How to Become a Notary Public in Arizona

A.R.S. 41-269(B) requires an applicant to be at least 18, a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident, and an Arizona resident for income tax purposes who claims the Arizona home as the primary residence on state and federal returns. You must be able to read, write and understand English, must not be disqualified under 41-271, must pass the exam when the Secretary of State requires it, and must keep a Secretary of State-approved reference manual on hand.

Under 41-271 the Secretary of State may deny a commission for a felony conviction or a crime involving fraud, dishonesty or deceit, for a dishonest statement or omission on the application, or for discipline of a notary commission in another state. Someone whose Arizona commission was revoked must wait one year before applying again.

The Secretary of State's instructions are firm that you contact Pearson VUE to register for the notary exam and receive a Candidate ID number before you complete the application. The exam can be taken remotely or at a Pearson test center, and the Secretary of State's notice lists a $35 charge for each proctored attempt. The details of format, scoring and retakes are covered in our Arizona exam guide.

Arizona does not currently require a pre-commission training course. The Secretary of State's notary workshop page states that workshops are not available at this time.

A.R.S. 41-269(D) requires a $5,000 surety bond from a surety licensed or authorized in Arizona, covering the full commission term. The Secretary of State does not sell bonds or recommend companies. The manual says you buy the bond in duplicate, sending the original to the state and keeping the copy.

The bond is checked closely. Your printed name and both principal signatures must match your application exactly; the effective and end dates must span four years less one day; the bond must be countersigned by the bonding company; and it contains your oath of office, which you swear to and have notarized with jurat wording and no blank lines. The bond's issue date also has to fall inside a short window around the commission start date, and bonds outside it are returned. An employer may not cancel the bond of an employee notary who leaves the job.

You fill out the application on the Secretary of State's website, print it and sign it; it cannot be submitted online. Mail or deliver the signed application, the original bond and the fee together. The manual breaks the fee into a $25 application fee plus an $18 bond filing fee, for $43 total, and says an application older than 90 days must be regenerated. It estimates four to six weeks to process a correct filing, and fees are not refunded once processed.

Common rejections involve name or signature mismatches between bond and application, wrong bond dates, and blank sections. Your name and business address become public; the rest of the application stays confidential under 41-269(A).

When the commission certificate arrives, check your name, county and dates, then order a stamp. A stamp vendor may not make it without a copy of your commission under 41-267(B), and 41-266 requires the words notary public, your county, your name as commissioned and your expiration date, with a physical image no larger than 1.5 inches high by 2.5 inches wide that includes the great seal of Arizona. You may own only one physical stamping device. You also need a paper journal for tangible records (41-319).

The manual lists four things you must have before your first notarization: your original bond and application on file with the Secretary of State, the original commission certificate, a notary seal and a notary journal.

Under 41-269(G) a notary is a public officer, whoever paid for the commission. An employer may not restrict your services to its own customers, and you may notarize outside work except during your normal hours of duty for that employer. Fees you earn for notarizations done while off duty are yours to keep. If you leave the job you may keep the commission, resign it or let it expire, and the manual asks you to update your address with the Secretary of State if you keep it.

You may renew as early as two months before your commission ends. The Secretary of State asks for a new signed application, an original signed and notarized bond and the $43 fee, and renewing notaries must also pass the exam again. Any unpaid civil penalty, such as the $25 penalty for an unreported address change, should be paid with the renewal to avoid delay. If your commission lapses before the new certificate arrives, stop notarizing until it does.

Once commissioned you may apply separately to perform electronic notarizations, remote online notarizations or both. The Secretary of State says there is currently no extra fee or bond for either. You must choose a technology vendor that meets the Secretary of State's rules and name it on your application before your first electronic or remote act (41-263(F) and 41-268(B)).