Indiana commissions notaries who are 18 or older, live in the state or are primarily employed there, clear a state police background check, hold a $25,000 surety bond, pay $75, and pass the state's online education course and exam. The commission runs eight years. A continuing education course falls due every two years, and each renewal now arrives with a brand new commission number. Below are the steps, the costs, the bond, the stamp order and Indiana's renewal steps.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against the Indiana Secretary of State's INBiz notary pages, its May 2026 notary system FAQ, the Indiana Notary Public Guide and Ind. Code art. 33-42. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | Indiana answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who can apply | Adults 18 and up with U.S. citizenship or permanent legal residency who live in Indiana full time or work mainly in Indiana | Ind. Code § 33-42-12-1; Indiana Notary Public Guide |
| Background check | Upload an Indiana State Police criminal history report with the application | Secretary of State, New Notary System FAQ (May 2026) |
| Training or course | State education course in the Learner Hub, opened once the application is approved; continuing education every two years after that | Ind. Code § 33-42-12-2; INBiz Notaries page |
| Exam | 30 questions; 24 correct (80 percent) passes; unlimited retakes with a 24-hour wait | Secretary of State, New Notary System FAQ |
| How to apply | Online only, in the Applicant Hub, signed in through Access Indiana | Secretary of State, New Notary System FAQ |
| Application fee | $75, nonrefundable | INBiz Notaries page |
| Bond | $25,000 surety bond with an eight-year term, your exact name as principal | Ind. Code § 33-42-12-1(c)(4); New Notary System FAQ |
| Oath | An oath to obey the laws of the United States and of Indiana | Indiana Notary Public Guide |
| Commission term | Eight years | Indiana Notary Public Guide |
| Stamp or seal | Required, with your name, commission number and expiration date. See the Indiana notary seal hub | Ind. Code § 33-42-10-2(a) |
| Journal | Not required for paper notarizations; remote notaries keep an electronic journal | Indiana Notary Public Guide |
| Renewal | Window opens 90 days before expiration; $75; a new commission number is issued | Secretary of State, New Notary System FAQ |
| Remote notary | Separate authorization: $100 fee, online course and remote exam | INBiz Notaries page |
For journal and remote notarization rules beyond Indiana, compare the 54-jurisdiction journal table with the 54-jurisdiction remote notarization table.
Who can become a notary public in Indiana?
Indiana opens commissions to adults of 18 and over holding U.S. citizenship or permanent legal residency who either live in the state full time or are primarily employed there, provided no disqualifying conviction stands in the way.
Nonresidents qualify through their job. In the application's residency and employment section you mark yourself as not an Indiana resident, enter your Indiana employer's details and upload an Employer Consent form. The INBiz notary page also lists proof of current employment, such as a recent paystub or a letter from human resources, among the documents to gather.
Every applicant uploads an Indiana State Police criminal history report. The Secretary of State's May 2026 FAQ accepts a report dated within the last six months, while the older INBiz page still lists a 30-day limit, so request a fresh report shortly before you apply.
What are the steps to get an Indiana notary commission?
Indiana takes applications online only. You buy the bond first, complete a six-part application in the Applicant Hub, pay the fee, then finish the course and exam once staff approve you. The certificate is then ready to download.
- Buy a $25,000 surety bond with an eight-year term that lists your exact name as principal.
- Get your state police criminal history report, plus the Employer Consent form if you live outside Indiana.
- Sign in to the Applicant Hub with your Access Indiana credentials and work through the six sections: personal information, residency, background, bond, signature and payment.
- Pay the $75 fee. It cannot be refunded.
- Wait for staff review. After approval, an email tells you the education course is ready.
- Finish the course and pass the exam in the Learner Hub.
- Download your commission certificate from the My Commission icon in the Learner Hub.
- Order your notary stamp with the name, commission number and expiration date exactly as that certificate prints them.
The INBiz page asks for a signature sample that matches the name on your application, so settle on one form of your name before you start. The bond, the application and later your stamp all follow it.
What are the fees for an Indiana notary commission?
The Secretary of State charges $75 to apply, and a 2020 notice from the office describes that fee as covering the education, the exam and the application together. Continuing education adds $50 every two years, and your surety prices the bond.
- Application, course and exam: $75, nonrefundable.
- Criminal history record: the INBiz page lists a $16.32 fee for the Indiana State Police record.
- Surety bond: the premium on a $25,000, eight-year bond comes from the bonding company; the state does not publish one.
- Continuing education: $50 per course, three courses across an eight-year term, or $150 in all.
- Renewal: $75.
- Remote notary authorization: an optional $100 application that is not refunded.
- Stamp: bought from a supplier you choose. The Indiana Notary Public Guide points to notary service companies, notary associations and office supply companies, not the state.
What training and exam does Indiana require?
Every applicant takes a state education course and a 30-question exam, both in the Secretary of State's online Learner Hub. You need 24 correct answers, or 80 percent, to pass, and continuing education of no more than two hours is due every two years afterward.
The course opens only after your application is approved. Its card in the Learner Hub shows how many modules and lessons it holds and tracks your progress. A failed exam can be retaken as often as needed, but you wait 24 hours between attempts. The Guide says the education is offered only through the state system, so a course from an outside provider does not count.
Continuing education is mandatory. Ind. Code § 33-42-12-2 sets it every two years, you pay $50 per course through the Applicant Hub, and the INBiz page warns that missing the due date ends your commission permanently. The Guide places the deadline on the last day of the month of your commission issue date, every second year.
How does the Indiana notary bond work?
Indiana requires a $25,000 surety bond before you apply. It has to run eight years to match the commission, name you exactly as the principal, and be uploaded in the application's bond section. The Guide adds that it must stay in force for the whole term.
Buy the bond in the name you will use as a notary. The FAQ's wording is strict about the principal being your exact name, so compare the bond against your application, letter by letter, before you upload it. The amount itself comes from Ind. Code § 33-42-12-1(c)(4).
Which notary stamp should you order once your Indiana commission is issued?
Order a stamp or embosser after the certificate is issued, since Indiana puts your commission number and expiration date on the seal along with your name, "notary public" and "state of Indiana". No size, shape or ink color is set.
A seal is required on Indiana notarizations under Ind. Code § 33-42-10-2(a). Your name must read as the commission certificate spells it, the number follows the label "commission number" and the date follows "my commission expires". Since July 1, 2024 the word "seal" no longer has to appear. An embosser is expressly allowed, because the statute lets a notary affix, display or emboss the seal. Our guide to the Indiana notary seal covers each line of the impression.
If the stamp goes missing or is stolen, tell the Secretary of State promptly once you know. The state does not issue stamps, so the replacement, like the original, comes from a supplier you choose.
How do you renew an Indiana notary commission?
The renewal window opens 90 days before your commission expires, and the Secretary of State emails you when it does. Renewal costs $75, and approval brings a completely new commission number, so the stamp from your current term cannot carry over.
The new commission begins on the exact date the old one expires, which leaves no gap and no overlap. Until that date, keep using your old commission number, even if your dashboard already shows the renewal as active. The FAQ lets you order an updated stamp ahead of time so it is ready the day the new commission takes effect.
With two stamps on the desk for a short while, check the date before each use. Our explainer on notary seal expiration dates shows where the expiration line prints on a seal impression.
Does Indiana require a notary journal?
Not for traditional paper notarizations. The Indiana Notary Public Guide says the state does not require a journal but strongly recommends one. Remote notaries are the exception: they must keep an electronic journal and an audiovisual recording of each remote act.
For paper work the choice is yours; a bound journal leaves you a written trail of who signed what and when, should anyone ask. For remote work the journal entries are prescribed by law, and the Secretary of State's 2024 update calls for an electronic journal of every remote notarization.
What must you report to the Secretary of State after a change?
Within 30 days, notify the Secretary of State of a change to your name, mailing address, email address, telephone number or employer information. Ind. Code § 33-42-12-3(a) sets that deadline, and the Guide and INBiz page repeat it.
A name change reaches your stamp too, because the name on the seal has to match your commission certificate. A stamp in a new name is correct only once your commission shows that name, so hold the order until your record is updated.
Frequently asked questions
Where can an Indiana notary perform notarial acts?
Anywhere inside Indiana and nowhere outside it. The Guide describes the authority as statewide. For remote work, the Secretary of State's 2024 update says the notary must be within Indiana's borders while performing the remote notarization.
Can I become an Indiana notary if I live in another state?
Yes, if Indiana is where you are primarily employed. Pick the nonresident option in the residency and employment section, give your employer's details and upload the Employer Consent form.
How long does the Indiana application take?
The INBiz page asks applicants to allow 5 to 10 business days for processing. The time you take to finish the course and pass the exam comes on top of that, so start the course as soon as the ready email arrives.
How much can an Indiana notary charge?
Up to $10 per notarization under Ind. Code § 33-42-14-1, and up to $25 for each remote notarial act, according to the Guide.
Can Indiana notaries notarize remotely?
Yes, with separate authorization. An active notary files an online form with a $100 fee that is not refunded, completes an online remote course and passes a remote notary exam, then works through a technology vendor the Secretary of State has approved.
Once your certificate shows your commission number, pick a rectangular or round stamp, or an embosser, from the ESS Indiana stamps and seals collection. Our roundup of notary stamp rules in all 50 states shows how Indiana's eight-year, number-bearing seal differs from its neighbors.
