To become a Connecticut notary public, you must be 18 or older, live or keep your principal place of business in Connecticut, pass the exam built into the online application, pay $120, and then take the oath and record your certificate with the town clerk within 30 days. Connecticut asks for no bond and no seal. Appointments last five years. The sections below explain each step, the costs, optional seal wording, record keeping and renewing a Connecticut appointment.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against the Connecticut Secretary of the State's Notary Public Manual (Rev. 2026-1) and Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 3-94b, 3-94c and 3-94k. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | Connecticut answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who can apply | 18 or older when applying, and a Connecticut resident or someone whose principal place of business is in Connecticut | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 3-94b |
| Training | No course is listed; you study the Notary Public Manual, which the exam tests | § 3-94b; Secretary of the State, notary appointment page |
| Exam | Part of the online application; every question must be answered correctly before appointment | § 3-94b; Notary Public Manual |
| How to apply | Online through eLicense, with a sworn Jurat and Writing Sample and a Certificate of Character | Secretary of the State, notary appointment page |
| Application fee | $120, nonrefundable; waived for active state employees who attest to that status | § 3-94b; Secretary of the State, notary appointment page |
| Bond | Not required; a bond or an errors and omissions policy is the notary's own choice | Notary Public Manual |
| Oath and filing | Oath before your first notarial act; certificate and oath recorded with the town clerk within 30 days for $20 | § 3-94c; § 7-34a; Notary Public Manual |
| Commission term | Five years; the term closes on the final day of the month you were appointed | § 3-94c |
| Stamp or seal | Optional. A seal you choose to use carries set wording; see the Connecticut notary seal guide | § 3-94k |
| Journal | Not required by state law; the Secretary of the State strongly recommends one | Notary Public Manual |
| Renewal | $60, filed in the 90 days before or the 90 days after expiration; new oath and recording each term | Secretary of the State, notary appointment page; Notary Public Manual |
| Remote notarization | Authorized since October 1, 2023; the notary must be located in Connecticut | Public Act 23-28; § 3-95b; Notary Public Manual |
Record keeping and remote acts differ widely by state. The Connecticut rules sit beside every other jurisdiction in notary journal requirements by state and remote online notarization and the electronic seal.
Who is eligible for a Connecticut notary appointment?
You must be at least 18 when you apply and either live in Connecticut or have your principal place of business there. Applicants who live elsewhere must keep a current Connecticut business address on file with the Secretary of the State.
Character counts under § 3-94b. The Secretary of the State may turn down an applicant with a felony conviction, a past revocation or documented official misconduct. Every application also carries a personal recommendation from someone who has known you for at least a year, supplied through the Certificate of Character.
What are the steps to become a notary in Connecticut?
Connecticut's process has two halves. The Secretary of the State handles the application and exam online, and then you finish locally by taking the oath and recording the certificate with your town clerk inside 30 days.
- Read the Notary Public Manual. The exam inside the application tests its contents.
- Complete the Jurat and Writing Sample. You write the sample by hand and swear to it before a person authorized to administer oaths.
- Get a Certificate of Character signed by a public official or a reputable business or professional person who is not related to you and has known you for at least one year.
- Apply on eLicense. Create an account, choose the initial application for notary public certification, answer the exam and pay the $120 fee.
- Watch your email. Approval notices typically arrive within 3 to 5 business days, and your certificate of appointment follows.
- Take the oath before any official authorized to administer oaths. The town clerk often gives it.
- Record the certificate and oath within 30 days with the town clerk of your home town or, for an out-of-state resident, the town of your principal place of business. The recording fee is $20.
An application left pending for more than 90 days is forfeited, so answer any follow-up requests quickly.
How does the Connecticut notary exam work?
There is no separate test date or testing center. The exam sits inside the online application, and you must answer every question correctly before the Secretary of the State will appoint you.
The questions come from the Notary Public Manual, now in its Rev. 2026-1 edition, so read it before you start. Neither § 3-94b nor the Secretary of the State's application steps call for a training course.
How much does it cost to become a Connecticut notary?
Expect $140 in required fees: $120 to the Secretary of the State with the application and $20 to the town clerk for recording. There is no bond premium to budget, and a seal is optional.
- Application: $120, nonrefundable. Active state employees who attest to their employment have it waived.
- Town clerk recording: $20, set by § 7-34a.
- Renewal every five years: $60, plus recording the new certificate.
- Name change: $15. Replacement certificate: $5.
- Seal and journal: optional purchases.
Is a notary bond required in Connecticut?
No. Connecticut does not require notaries to be bonded. The Notary Public Manual notes that a notary may choose to buy a bond or errors and omissions insurance as personal protection against claims for damages.
With nothing to bond, the application and the town clerk recording are the only steps that carry state-set fees.
Do you need a seal after your Connecticut appointment, and what goes on it?
No seal is required. If you choose to use one, § 3-94k fixes its wording: your name exactly as on the certificate of appointment, the words Notary Public and Connecticut, and a My commission expires line with your date.
The statute lets you move the expiration line to a separate stamp instead of the seal. Notaries who skip a seal entirely must type or print Notary Public and the My commission expires line legibly near their signature on each certificate. A stamp with that wording saves writing it out every time.
Because the name must match your certificate exactly, order once the certificate of appointment arrives. The Connecticut notary seal wording guide covers what the statute leaves open, such as size and color. When you resign or let the appointment lapse, destroy or deface the seal so no one else can use it.
Should a Connecticut notary keep a journal?
State law does not require one, but the Secretary of the State very strongly recommends that every notary keep a journal of notarial acts. The manual lists the entries it expects such a journal to hold.
- Date and time of the act and its type
- A description of the document
- The signer's signature, printed name and address
- How you confirmed the signer's identity
- The fee charged and where the act took place
For remote notarizations the manual adds a matching recommendation: keep a recording of each session for at least 10 years.
How long is a Connecticut appointment, and how do you renew it?
An appointment lasts five years and ends on the last day of the month you were appointed. Renewal costs $60 and is only accepted in the 90 days before expiration or the 90 days after it.
About three months ahead, the Secretary of the State emails a renewal notice to the address on file, so keep your email current. The renewal asks you to swear that you have no criminal convictions since your last appointment. Each new term also needs a new oath and a new recording with the town clerk.
No notarial acts are allowed while the appointment is expired. Once the 90 days after expiration pass, it turns inactive, and getting it back follows the new-applicant path at $120. A new term also changes your expiration date, so update any stamp that shows it. Our explainer on where a notary seal shows its expiration date helps you check an old impression.
What happens when your name or address changes in Connecticut?
Report either change to the Secretary of the State within 30 days. A name change is filed through eLicense with a $15 statutory fee, while a residence address change is reported online at no charge.
A name change produces a replacement certificate without a new oath, and the manual directs a notary who has moved towns to record with the new town's clerk. Your seal must show the name on the certificate exactly, so a new name means a new seal.
Can Connecticut notaries perform remote notarizations?
Yes. Public Act 23-28 authorized remote notarial acts from October 1, 2023. The notary must be located in Connecticut during the session and use video technology that lets both people see and hear each other at the same time.
Some documents cannot be notarized remotely: wills and trusts, real estate closings, health care directives, standby guardianship papers and powers of attorney. For identity, a remote signer can be verified through personal knowledge, one current government photo ID, a third-party biometric system or a credible witness.
Frequently asked questions
Does Connecticut law require a notary embossing seal?
No. Connecticut requires no seal of any kind, embossed or inked, and § 3-94k does not mention embossers by name. A seal you choose to use must still carry the statutory wording.
How long does Connecticut take to approve a notary application?
The Secretary of the State says approval emails typically go out within 3 to 5 business days of a completed online application. You then have 30 days from receiving the certificate to record it and your oath with the town clerk.
Can I notarize in any Connecticut town?
Yes. Notaries are appointed for the entire state, whichever town clerk holds your recorded certificate.
What can a Connecticut notary charge in 2026?
From July 1, 2026, the fee for a notarial act may not exceed $10, plus travel at no more than the IRS business standard mileage rate. The earlier cap in § 3-95 was $5 per act.
Can I become a Connecticut notary if I live in another state?
Yes, if your principal place of business is in Connecticut. Keep that business address current with the Secretary of the State, and record your certificate with the town clerk where the business is located.
Do state employees pay the $120 application fee?
Not while actively employed by the state. The Secretary of the State waives the fee for state employees who attest to their employment status in the application.
Once your certificate of appointment arrives, pick a Connecticut stamp or embosser with the statutory wording from the Engineer Seal Stamps Connecticut collection. For the rules elsewhere, our guide to notary seal requirements across the states gathers them in one place.
