How to Become a Notary Public in Hawaii

These points come from HRS chapter 456, Hawaii Administrative Rules chapter 5-11 and the Attorney General's own notary pages.

HRS section 456-2 requires that you be a resident of Hawaii and at least 18 when the commission issues. The Attorney General's requirements page adds the citizenship piece: you must be a United States citizen or national, or a permanent resident alien who diligently seeks citizenship once eligible. Unlike states that accept out-of-state commuters, Hawaii does not commission people who merely work in the islands.

The online application may also ask about felony convictions and any misdemeanor tied to notary duties or involving fraud, false statements, theft, bribery, perjury, forgery, counterfeiting or extortion, along with proof of identity and residence (HAR 5-11-21). Answer those questions completely; an unexplained gap can stall the review.

Applications are filed at notary.ehawaii.gov, which requires a free eHawaii.gov account. Two supporting letters travel with every application. The letter of justification explains why you need a commission, roughly how many notarial acts you expect, what kinds of documents you will handle, and that you will serve the general public. An officer or partner of your employer normally writes it; self-employed applicants may write their own.

The character letter must come from a reputable Hawaii resident who is neither your employer nor a relative and who can speak to your honesty, trustworthiness, financial integrity and moral character, with a phone number or email address for follow-up. Pay the nonrefundable $20 application fee online. Government notaries, who serve their agency without charge, pay no fee under HRS 456-18 but need a justification letter from the head of each department that employs them (HAR 5-11-21(c)).

HAR 5-11-22 gives the Attorney General up to six months after a complete application to investigate and send a written decision. The flip side is a 90-day clock on you: if the file is still missing documents 90 days after you first submit it, the office may treat it as abandoned and destroy it. A denial letter must state the reason and explain your right to a hearing under HRS chapter 91.

Approval arrives by email with instructions to log in and book a seat through the Notary Exam Scheduler. Exams are held on Oahu at least monthly, usually on the second Wednesday according to the office's FAQ, and on the neighbor islands periodically, at locations in the county where you live. Each sitting costs $10, and results come by mail within 30 calendar days. The separate Hawaii notary exam guide covers scoring, rescheduling fees and retake deadlines in detail.

Once notified that you passed, pay the Attorney General $100 for issuance of the commission. That figure appears in HAR 5-11-46 as amended in 2022, in the office's 2020 fee schedule and in its application instructions. Note that HRS 456-9 still prints a $40 issuance fee, but the same section lets the Attorney General adjust fees by rule, and the rule controls.

Next, buy a $1,000 official surety bond at your own expense from a surety company authorized to do business in Hawaii. The bond must be approved by a circuit court judge, and the office's FAQ warns that judicial approval can take around ten days. You also take and subscribe the oath of office, which is filed with the Attorney General under HRS 456-2. Order your rubber stamp seal at this stage; the office's instructions say to have it made after you pass, showing your name, commission number and the words Notary Public and State of Hawaii.

According to the office's FAQ, Oahu notaries pick up their commission papers in person, while neighbor island notaries receive them by mail. Leaving a ready certificate uncollected for 60 days after notice triggers a $40 fine. Under HRS 456-4 you must promptly file a copy of your commission, an impression of your seal and a specimen of your official signature with the clerk of the circuit court for the circuit where you live, and the approved bond is kept on file there too. Until the commission, filing and bond are all in place, notarizing is the misdemeanor of unauthorized practice under HRS 456-7.

The commission runs four years. Renewal is your responsibility; a renewal application received within 60 days before expiration counts as timely (HAR 5-11-23). The current rule lists a $20 renewal application fee plus $100 for the renewed commission, while an older answer on the office's FAQ page still mentions a $40 renewal fee, so check the amount with the office before paying. A commission you fail to renew is forfeited. You can ask to restore it within one year ($10 application plus $80 restoration under the rule); after a year you start over as a new applicant and retake the exam.