How to Become a Notary Public in New Mexico

Section 14-14A-20 and the Secretary of State's requirements page set the bar. The Secretary of State adds two history checks: you cannot have had a notary commission denied, suspended or revoked in another state, and you cannot have been convicted within the past five years of a felony or a crime involving fraud, dishonesty or deceit. Section 14-14A-22 lists the broader grounds on which a commission can be refused or taken away, including misstatements on the application.

Section 14-14A-21 requires an applicant who does not already hold a New Mexico commission to pass an exam given by the Secretary of State or an entity it approves, based on a course covering notarial laws, rules, procedures and ethics. The Secretary of State's training page names the National Notary Association as the approved provider and links to the course from there. The course and exam cost $30, paid to the provider rather than to the state, and the Secretary of State requires a score of 80 percent or higher.

When you pass, you receive a certificate of completion. Save it carefully; you upload it with this application, and the Secretary of State asks for the original certificate again when you renew. The companion New Mexico notary exam guide covers content and preparation.

Before a commission issues, section 14-14A-20(D) requires an assurance of $10,000, either a surety bond or its functional equivalent, from a company licensed or authorized to do business in New Mexico. It must cover acts during your whole term, and you may notarize only while a valid assurance is on file. The surety must give the Secretary of State 30 days' notice before canceling.

Sign the bond as principal and have that signature notarized by a current New Mexico notary in the section titled Acknowledgment of Principal (Applicant). The Secretary of State repeats a simple rule here: an applicant must never notarize their own signature, even one who already holds a commission.

Section 14-14A-20(C) requires an oath of office before a commission issues. Sign it before a current New Mexico notarial officer, who notarizes it. Again, you cannot notarize it yourself.

File the application at enterprise.sos.nm.gov. Every upload must be a PDF, and you will attach three documents: the certificate of completion, the notarized oath of office and the notarized $10,000 bond. The filing fee is $30 by e-check or credit card. Paper applications are available by request from the Secretary of State and are mailed to you.

Approval produces a Certificate of Commission showing your commission number and expiration date. You then have 45 days to buy a stamp and file a Notary Public Stamp Registration showing it, and the Secretary of State must refer anyone who misses that deadline to the State Ethics Commission. Section 14-14A-16 also says a stamp must be on file before your first notarial act, so register it before you notarize anything.

The stamp must use 10-point type, contain the words State of New Mexico and Notary Public, show your legal name exactly as on the certificate along with your commission number and expiration date, and include the Great Seal of the State of New Mexico.

RULONA requires a journal of every notarial act, kept for ten years after the last entry. The notary rules guide for New Mexico explains what each entry must contain. Report changes to your name, address, stamp or bond within 30 days; a name change is a $3 amendment and needs a bond rider in the new name.

A commission lasts four years, and the Secretary of State sends an expiration notice one month ahead. Renew online at the same portal. You do not retake the course and exam if you took them after January 1, 2022 and your commission has not been expired for more than a year; the renewal asks for your original certificate of completion. Notaries commissioned before 2022 take the course and exam at renewal. Renewing before expiration keeps your month and day with a new four-year date, while a lapse sets a new date from approval. A new stamp registration is due within 45 days of each renewal.

One timing detail differs between official sources. The Secretary of State's renewal page says renewals may be filed any time before expiration, while the July 2023 handbook says no earlier than one month before. Ask the office if you plan to file early.