Yes, a notary is required.
The Missouri courts' statewide small estate affidavit form ends with a notary jurat. The statute itself lists what the affidavit must state without naming a notary.
In the official wording
"Subscribed and sworn to me on the ______ day of"
From the official pages listed below, checked November 2026.
What else the signing needs
- Value limit
- The entire estate, less liens, debts and encumbrances, $40,000 or less. Distributees can establish title to real estate by recording the affidavit and the clerk's certificate.
"does not exceed forty thousand dollars"
- Waiting period
- Thirty days after the death.
"Thirty days have elapsed since the death of the decedent."
- Where it goes
- A copy of the affidavit and the clerk's certificate is filed with the probate division clerk, usually with a bond the court can waive.
"A copy of the affidavit and certificate shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the probate division."
- Official form
- PR16, Affidavit to Establish Title of Distributee to Property in Estate of Less than $40,000, Small Estate, Intestate (Without Will). A statewide probate form, revised January 2024 (SJRC 01-24), posted on the Missouri courts' site. Open the official form
- Other simplified route
- Refusal of letters (RSMo 473.090). The probate division may refuse to grant letters when the estate is no larger than the exempt property and the allowance for the surviving spouse or unmarried minor children, or when the personal estate is $15,000 or less and a creditor or other qualified person applies.
Next step
Sign by video with our New Jersey notary while you're in Missouri, 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 Missouri treats it: Missouri says a notarial act performed in another state by a qualifying officer, such as that state's notary, has the same effect as if a Missouri notarial officer performed it. More on Missouri 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 Missouri
Booking sends a request; we confirm the time and the price before you pay.
In person, we look for a notary commissioned in Missouri near you; you approve the price first.
If a local notary in Missouri does it: Acknowledgment, jurat or signature witnessing, per signature, $5; Electronic acknowledgment, jurat or signature witnessing, per signature, $5, under the state's fee rules (Missouri 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
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
Official sources
- RSMo 473.097, Small estates (Missouri Revisor of Statutes) (checked November 2026)
- Form PR16 (SJRC 01-24), Small estate affidavit, intestate (Missouri Courts) (checked November 2026)
- RSMo 473.090, Refusal of letters (Missouri Revisor of Statutes) (checked November 2026)
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 Missouri small estate affidavit?
Yes, a notary is required. The Missouri courts' statewide small estate affidavit form ends with a notary jurat. The statute itself lists what the affidavit must state without naming a notary.
What is the small estate limit in Missouri?
The entire estate, less liens, debts and encumbrances, $40,000 or less. Distributees can establish title to real estate by recording the affidavit and the clerk's certificate.
How long after a death can the Missouri affidavit be used?
Thirty days after the death.
Is the Missouri affidavit filed with a court?
A copy of the affidavit and the clerk's certificate is filed with the probate division clerk, usually with a bond the court can waive.
Can I sign the Missouri affidavit with an online notary?
Our New Jersey notary can notarize it by video while you're in Missouri. Missouri says a notarial act performed in another state by a qualifying officer, such as that state's notary, has the same effect as if a Missouri notarial officer performed it. Ask the bank, holder or court that will receive it whether it accepts an electronically notarized affidavit.
What does a notary charge in Missouri?
$5 per signature for an acknowledgment, jurat or signature witnessing, under the state's fee rules. A mobile notary may add a travel fee; ask for the total first.
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