Only lawyers can become notaries in Puerto Rico: you must be admitted and sworn to practice law there, pass the Reválida Notarial, post a notarial bond of at least $15,000, take the notarial oath and register your signature, sign, seal and rúbrica with the Secretary of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court supervises notaries through its Oficina de Inspección de Notarías (ODIN). There is no commission term to renew, but the bond is renewed every year. This page follows each stage.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against the Ley Notarial de Puerto Rico (Ley Núm. 75 of July 2, 1987, as amended), the rules of the Supreme Court's Junta Examinadora de Aspirantes al Ejercicio de la Abogacía y la Notaría, and ODIN guidance. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | Puerto Rico answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who can apply | Attorneys admitted and sworn to practice law in Puerto Rico who are then authorized by the Supreme Court to practice as notaries | Ley Notarial Art. 7; Junta Examinadora |
| Bar admission | Over 21, a law degree from a school approved by the ABA or the Court, good reputation, and a passing Reválida General | Junta Examinadora rules, Regla 4.1.1 |
| Required courses | Three credits each in substantive notarial law, successions, mortgage law, family law, and obligations and contracts, plus five in notarial practice | Junta Examinadora rules, Regla 7.1.1 |
| Exam | Reválida Notarial: 65 multiple-choice items and three discussion questions, offered in March and September | Junta Examinadora, Exámenes de reválida |
| Exam fees | $200 for the Reválida Notarial; $250 for the Reválida General | Junta Examinadora, Exámenes de reválida |
| Bond (fianza) | At least $15,000, renewed every year and approved by the Supreme Court | Ley Notarial Art. 7 |
| Oath | Fidelity to the U.S. Constitution and to the Constitution and laws of Puerto Rico, sworn before you begin | Ley Notarial Art. 7 |
| Registration | Signature, sign, seal and rúbrica, plus residential address, postal address and office location, with the Secretary of the Supreme Court | Ley Notarial Art. 7 |
| Commission term | None: no expiration date and no renewal cycle | Ley Notarial Arts. 7 and 8 |
| Seal | No wording, size or ink is prescribed; your working seal must match the registered specimen. See our Puerto Rico notary seal guide | Ley Notarial Arts. 7 and 8 |
| Records | Protocolo of deeds and acts; Registro de Testimonios kept in SIGNO Notarial; monthly index due by the 10th | Ley Notarial Arts. 12, 47 and 59; ODIN |
| Continuing education | 24 credit hours every three years, at least 9 in notarial law for active notaries | Reglamento del Programa de Educación Jurídica Continua, Regla 29 |
| Where you may act | Anywhere in Puerto Rico | Ley Notarial Art. 3 |
How the Puerto Rico journal rule and remote notarization rule compare with the other 53 jurisdictions: see notary journal requirements by state and remote online notarization by state.
Who can become a notary in Puerto Rico?
Only an attorney. Article 7 of the Ley Notarial limits notarial practice to lawyers admitted to the profession who are then authorized by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico to practice as notaries, so no separate lay commission exists.
That shapes the job. Article 2 describes the notary as a legal professional who exercises a public function, authorized to give faith and authenticity under the law, and Article 6 has the notary draft original deeds (escrituras matrices), issue copies and form protocols.
Some public posts conflict with the role. Article 4 makes the notarial office incompatible with any public position whose agency prohibits notarial practice, and each such agency must notify ODIN of the prohibition.
What are the steps from law school to notarial practice?
The bar comes first. You earn the law degree and the notarial course credits, pass the Reválida General, are admitted and sworn as a lawyer, and pass the Reválida Notarial; the bond, oath and registration follow Supreme Court authorization.
- Finish law school at a school approved by the American Bar Association or the Court, including the notarial credits listed in Regla 7.1.1.
- Pass the Reválida General and the reputation review, then take the oath of admission to practice law.
- Apply for and pass the Reválida Notarial through the Junta Examinadora's electronic admission request system.
- Receive Supreme Court authorization to practice as a notary.
- Post a bond of at least $15,000, which the Supreme Court must approve before you practice.
- Swear the notarial oath of fidelity to the U.S. Constitution and to the Constitution and laws of Puerto Rico.
- Enter your firma, signo, sello and rúbrica in the registry kept by the Supreme Court's Secretary, together with your residential address, postal address and office location.
- Hang the certification the Secretary issues on a wall of your office.
Article 8 describes that certification: it states your name and notary number, the date the Court authorized you, the date you registered, and a facsimile of the registered signature, sign, seal and rúbrica. Since June 1, 2025, later changes to those items are requested through the judiciary's SIGNO Notarial system.
What does the Reválida Notarial cover, and who may take it?
Only lawyers already admitted and sworn in Puerto Rico may sit for it. Since September 2023 the exam has 65 multiple-choice items and three discussion questions, and the Junta gives it in March and September each year.
Regla 7.1.1 also sets course prerequisites, each passed with a grade of A, B or C: three credits apiece in substantive notarial law, successions, mortgage law, family law, and obligations and contracts, plus five credits in notarial practice. The Junta publishes a specifications table for the notarial exam on its reválida exams page.
There is no deadline for taking the notarial exam after passing the general one; the Junta says its current rules set no time limit. The Junta's rules also cap attempts: an applicant who has failed six times is no longer admitted to the examination. The Supreme Court fixes the passing score on the Junta's recommendation.
Study continues after admission. The continuing legal education rules require 24 credit hours every three years, and a lawyer active in the notariat when the period closes must include at least 9 hours of notarial law.
What are the costs of becoming a Puerto Rico notary?
The published exam fees are $250 for the Reválida General and $200 for the Reválida Notarial. The notarial bond carries a yearly premium set by whoever provides it, and the seal is a separate purchase made before registration.
- Reválida General: $250.
- Reválida Notarial: $200.
- Notarial bond: an annual premium on at least $15,000 of coverage.
- Seal: bought before you register, since it is part of the registered set.
The sources read for this page publish no separate charge for Supreme Court authorization or for registering the seal, so confirm any current charges with the Secretary of the Supreme Court or ODIN before filing.
How does the notarial bond work in Puerto Rico?
No notary may practice without a bond of at least $15,000 in force. It answers for proper performance of the office and for harm the notary causes by act or omission, and it must be renewed each year and approved by the Supreme Court.
Article 7 accepts a mortgage bond, which has to be recorded in the Property Registry before final approval, or one written by an insurance company authorized to do business in Puerto Rico, among the options it lists. The $15,000 figure is not a cap on what an injured party can recover, because the article preserves claims under the Civil Code and other law.
The bond also covers amounts owed to the government, such as unpaid internal revenue stamps and notarial tax, and costs ODIN incurs to inspect and approve your notarial work. If a court awards a claimant all or part of the bond, you stop practicing until you post a new one.
Which notary seal do you need in Puerto Rico, and when do you order it?
Order the sello before registration, because Article 7 has you register it with your signature, sign and rúbrica once the bond is approved and the oath is taken. Neither the Ley Notarial nor the Reglamento Notarial prescribes its wording, shape, size or ink.
What controls the design is your registered specimen: every impression you make later has to reproduce the facsimile on file with the Secretary of the Supreme Court. Seals in circulation commonly carry "Notario Público", "Puerto Rico" and the notary's name, but that is custom rather than law. Our Puerto Rico notary seal guide explains the specimen rule in more depth.
There is no expiration date to print, so the seal is not tied to a renewal cycle. Replacing it is a registry change, and SIGNO Notarial now takes requests to change the registered signature, sign, rúbrica and seal.
What records does a Puerto Rico notary keep?
Instead of a single journal, a Puerto Rico notary keeps a protocol and a registry. The Protocolo is the ordered collection of original deeds and acts authorized during each calendar year, and the Registro de Testimonios records each testimonio you authorize.
Article 48 says protocols belong to the state, and notaries keep them as the law directs. Since June 1, 2025, the Registro de Testimonios has been kept electronically through SIGNO Notarial, which also takes digital payment for the required stamps.
Reporting runs on a calendar. Article 12 requires a monthly index of your notarial activity no later than the tenth calendar day of the following month, and ODIN also requires an annual report on the documents authorized in the prior year by the last day of February. Both are filed through SIGNO.
Does a Puerto Rico notary ever renew?
There is no commission renewal, because a Puerto Rico notary has no term and no expiration date. What recurs is the bond, renewed each year for Supreme Court approval, plus continuing education and the monthly and annual reports to ODIN.
The continuing education cycle lasts 36 months and starts in your birth month. Each cycle requires 24 credit hours, at least 4 in professional ethics, and at least 9 in notarial law for anyone active in the notariat when the cycle ends.
Because nothing expires, the seal needs no scheduled replacement. A notary who stops practicing files a voluntary cessation request through SIGNO Notarial.
How do you report a new address or office location?
The Supreme Court registry records your residential address, postal address and office location, and Article 7 requires you to notify ODIN of any change under terms the Court sets by rule. Moving your notarial office is requested through SIGNO Notarial.
For this purpose, your office is the place where your protocols are kept, as notified to ODIN. Our seal guide notes that the Court's rule calls for immediate notice with no day count, so file the change as soon as you move. If you will be away from practice, SIGNO also takes requests to designate a substitute notary.
Frequently asked questions
Can a notary commissioned in a U.S. state notarize in Puerto Rico?
No. Article 7 reserves notarial practice in Puerto Rico to lawyers authorized by the island's Supreme Court, so a commission from a state does not carry over.
Is there a time limit to pass the Reválida Notarial after the general bar exam?
No. The Junta Examinadora states that the current rules set no deadline for taking and passing the notarial exam after passing the Reválida General.
Does a Puerto Rico notary seal show an expiration date?
No. Puerto Rico notaries have no commission term, so there is no date to show, and the law prescribes no wording. The seal only has to match the specimen you registered.
Can a Puerto Rico notary work anywhere on the island?
Yes. Article 3 authorizes a notary to act throughout Puerto Rico, with full autonomy and independence, under the Supreme Court's administrative direction through ODIN.
Who inspects a Puerto Rico notary's work?
ODIN, created under Article 62 of the Ley Notarial. Its inspectors check how notaries keep their protocols and their testimonio registry volumes.
Once the Supreme Court authorizes you, choose the seal you will register from the ESS Puerto Rico stamps and seals collection, keeping in mind that every later impression must match it. For how Puerto Rico's approach compares with the states, see our notary seal requirements by state.
