required.[6]
- Register for electronic notarization (optional)To notarize online you must register the capability with the Department of State before your first electronic act, and you must be in New York when you perform it.[3]
$60
For taking and certifying the acknowledgment or proof of execution of a written instrument, by one person, two dollars, and by each additional person, two dollars, for swearing each witness thereto, two dollars.
What it costs to get commissioned in New York
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 commission application | $60[7] |
| Written exam | $15 per attempt[8] |
| Electronic notary registration | $60[8] |
| Change of name or address, duplicate license | $10[8] |
| Apostille or certificate of authentication | $10 per document[9] |
How much can a mobile notary charge in New York?
The notarial fee itself is capped at $2 per act (per person for an acknowledgment), or $25 for an electronic act. A mobile visit charge is not set by New York law: it is whatever you and the client agree in advance, kept separate from the notarial fee.
| Notarial act | Maximum fee |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgment | $2 for the first person signing, and $2 for each additional person[1] |
| Jurat | New York sets no separate jurat fee. Swearing a signer to an affidavit is an oath with a certificate, capped at $2[1] |
| Oath or affirmation | $2 to give an oath or affirmation and certify it when required[1] |
| Copy certification | Not allowed. A New York notary has no authority to issue certified copies[1] |
| Proof of execution (each person) | $2 |
| Swearing a witness | $2 |
| Protest of a note or bill | 75 cents per protest, plus 10 cents for each notice of protest, up to five |
| Remote online notarization | Electronic (remote) notarization: up to $25 per electronic notarial act, covering all the notary's costs. You must register with the Department of State first.[8] |
Travel fees in New York
New York law does not mention travel fees. Executive Law 136 caps the notarial act at $2, and Public Officers Law 67 bars charging more than that for the act itself. Any travel charge is a separate service you agree with the signer before the appointment, and it should never be presented as part of the notarial fee.
Price a signing in New York with the fee calculator, which uses these caps.
The practice of taking acknowledgments and affidavits over the telephone, or otherwise, without the actual, personal appearance of the individual making the acknowledgment or affidavit before the officiating notary, is illegal.
Journal, ID and seal rules for mobile work
Journal
Under 19 NYCRR 182.9, records must show the date, approximate time and type of each act; the name and address of each person served; the number and type of services; the type of ID used (or the witnesses' names); how identity was verified; and, for electronic acts, the technology used. Keep them at least ten years. Electronic acts also need an audio and video recording kept at least ten years.[8]
Need one? Our free printable notary journal has a column for every field most states ask for.
Identifying the signer
For a signer who appears in person (19 NYCRR 182.5(b)): the front and back of a valid, current government ID with a photo, physical description if applicable, and signature; or two current documents bearing the signer's signature; or personal knowledge by the notary; or the oath of one witness who knows both signer and notary; or the oath of two witnesses who know the signer and show ID.[1]
Seal or stamp
No seal is required in New York. Instead, beneath your signature you must print or stamp in black ink your name, Notary Public State of New York, your county of qualification and your expiration date, plus your official number if you qualified in a New York City county.[6]
Any records maintained by a notary public pursuant to this Part must be retained by the notary public for at least ten years.
Working as a loan signing agent in New York
We found no separate New York license or registration for notary signing agents; your notary commission is what lets you notarize loan documents, and the $2 per act cap still applies. Unless you are a lawyer, you may not give legal advice or draft legal papers such as deeds or mortgages. Attorneys often take part in New York real estate closings, so check who is running the closing and stick to notarial duties.[5][8]
Remote online notarization in New York
Yes. You must register the capability with the Department of State ($60) before your first electronic act, and you must be physically in New York when you perform it, though the signer can be elsewhere. The fee is up to $25 per electronic act, and the audio and video recording must be kept at least ten years.[3]
Apostilles and authentications
Clients often ask a mobile notary about apostilles. A notary does not issue them. In New York, the office that does is the New York Department of State, Certification Unit, and the fee is $10 per document.[9] First have the County Clerk of the county where the notary qualified certify the notary's signature. Then submit the document with that certification and the $10 fee to the Department of State.
Mistakes that get New York notaries in trouble
- Charging more than $2 for an oath or acknowledgment breaks Executive Law 136, and Public Officers Law 67 bars charging a greater fee than the law allows.
- Taking an acknowledgment by phone or without the signer in front of you is illegal, unless you are a registered electronic notary following Executive Law 135-c.
- Performing an electronic notarization before registering with the Department of State, or while you are outside New York, breaks Executive Law 135-c.
- Leaving off your printed or stamped name, Notary Public State of New York, county and expiration date under your signature can lead to discipline under Executive Law 137.
- Giving legal advice or drafting documents such as deeds, wills or powers of attorney is the unauthorized practice of law for a non-lawyer notary.
Watch: New York notary basics
How To Become a Notary in New York (2026) | Step-by-Step Guide, from Notary Public Association. Current step by step walkthrough of the New York application process.
How to become a Notary in New York, from National Notary Association. Short overview of the New York commission from the national notary association.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Notaries get paid in NY?
There is no official earnings figure. The law sets what you can charge per act: $2 for an oath or for each person on an acknowledgment, and up to $25 for an electronic notarial act. Mobile notaries can also charge a travel fee agreed with the client in advance, which New York law does not set. Your income depends on how many acts you perform and what you charge for travel.
How long does it take to become a notary in New York?
The Department of State does not publish a processing time. The steps are: pass the $15 state exam (attorneys and court clerks are exempt), complete the Oath of Office form, then apply online through NY Business Express with the $60 fee. No training course is required, so how fast you finish depends mostly on when you can sit the exam and how quickly the application is reviewed.
Does it cost $10,000 to become a notary?
No. In New York the official costs are a $15 exam fee and a $60 application fee. No surety bond is required and no training course is required. If you also want to notarize online, electronic notary registration is another $60. Beyond that, you may choose to buy a stamp or study materials, which are priced by private vendors, not the state.
Is being a notary a good side hustle?
It can add income, but be realistic about the fee cap. A New York notary can charge only $2 per act, or $25 for an electronic act, so notarial fees alone are small. Mobile notaries also charge a separately agreed travel fee. The commission is cheap to get, at $75 in state fees, but you must keep records of every act for ten years.
How to become a notary in NY online?
The application itself is filed online through NY Business Express, where you upload a scanned Oath of Office form and pay the $60 fee. You still need to pass the state exam unless you are an attorney or court clerk. Once commissioned, you can also register as an electronic notary for $60 and notarize remotely, as long as you are in New York.
Can a New York notary charge a travel fee?
New York law does not mention travel fees. Executive Law 136 caps only the notarial act, at $2, and Public Officers Law 67 bars charging more than that for the act. If you travel to a signer, agree the travel charge in advance as a separate service and keep it apart from the notarial fee on your invoice and records.
Sources
Every number on this page comes from one of these official pages. We read them on October 1, 2026.
- New York Executive Law 136. nysenate.gov
- Notary Public. dos.ny.gov
- Register for electronic notarization (optional). nysenate.gov
- Executive Law 130, Appointment of notaries public. nysenate.gov
- Check you qualify. dos.ny.gov
- Get a stamp or print your details. nysenate.gov
- nysenate.gov. nysenate.gov
- 19 NYCRR 182.11 Fees (in NYS DOS Notary Public License Law). dos.ny.gov
- Obtain an Apostille or Certificate of Authentication. dos.ny.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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