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The New Mexico Notary Education Course and Exam

Updated 2026-09-28

Before RULONA, a New Mexico notary commission needed no exam. Since the law took effect on January 1, 2022, every applicant who does not already hold a commission has to complete a course and pass an exam. The Secretary of State's current pages set a pass mark of 80 percent and name a single approved provider.

This guide explains who delivers the course and exam, what the official sources say about the format, who is required to take it, what the material covers, and how to study so the exam is not the step that delays your commission.

Where the requirement comes from

Section 14-14A-21 NMSA 1978 requires an applicant without a New Mexico commission to pass an exam administered by the Secretary of State or an entity it approves. The same section says the Secretary of State or that entity must regularly offer a course of study covering the laws, rules, procedures and ethics of notarial acts, and the exam is based on that course. Passing is a qualification for a commission under section 14-14A-20(B)(6).

Who provides it and what it costs

The Secretary of State's training resources page identifies the National Notary Association as the approved provider of both the standard course and exam and the separate remote online notary course and exam, and it links to both. According to the RULONA FAQs, the fee is $30, paid directly to the provider; the state's own $30 filing fee is separate. Start from the Secretary of State's page to be sure you reach the course the state accepts.

Format: what the state publishes

The Secretary of State states one number: you must score 80 percent or higher. Its pages do not publish a question count, a time limit or whether materials may be used, so check those details with the provider before you pay, and treat any figure from an unofficial site with caution. The Secretary of State's pages say nothing about testing centers or appointments; the course and exam are reached through the provider's website.

Who has to take it

The requirement reaches more people than first-time applicants. Once you pass, download the certificate of completion and store a copy somewhere other than your email: you upload it as a PDF with the application at enterprise.sos.nm.gov, and a renewal asks for the original.

  • Every new notary public applicant
  • Notaries first commissioned before 2022, when they renew
  • Renewing notaries whose commission has been expired for more than one year
  • Automatic notarial officers such as judges, attorneys and clerks, whose one-year grace period ran from June 16, 2023
  • Anyone seeking remote online notary authority, who takes a separate course and exam

Content to expect

The Secretary of State has not posted a formal content outline, but the Notarial Officer Handbook and RULONA itself show what a course on New Mexico law must cover. Organize your study around these areas:

  • Definitions: notarial officer, automatic notarial officer, official stamp and each notarial act
  • Personal appearance and identification under sections 14-14A-5 and 14-14A-6, including the one-year limit on expired ID and credible witnesses
  • When to refuse, and the ban on discrimination, under section 14-14A-7
  • Certificate contents and the short forms in sections 14-14A-14 and 14-14A-15
  • Stamp specifications, registration within 45 days, and stamp security
  • Journal entries and the ten-year retention rule
  • Maximum fees, the travel fee and the technology fee
  • Prohibited acts, the notario ban, advertising statements and criminal penalties
  • Grounds for State Ethics Commission action and remote online notarization basics

Numbers worth memorizing

Exams on RULONA lean on specifics, and New Mexico's numbers differ from neighboring states. Know that the bond is $10,000, the term is four years, the filing fee is $30 and the remote application is $75. Acknowledgments, jurats and oaths without a signature top out at $5, copy certifications at 50 cents a page with a $5 minimum, and the technology fee for electronic acts at $25. Expired ID works only within one year of expiration. The stamp must be registered within 45 days, journals are kept ten years, and information changes are due in 30 days. A prohibited act can bring a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both.

Scenario drills to try on your own

Fact patterns are a good way to test whether you can apply the rules, not just recite them. Work through situations like these using the statute, and check your reasoning against the text:

  • A signer presents a driver's license that expired 14 months ago and has no other ID. Can you proceed, and what alternative does section 14-14A-6 offer?
  • Your brother asks you to acknowledge a deed selling his house to a stranger. Does section 14-14A-3(B) stop you, and why or why not?
  • A customer wants a copy of a birth certificate certified. Which rule answers the request?
  • An applicant was approved 50 days ago and has not filed a stamp registration. What must the Secretary of State do?
  • A client asks you to charge $10 per acknowledgment because your employer set that price. What does section 14-14A-28 say?

How to prepare

Complete the course material in order rather than skipping to the exam, then read the Secretary of State's handbook, which is only 17 pages, and the RULONA sections on identification, certificates, the stamp, the journal, fees and prohibited acts. Make a one-page sheet of the numbers above. Then test yourself with scenario questions, since an 80 percent threshold punishes careless reading of fact patterns more than gaps in knowledge.

NotaryPrepHQ provides New Mexico exam practice built from RULONA and the handbook: a diagnostic, topic drills with an explanation after each answer, and timed practice exams with a readiness score, for a one-time price with lifetime access. It is not the required course, and completing it does not produce the certificate the Secretary of State asks for.

Common questions

What score do I need on the New Mexico notary exam?
At least 80 percent, according to the Secretary of State's training resources page.
Do I have to retake the exam every time I renew?
No, if you took it after January 1, 2022 and your commission has not been expired for more than one year. You will need to provide the original certificate of completion with the renewal.
Can I take the course from any notary education company?
Take it from the provider the Secretary of State names. The training resources page lists one approved provider for the standard course and exam, and the handbook says the course and exam must come from a vendor the Secretary of State approves.
Is the remote online notary exam the same test?
No. Remote online notary authority requires a separate course and exam, also listed on the Secretary of State's training page, plus a $75 application.

Keep reading

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Confirm current requirements, fees and forms with the New Mexico Secretary of State.