Does a Small Estate Affidavit Need a Notary in Minnesota?

Yes, a notary is required.

The court form is sworn or affirmed before a notary public.

In the source's wording

"Sworn/affirmed before me this"

From the sources listed below, checked November 2026.

What else the signing needs

Value limit: The whole probate estate, wherever located, less liens and encumbrances, $75,000 or less at the date of death. The court's instructions (PRO201) require that there's no real property in the probate estate; land and buildings go through probate court.
Waiting period: Thirty days after the death (for a safe deposit box, 30 days after an inventory is filed).
"30 days after the decedent's death"
Where it goes: Presented with a certified death record to the person who owes the debt, holds the property or controls the safe deposit box.
Official form: Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (PRO202), with instructions PRO201. The Minnesota Judicial Branch statewide form, revised 3/23, for a small estate with no real estate, with a notary block. Open the official form
Other simplified route: Summary administration (Minn. Stat. 524.3-1203). A personal representative may petition the court when there's no probate estate, the property is lost or worthless, the estate is only homestead, exempt property and the family allowance, or the gross estate outside homestead and exempt property is within the limit (Nolo's summary gives $150,000).

Next step

Sign by video with our New Jersey notary while you're in Minnesota, 7 AM to 9 PM Eastern, seven days a week, by appointment. New Jersey law lets a New Jersey notary notarize for a signer located in another state (N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10). How Minnesota treats it: Minnesota gives a notarial act performed in another state the same effect as if a Minnesota notarial officer performed it, when a notary public of that state does it (2018 c 176). More on Minnesota signers.

Handling an estate from far away? Estate paperwork help near where the estate is.

Ask the bank, holder or court that will receive the affidavit whether it accepts an electronically notarized one.

Notarize it online ($50 per session) Request a mobile notary in Minnesota

Booking sends a request; we confirm the time and the price before you pay.

In person, we look for a notary commissioned in Minnesota near you; you approve the price first.

If a local notary in Minnesota does it: Each oath administered, $5; Affidavit or paper not otherwise listed, per folio (copies $1 per folio), $5, under the state's fee rules (Minnesota notary fees).

Get it notarized online today

Online notary: open now until 9 PM ET · sessions by appointment · times confirmed by email

A New Jersey notary can notarize this with you on a video call, wherever you are in the U.S. $50 for the session, $10 for each extra signer. Any other fee shows in the booking form before you confirm. Open 7 am to 9 pm ET, every day, by appointment.

What you need

A valid government photo ID
A computer or phone with a camera
The unsigned document

Book an online session

Our certificate states the act was performed using communication technology, as New Jersey law requires. What it must say

Most U.S. recipients accept a remotely notarized document; check with whoever will receive it. What to ask them · Several signers

Sources

Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes) (checked November 2026)
Form PRO202, Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (Minnesota Judicial Branch) (checked November 2026)
Form PRO201, Instructions for Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property, small estate with no real estate (Minnesota Judicial Branch) (checked November 2026)
Nolo (secondary source): Probate Shortcuts in Minnesota (Nolo, updated October 2024) (checked November 2026)

Sourced from official pages; a few facts from vetted secondary sources, marked "(secondary source)".

We are not lawyers, and this is general information, not legal advice. Checked November 2026. Rules change, and whoever receives the document decides what it accepts; we can't guarantee acceptance.

Common questions

Is a notary required for a Minnesota small estate affidavit?

Yes, a notary is required. The court form is sworn or affirmed before a notary public.

What is the small estate limit in Minnesota?

The whole probate estate, wherever located, less liens and encumbrances, $75,000 or less at the date of death. The court's instructions (PRO201) require that there's no real property in the probate estate; land and buildings go through probate court.

How long after a death can the Minnesota affidavit be used?

Thirty days after the death (for a safe deposit box, 30 days after an inventory is filed).

Is the Minnesota affidavit filed with a court?

Presented with a certified death record to the person who owes the debt, holds the property or controls the safe deposit box.

Can I sign the Minnesota affidavit with an online notary?

Our New Jersey notary can notarize it by video while you're in Minnesota. Minnesota gives a notarial act performed in another state the same effect as if a Minnesota notarial officer performed it, when a notary public of that state does it (2018 c 176). Ask the bank, holder or court that will receive it whether it accepts an electronically notarized affidavit.

What does a notary charge in Minnesota?

$5 per oath administered; the statute puts no dollar figure on acknowledgments, under the state's fee rules. A mobile notary may add a travel fee; ask for the total first.

Keep going

A small estate affidavit in another state: Michigan · Missouri · every state

Does a small estate affidavit need a notary in Minnesota?