To become a notary in New Jersey, you must be at least 18 and live, work or practice in the state, pass the State Treasurer's online exam unless you are an attorney, file a $25 application endorsed by a state legislator, and take your oath before the county clerk within three months. No bond is needed. A commission lasts five years. The sections below set out each step, the fees, the stamp you order after approval, the journal, and renewing in New Jersey.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (DORES) in the New Jersey Department of the Treasury, N.J.S.A. Title 52, Chapter 7 as amended by P.L. 2021, c. 179, and N.J.A.C. 17:50. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | New Jersey answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | 18 or older, and either a legal New Jersey resident or employed or practicing in New Jersey | N.J.S.A. 52:7-12 |
| Course | Non-attorneys complete the State Treasurer's course of study, built on the Notary Public Manual and its training videos | N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.2; N.J.A.C. 17:50-2.2 |
| Exam | Online test for first-time applicants who are not attorneys; up to $15 per test | N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.3; N.J.A.C. 17:50-2.2 |
| How to apply | Electronic application to the State Treasurer, endorsed by a member of the Legislature | N.J.S.A. 52:7-11; N.J.A.C. 17:50-1.4 |
| Application fee | $25, nonrefundable, plus a $5 convenience fee when filed online | N.J.A.C. 17:50-1.4; Treasury Notary FAQ |
| Bond | None. The Notary Public Act sets no bond | Not addressed in P.L. 2021, c. 179 |
| Oath | Sworn before the county clerk within three months of receiving the commission; county clerks list a $15 fee | N.J.S.A. 52:7-14; Monmouth and Mercer County Clerk notary pages |
| Term | Five years | N.J.S.A. 52:7-11 |
| Stamp | Your name, "Notary Public, State of New Jersey" and your expiration date, inked or embossed near your signature. New Jersey stamp rules | N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.5 |
| Journal | Required for every notarial act; one journal at a time, kept 10 years | N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.18 |
| Renewal | Continuing education course; no retest unless the commission lapsed more than 30 days ago | N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.2; DORES notary application portal |
| Remote or electronic acts | Notify the State Treasurer and name your technology before the first one | N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10 |
| Name change | Sworn statement filed with the State Treasurer before you sign under the new name | N.J.S.A. 52:7-18 |
For journal and remote notarization rules beyond New Jersey, compare the 54-jurisdiction journal table with the 54-jurisdiction remote notarization table.
Who can become a notary in New Jersey?
Anyone 18 or older can apply under N.J.S.A. 52:7-12, as long as New Jersey is their legal residence or the place where they work or practice. People who live elsewhere but hold a job in New Jersey qualify through that second route.
Nonresidents handle two steps differently. They take the oath before the clerk of the county where their office or job is located, and the Treasury's Manual has them report any change of residence, office or workplace online.
Attorneys follow a shorter path. The course and the exam apply only to non-attorney applicants, although attorneys still apply through DORES and swear the oath like everyone else.
How do you apply for a New Jersey notary commission?
New Jersey takes applications online only. Non-attorneys study the Manual and training videos, pass the exam, then file an application that a state legislator must endorse. Once the commission issues, you swear the oath at the county clerk's office.
- Study the Manual and videos. The DORES portal asks non-attorney applicants to read the New Jersey Notary Public Manual, watch the complete series of Manual training videos, and attest that they did both.
- Pass the online exam. The portal opens the exam through a new commissioning application. Attorneys skip this step.
- File the registration application and pay the $25 fee and the $5 online convenience fee.
- Get the legislator's endorsement. N.J.S.A. 52:7-11 requires a member of the Legislature to endorse every application. The Mercer County Clerk notes that online filings reach the legislator electronically.
- Receive the commission from the State Treasurer for a five-year term.
- Swear the oath within three months. Go to the clerk of your home county, or of the county where you work if you live out of state. Mercer County asks you to bring the notary certificate, the $15 fee and a photo ID.
- Order a stamp and a journal. The stamp must carry the expiration date printed on your commission, so wait until you have it.
The New Jersey Notary Public Manual from DORES is the text the course and exam are built on, and it is free to read online.
What course and exam does New Jersey require?
First-time applicants who are not attorneys must finish the State Treasurer's course of study and pass an online exam before a commission can issue. N.J.A.C. 17:50-2.2 lets the Treasurer charge up to $15 for each test given.
Both requirements arrived with P.L. 2021, c. 179. When DORES announced them, it described a six-hour course for new non-attorney applicants and a three-hour continuing education course at renewal. The current rule states no hours; it calls for a course built on the New Jersey Notary Manual and an online test that confirms you understood it.
The portal now frames the course as reading the Manual and watching its training videos. Under N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.3, the exam draws on the statutes, rules, procedures and ethics the Manual describes, so the Manual doubles as your study guide. The DORES education and testing announcement gives the background.
What does it cost to become a notary in New Jersey?
State and county charges add up to $60 for a non-attorney who passes the exam on the first try: the $25 application fee, the $5 online convenience fee, up to $15 for the exam and the $15 county clerk fee for the oath. The stamp and journal cost extra.
- Application: $25, nonrefundable, under N.J.A.C. 17:50-1.4.
- Online convenience fee: $5, per the Treasury's notary FAQ. Monmouth County lists the combined online charge as $30.
- Exam: up to $15 per test. Attorneys do not test, so they pay nothing here.
- Oath: $15 at the county clerk, the figure Monmouth and Mercer counties publish.
- Bond: none.
- Stamp and journal: both needed before your first act, priced by the seller.
Watch the oath deadline. The Middlesex County Clerk warns that a commission is void if the oath is not taken in time, which means a new application and a second filing fee.
Does New Jersey require a notary bond?
No. The Notary Public Act, as rewritten by P.L. 2021, c. 179, contains no bond requirement, and neither the application portal nor N.J.A.C. 17:50-1.4 asks for one. You pay no surety premium to get started.
The only filings between your commission and your first notarization are the oath at the county clerk and, if you plan to notarize remotely, the notice to the State Treasurer described in the questions below.
What stamp should you order once your New Jersey commission is issued?
Order an official stamp showing your name, the phrase "Notary Public, State of New Jersey" and your commission expiration date. N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.5 lets you affix it to the certificate or emboss it there, near your signature.
The expiration date comes from your commission, so order after it issues. The statute does not require a commission number or county, and it sets no size, shape or ink color. Our New Jersey notary stamp requirements page covers each element and the 10-day window for reporting a lost or stolen stamp.
A new term means a new expiration date, so plan on a fresh stamp at every renewal.
What journal does a New Jersey notary have to keep?
Every New Jersey notary keeps one journal at a time covering every notarial act, either as a bound paper register or in a tamper-evident electronic format, and holds it for 10 years after the last entry, under N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.18.
For every act, note when it happened, what kind of act it was, the name and address of each person involved, how you identified them (personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence, with the credential details) and an itemized list of fees. A paper journal must be bound with consecutively numbered pages.
A lost or stolen journal must be reported to the State Treasurer within 10 days. An older Treasury FAQ still calls a journal only a recommendation, but the current statute and the Manual both require one, so keep it from your first act.
How long does a New Jersey commission last, and how do you renew it?
A New Jersey commission runs five years. Non-attorneys who already passed the course and exam renew by completing a continuing education course, filing the renewal application and swearing the oath again before the county clerk within three months.
The DORES portal lets active notaries renew without retaking the exam. If your commission expired more than 30 days ago, the portal treats you as a new applicant, exam included. Monmouth County lists the renewal charge at $30, the same as a first application.
Your new term carries a new expiration date, and the stamp has to show it. For more on dates and stamps, see our notary seal expiration guide.
What must you file when your name or address changes in New Jersey?
Before you sign any record under a new name, file a sworn written statement with the State Treasurer explaining the change, on the Treasurer's form. Address updates go through the Notary Name/Address Change form on the DORES portal.
Under N.J.S.A. 52:7-18, that filed statement is your evidence of the right to keep acting under the new name. Because the stamp must show your name, a name change also calls for a new stamp. The DORES notary public law page links the statute, the rules and the Manual.
Frequently asked questions
Can a New Jersey notary stamp be round or self-inking?
Yes. The statute fixes the wording but not the shape, size or ink color, so a round seal stamp, a rectangular stamp, a self-inking model or a pre-inked model all qualify when the three required items appear on the face.
Is an embosser acceptable in New Jersey?
Yes. N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.5 allows the official stamp to be affixed to or embossed on the certificate near your signature, so an embosser carrying the required wording is an accepted alternative to an inked stamp.
Which county do I swear in at if I live outside New Jersey?
The county where your office or job is located. N.J.A.C. 17:50-1.4 sends residents to the clerk of their home county and nonresidents to the clerk of the county where they keep an office or work.
What happens if I miss the three-month oath deadline?
The appointment is canceled. N.J.A.C. 17:50-1.4 revokes a commission when the oath is not taken in time, and county clerks tell applicants to file a new application and pay the fee again.
Can I notarize remotely in New Jersey?
Yes, after you give notice. Before your first remote act, N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10 requires you to tell the State Treasurer you will perform such acts and to identify the technology you plan to use. The DORES portal has a Remote/Electronic Notarization application for this.
What if my New Jersey stamp goes missing?
You have 10 calendar days to report it to the State Treasurer. N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.6 places that duty on you or, if you cannot act, your personal representative.
Once the county clerk has sworn you in, choose a stamp or embosser from our New Jersey notary stamps and seals collection. For how New Jersey's three required items compare with other states, see our state-by-state notary seal requirements guide.
