How to Become a Notary Public in Arkansas

The handbook lists the statements every application must support. You must be a legal resident of Arkansas; or a legal resident of an adjoining state who works or runs a business in Arkansas; or, under Act 215 of 2019, the nonresident spouse of a U.S. military service member who works or runs a business here. You must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident alien, at least 18, and able to read and write English.

You also may not have had a notary commission revoked in the past ten years, may not have a felony conviction, and must affirm that you have reviewed the notary law and understand the duties. Permanent resident aliens include a recorded Declaration of Domicile, and military spouses add a copy of a Department of Defense DD Form 1173 or 1173-1.

The first purchase is a $7,500 surety bond, either from a surety insurer authorized in Arkansas or a surety contract from an Arkansas general business corporation registered with the Arkansas Insurance Department. The name on the bond becomes the name on your seal and your official signature, so the handbook advises choosing the form of your name you actually sign, with or without a middle initial.

Next, create a free account on the Secretary's business portal. The handbook notes that anyone with an account made before January 25, 2024 must create a new one. The online application links to the notary exam, a multiple-choice test required of all applicants, and a score of at least 80 percent passes. Keep the completion certificate, because you upload it with the application.

For extra practice before the test, NotaryPrepHQ offers Arkansas questions written from the handbook and state notary law, with an explanation after every answer.

Complete the application in full, sign it electronically exactly as your name appears on the bond, and upload the bond and exam certificate. Arkansas residents are commissioned in their county of residence. Adjoining-state residents and military spouses list both a residential address and an Arkansas employer or business address. You pay online by card, and a convenience fee is added to the state filing fee shown in the cart.

If approved, you receive two Oath of Commission Certificates, by mail or in the portal. Check both for spelling and the correct county, then take them and your bond to the recorder of deeds for your county of commission, which is usually the circuit clerk and occasionally the county clerk. You sign both certificates before the clerk, who files the oath and original bond and charges a separate county fee.

Return one file-marked certificate to the Secretary of State. The handbook is emphatic that the commission is not valid until the completed oath certificate is on file with both the county and the Secretary. Some counties offer to send it in for you, but making sure it arrives is your responsibility. The Secretary then issues your Certificate of Commission.

Only after the Certificate of Commission arrives should you order a seal of office, from any vendor you choose; the Secretary does not make stamps. It may be a rubber stamp or an embosser used with ink, must print in blue or black, and must show your name, county of commission, the words Notary Public and Arkansas, your expiration date, and your commission number. It may not include the Great Seal of Arkansas or an outline of the state.

The handbook does not publish a single price list, because several costs are set by private sellers or by your county. Plan for each of the following, and confirm amounts with the Secretary of State and your circuit clerk before paying:

A commission runs ten years and allows you to act anywhere in Arkansas. Name and address changes must be filed within 30 days. A name change is filed by mail with a certified copy of the legal document, and a move to another county requires transferring the commission through the circuit clerk. Either change means buying a new seal.

To renew, file a renewal amendment through your online account once your commission is within 60 days of expiring or has expired. A renewal needs a new bond, the application fee, and a new passing exam score. Unlike some states, Arkansas gives no exam exemption to experienced notaries.