Missouri notary commission
Missouri notary commission: exam, bond and the county clerk
Read the Missouri Notary Handbook or complete the Secretary of State's training, apply with the $25 fee and pass the exam with 80% or better. Then buy a four-year $10,000 bond and qualify in person at your county clerk. The handbook gives you 60 days from the commission's issue date; check the deadline on your own commission paperwork.
Who Missouri commissions
- At least 18 (RSMo 486.605).
- You live in Missouri or have a regular place of work or business there. A nonresident must work in Missouri, use the seal only for that work, and appoint the Secretary of State as agent for service of process.
- Living legally in the United States, and able to read and write English.
- You pass the Secretary of State's exam with 80% or better, after reading the handbook or completing the prescribed training (486.630).
- No felony or dishonesty-related conviction or plea in the past five years. The Secretary may also deny for material misstatements or past official misconduct.
Source: Missouri Notary Handbook; Notary FAQ.
Five Missouri steps, in order
- Study. Read the Missouri Notary Handbook or complete the Secretary of State's training course, then attest to it on your application.
- Apply and pass the exam. File at sos.mo.gov with the $25 fee ($15 commission fee plus $10 technology trust fund fee, nonrefundable). You need 80% or better on the exam before a commission issues.
- Buy a $10,000 bond. From a surety licensed in Missouri, for four years, dated to match your commission. An errors and omissions policy does not replace it.
- Qualify at the county clerk. Appear in person, present the bond and take the oath; the handbook allows 60 days from the commission issue date, so check the date on your own paperwork. Mail the oath and bond to the Secretary with a postmark no more than seven days after the oath.
- Buy your seal and bound journal. The seal carries your commission number; the journal must be permanently bound with numbered pages.
Source: Missouri Notary Handbook; Notary FAQ.
What Missouri charges
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Commission application | $25 $15 commission fee plus $10 technology trust fund fee; nonrefundable. |
| $10,000 four-year bond premium | Set by surety E&O insurance doesn't replace it. |
| Seal with commission number | Vendor price Inked seal required. |
| Permanently bound journal | Vendor price Numbered pages; a spiral notebook doesn't qualify. |
| Name, address or employer change | $5 Within 10 days. |
The Secretary of State's fee is $25. The bond premium, seal and journal are bought from the companies that sell them.
Source: Missouri Notary Handbook; Notary FAQ.
MO starter kit · $29
Missouri Notary Starter Kit
Missouri's handbook, exam, $25 application, $10,000 bond and county clerk steps, the $5 per-signature caps, ID rules, the bound journal, seal wording, remote online registration, the required not-an-attorney statement, a checklist, a budget and journal pages.
Four years, then a fresh application
A Missouri commission lasts four years (486.610) and doesn't renew automatically: you reapply with a new application each time. Take the training course no earlier than six weeks before your current commission expires, and order a new seal with the new expiration date.
Notify the Secretary within 10 days of an address, name or employer change, with a $5 fee. Report a lost or stolen seal or journal within 10 days of discovering it.
Source: Notary Reappointments; Notary FAQ; Missouri Notary Handbook.
Remote online notarization in Missouri
Commissioned Missouri notaries can register remote online capability with the Secretary of State (RSMo 486.1100 to 486.1205): complete the online registration form and training course and choose software from the Secretary's approved vendor list. The handbook says an added course and exam are required.
Remote online acts are acknowledgments and jurats only. You must be physically in Missouri; the signer may be in Missouri, elsewhere in the United States, or abroad where it isn't prohibited. Record audio and video of each remote act and keep it at least 10 years (486.1195). In-person electronic notarization is a separate registration, and you re-register either capability after each recommissioning. Phone acknowledgments and plain webcam signings outside these rules are not permitted.
Source: Missouri Notary Handbook; RSMo 486.1195; Notary FAQ.
Missouri fees, journal and seal
Acknowledgments, jurats and signature witnessings are capped at $5 per signature, and certified copies at $1 per page with a $3 minimum. Absentee ballot and absentee voter registration acts are free. Travel may be charged only if agreed in advance and explained as separate from the notarial fee.
A journal is required for every act: one permanently bound book with numbered pages, in date order, kept at least 10 years from the last entry and never surrendered to an employer. Your seal shows your name exactly as commissioned, your commission number, "Notary Public", "Notary Seal", "State of Missouri" and your expiration date; an embosser may be used only in addition to it.
Source: Missouri Notary Handbook.
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Missouri notary questions
How long do I have to qualify at the Missouri county clerk?
The handbook says 60 days from the commission issue date. Check the deadline on your own commission paperwork.
Does a Missouri commission renew automatically?
No. You submit a new application each time, and take the training course no earlier than six weeks before your commission expires.
Can E&O insurance replace the Missouri bond?
No. You need the $10,000 four-year surety bond; an errors and omissions policy doesn't replace it.
Can I be a Missouri notary if I live in Kansas or Illinois?
Yes, if you work in Missouri, use the seal only for that work, and appoint the Secretary of State as your agent for service of process.
Can a Missouri notary notarize over the phone or a webcam?
Not outside the remote online rules. Phone acknowledgments and plain webcam signings are not permitted.
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General information from official Missouri sources, checked November 2026. It is not legal advice, and we are not lawyers. Requirements and fees change, so confirm them with the Missouri Secretary of State before you apply. MCC Solutions is not affiliated with the State of Missouri.