To become a notary in Mississippi, you need to be at least 18, a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident, a Mississippi resident for the 30 days before you apply and able to read and write English, then file a $25 application, a sworn oath and a $5,000 surety bond with the Secretary of State. There is no course and no exam. Once the commission certificate arrives by email, you order a stamp carrying six required items. Below are the steps, costs, bond, stamp, journal and renewal rules.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against the Mississippi Secretary of State and the Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts (Miss. Code Ann. § 25-34-1 et seq.), with Miss. Admin. Code Title 1, Part 5. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | Short answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who can apply | Age 18 or older, a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident, a Mississippi resident for the 30 days before applying, and able to read and write English | Miss. Code Ann. § 25-34-41 |
| Training or course | None. Neither the Act nor the Secretary of State's rules require one | Not addressed in Miss. Code Ann. § 25-34-41 or Miss. Admin. Code Title 1, Part 5 |
| Exam | None | Not addressed in Miss. Code Ann. § 25-34-41 or Miss. Admin. Code Title 1, Part 5 |
| How to apply | Mail Form NP-001, sworn before a notary, to the Secretary of State | Secretary of State Form NP-001; Miss. Admin. Code Rule 1-5-2.3 |
| Application fee | $25 | Secretary of State Fees & Forms Directory |
| Bond | $5,000 surety bond for a four-year term, filed within 60 days of applying | Miss. Code Ann. § 25-34-41; Miss. Admin. Code Rule 1-5-2.4 |
| Oath and filing | Section 268 oath taken before a Mississippi notary and filed with the Secretary of State with the bond | Miss. Admin. Code Rule 1-5-2.5 |
| Commission term | Up to four years, ending on the bond's expiration date | Miss. Code Ann. § 25-34-41; Miss. Admin. Code Rule 1-5-2.7 |
| Stamp | Inking stamp with six set items, ordered only after the commission issues. Mississippi stamp rules | Miss. Admin. Code Rules 1-5-3.1 and 1-5-3.2 |
| Journal | Required for every act, paper or electronic | Miss. Code Ann. § 25-34-37 |
| Renewal | File from 90 days out, no later than 60 calendar days before expiration | Miss. Admin. Code Rule 1-5-2.6 |
| Electronic notarization | In-person electronic acts need a separate registration | Miss. Code Ann. § 25-34-39; Miss. Admin. Code Rule 1-5-8.1 |
| Changes on file | Report within 30 calendar days | Miss. Admin. Code Rule 1-5-5.2 |
Two national tables put this Mississippi guide in context: which states require a notary journal and where remote online notarization is allowed.
Who can become a notary in Mississippi?
Any adult who is a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident, has lived in Mississippi for at least the 30 days before applying, and can read and write English may apply, as long as none of the grounds for denial in § 25-34-43 applies.
Residency is the gate. Section 25-34-41 offers no route for someone who only works in the state, and Rule 1-5-2.2 treats a notary who stops living in Mississippi as having resigned. A resigning notary must tell the Secretary of State within 30 calendar days.
Federal employees who hold no elected or appointed office are eligible under Rule 1-5-2.1. A felony conviction can bar you unless more than ten years have passed since release from incarceration, or since the conviction when no jail time was ordered. A false statement on the application, or a commission denied or revoked in another state, can also lead to denial.
How do you apply for a Mississippi notary commission?
You apply on paper with Form NP-001, swear to it before a notary, and mail it to the Secretary of State with the $25 fee. The bond must follow within 60 days, and the commission issues once the bond and oath are both on file.
- Complete Form NP-001. Type it or print legibly. It asks for your legal name and the name you want commissioned, birth date, home and business addresses, email, citizenship or residency status, and declarations on English, prior denials and felonies. Your commission name must include your surname and at least the initials of your first and middle names.
- Swear to it. The application closes with a sworn statement, so sign it in front of a notary.
- Mail it with the $25 fee to the Business Services Division of the Secretary of State, as the form directs.
- Buy the $5,000 bond. If you apply before buying one, the Secretary of State may send a pre-commission document with your start and end dates so the surety can write the bond to match.
- Take the oath. The Section 268 constitutional oath is taken before a Mississippi notary after you show satisfactory evidence of identity, on the office's own form.
- Get the bond on file within 60 days of applying. Miss that window and the application lapses, and you start again.
- Watch your inbox. The Secretary of State has delivered new and renewal commissions by email since November 8, 2021.
- Order the stamp and set up a journal before your first notarial act.
The office's notary FAQ page says the whole process should take under a week when the application, bond and oath arrive complete.
Does Mississippi require notary training or an exam?
No. The Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts and the Secretary of State's Title 1, Part 5 rules set no course, class or exam for a paper commission. Eligibility, the bond and the oath are the whole qualification.
That puts the study on you. The rules on identifying signers, filling in certificates, placing the stamp and keeping the journal are detailed, and failing to follow the chapter is itself a ground to deny, suspend or revoke a commission under § 25-34-43.
How does the $5,000 Mississippi notary bond work?
You need a $5,000 surety bond for a four-year term, written by a surety licensed by the Mississippi Department of Insurance. Your commission does not take effect until that bond and your oath are filed with the Secretary of State.
The bond goes on Form NP-002, the Official Notary Public Bond, or on a bond substantially in the form Mississippi uses for public officials. Rule 1-5-2.7 ends the commission on the bond's expiration date, never more than four years after the commission date, so the two always run together.
The bond is conditioned on notary misconduct, so it protects the public rather than the notary. If claims use it up, the Secretary of State may suspend the commission until a new bond is posted.
What does it cost to become a notary in Mississippi?
The only fixed state charge is the $25 application fee. You also pay a surety for the bond and buy a stamp, and those prices depend on who you buy from, so plan for all three before you file.
- Application: $25, sent with Form NP-001.
- Bond premium: set by your surety; the Secretary of State publishes no price.
- Stamp: required, with a new one at each renewal.
- Journal: required, in paper or electronic form.
- Later filings: the forms directory lists $20 each for a change of address, a change of name and a replacement commission.
What stamp should you order once you are commissioned in Mississippi?
Order an inking stamp that prints six required items in the sequence Rule 1-5-3.1 sets, from State of Mississippi at the top through your commissioned name, the office county, the expiration date and the ID number the Secretary of State assigns. It can be made only after the commission issues.
Rule 1-5-3.2(A) is strict on timing. A notary may procure a stamping device only after receiving the commission and must hand the vendor a copy of the commission certificate. The ID number and expiration date on the face come from that certificate.
The rules set no size, outline or ink color. They do ban abbreviations other than name suffixes, ban the Mississippi state seal, and say a non-inking embosser or crimper is not a stamping device, so an embosser cannot stand in for the inked stamp. Every impression must survive copying, filming or scanning.
Our Mississippi notary stamp guide walks through each line of the face and the layout choices.
What happens if your name, address or county changes?
Tell the Secretary of State within 30 calendar days whenever the information on file changes. A name change does not force a new commission midway through; you may keep acting under your commissioned name until the term ends.
Rule 1-5-5.3 lets you finish the term in the name you were commissioned under, and your next reappointment is made in the new name. The Secretary of State's FAQ, written for filers, pairs a name change with proof of the change, a new seal and a new bond, so confirm with the office before you reorder. Each change form costs $20.
The county line on the stamp is the one most likely to change. The FAQ tells a notary who moves to another county to file the change of address and get a new seal showing the new county.
How long does a Mississippi commission last, and how do you renew?
A commission lasts up to four years and ends on the bond's expiration date. Renewing means a new application, oath and bond, filed in the window between 90 and 60 days before expiration, followed by a new stamp.
Rule 1-5-2.6 opens that window 90 days before expiration and requires the reappointment application at least 60 calendar days before it. The FAQ describes the step as filing within 60 days of expiration, so do not leave it later than 60 days out.
A renewed commission needs a new stamp, since the expiration date on the face changes. Before you file, check the expiration date on your current seal, then order the replacement once the renewed commission arrives.
What must a Mississippi notary journal record?
Every notarial act goes in a journal, entered at the time you perform it. It can be a tangible book or an electronic record, and it must stay in your custody for the whole commission.
Section 25-34-37 sets the entry contents: the date and time, a description of the record, the type of notarial act, the name and address of each individual, how you identified each signer, and any fee charged. When the journal is not in use, keep it locked away where only you can reach it.
A lost or stolen journal is reported to the Secretary of State within ten calendar days. The rules call for destroying a journal ten years after its last entry, and the Act sends it to the circuit clerk of your county of residence if you resign or your commission is revoked.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to become a notary in Mississippi?
The Secretary of State puts it at under one week when the application, bond and oath arrive complete. The commission certificate comes by email, and only then can the stamp be made.
Can a Mississippi notary work in any county?
Yes. Mississippi notaries have statewide jurisdiction, so you can notarize in any county even though your stamp names the county of your office. The Secretary of State says an act performed outside Mississippi is void.
Where do I get a Mississippi notary bond?
From a surety licensed by the Mississippi Department of Insurance, for a four-year term. If you apply first, the pre-commission document from the Secretary of State gives the surety your start and end dates.
What if my notary stamp is lost or stolen?
Report it to the Secretary of State in writing or electronically within ten calendar days of learning about it. No replacement may be ordered until that notice is filed, and the replacement must differ in some way from the original.
Does my employer keep the stamp if I leave the job?
No. Rule 1-5-3.2(D) makes the stamping device the notary's exclusive property, even if the employer paid for it, the bond or the fees.
Can I notarize electronic documents in Mississippi?
Yes, in person, after a separate registration. Rule 1-5-8.1 requires a current, unrestricted commission, an additional application on the Secretary of State's form, and approval before your first electronic act.
With your commission certificate in hand, choose a stamp from our Mississippi notary stamps and seals, each laid out to Rule 1-5-3.1. To compare Mississippi with other states, see our notary seal requirements by state.
