To become a Pennsylvania notary, you must be 18 or older, a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident who lives or works in Pennsylvania, complete three hours of approved education, pass the state exam, and apply to the Department of State for $42. After appointment you have 45 days to post a $25,000 bond, take the oath, record your papers with the county recorder of deeds and register your signature. Commissions last four years. Each step, cost and supply rule follows below.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against the Pennsylvania Department of State's notary program pages and 57 Pa.C.S. Chapter 3, the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts. Sources read September 2026.
| Step or rule | What Pennsylvania requires | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant | 18 or older; a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident; living in Pennsylvania or holding a place of employment or practice there; able to read and write English. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 321(a) |
| Barred from serving | Members of Congress, members of the General Assembly and salaried federal officeholders. A fraud or dishonesty conviction within five years raises a presumption against you. | Department of State, Apply to be a Notary; Character, Criminal Convictions and Prior Sanctions |
| Education | Three hours from an approved provider, finished within the six months before you apply. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 322(b) |
| Exam | Computer-based, run by Pearson VUE, $65 per attempt. Required of first-time applicants and anyone whose commission has lapsed. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 322(a); Department of State, Examination Requirement |
| Application fee | $42, nonrefundable, filed online or by mail. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 321(b) |
| Bond | $25,000 from an insurer authorized in Pennsylvania, covering acts during the commission term. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 321(d); Department of State, Bonding Requirement |
| 45-day filings | Oath, recording of the bond, oath and commission with the recorder of deeds, and signature registration, all within 45 days of appointment. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 321(d.1), (d.2) |
| Commission term | Four years from appointment. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 321(e) |
| Stamp | Rubber stamp, no larger than 1 by 3.5 inches, plain border, with a seven-digit commission identification number. Details on our Pennsylvania notary stamp rules. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 317 |
| Journal | Required for every notarial act, on paper with numbered pages or in a tamper-evident electronic format. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 319 |
| Reappointment | Apply two to three months early. The three-hour course applies; the exam does not if your commission is still active. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 322(c); Department of State, Application Information |
| Electronic or remote acts | Notify the Department and use a technology provider on its approved list. Remote notarization has been permanent since Act 97 of 2020. | Department of State, Electronic or Remote Notarization |
For journal and remote notarization rules beyond Pennsylvania, compare the 54-jurisdiction journal table with the 54-jurisdiction remote notarization table.
Who is eligible to become a notary in Pennsylvania?
You qualify if you are at least 18, a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident, able to read and write English, and either live in Pennsylvania or have a place of employment or practice there. That last clause opens the door to out-of-state residents who work in the Commonwealth.
Some office holders cannot serve. The Department of State's Apply to be a Notary page bars members of Congress, members of the General Assembly and anyone holding a salaried federal office or appointment. You must also not be disqualified under 57 Pa.C.S. § 323.
Criminal history is weighed case by case. A conviction, or acceptance into Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, for a felony or misdemeanor involving fraud, dishonesty or deceit within five years of applying creates a presumption of ineligibility that clear and convincing evidence of rehabilitation can overcome, according to the Department's criminal convictions guidance. Older convictions may still be considered.
What are the steps to apply for a Pennsylvania notary commission?
Pennsylvania splits the process into two stages: qualifying and applying before appointment, then bonding and recording within 45 days after it. The Department of State says applications take two to four weeks to process.
- Take the three-hour course. Use a provider on the Department's approved list and finish within six months of applying.
- Apply to the Department of State. File through the online notary portal or on paper, and pay the $42 fee.
- Sit the exam. Once the Department approves your application, you receive testing instructions by email and have six months to pass.
- Get appointed. The Department sends your commission to the recorder of deeds in the county where you will keep your office.
- Buy the $25,000 bond. It must come from an insurance company authorized to do business in Pennsylvania.
- Take the oath and record your papers. Take the oath of office, then record the bond, oath and commission in the recorder of deeds office.
- Register your signature. Use the prothonotary, or the recorder of deeds, which has been allowed since January 3, 2023. In counties of the second class the office is the clerk of courts. Sign exactly as your name appears on the commission.
- Order your stamp and journal. The stamp shows details from your commission, so order it once those are issued.
Steps five through seven share one deadline: 45 days from appointment. Miss it and the commission is null and void, and you must reapply and pay the fees again, as the Department's recording and registration page explains.
What does it cost to become a notary in Pennsylvania?
The fixed state charges are the $42 application fee and $65 per exam attempt. You also pay for the three-hour course, the bond, county recording, the stamp and the journal, and the Department's pages do not list those amounts.
The $42 fee covers the application and the filing of the bond and is nonrefundable under 57 Pa.C.S. § 321(b). You may retake the exam as often as needed within six months, but each extra attempt adds another $65.
Budget for a new stamp at every reappointment too. The seal carries the expiration date and commission number, so it cannot carry over into a new term.
What education and exam does Pennsylvania require?
Every applicant, new or returning, completes at least three hours of Department-approved notary education within the six months before applying. The exam applies to first-time applicants and to anyone whose commission has expired, even by a single day.
Courses may be classroom or interactive and must include a core curriculum on notary duties and electronic notarization. A course approved for initial appointment also satisfies reappointment, and the mandatory education page states there is no exemption, even for notaries grandfathered under the law that applied before RULONA took effect on October 26, 2017.
Pearson VUE delivers the computer-based exam at test centers in nearly all Pennsylvania counties. You get one attempt from home or office, and retakes happen at a center. If you do not pass within six months, the examination page says you retake the basic course and reapply.
How does the $25,000 notary bond work?
Within 45 days of appointment, you must execute a $25,000 surety bond from an insurance company authorized to do business in Pennsylvania. The bond covers acts you perform during the commission term and is recorded with the recorder of deeds.
The amount rose from $10,000 to $25,000 on March 28, 2026. The statute, 57 Pa.C.S. § 321(d), names $10,000 or an amount the Department sets, and the Department's revised regulations set the higher figure for anyone appointed or reappointed on or after that date. Notaries already commissioned then may keep their existing bond until it expires.
Keep the bond in force for the whole term. Under § 321(d)(7), a notary may perform notarial acts only while a valid bond is on file.
What notary stamp should you order after appointment?
Pennsylvania requires a rubber stamp seal with a plain border, measuring at most 1 inch tall and 3.5 inches across. Order it after your commission is issued, because the face must carry your commission expiration date and seven-digit commission identification number.
The face holds six items, from Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the commission number, and the statute says it must be capable of being copied. An embosser can be added next to the stamp but never replaces it. Our Pennsylvania notary stamp rules list every line.
The format with the commission number took effect March 28, 2026. Notaries commissioned before then may keep using their current seal until that commission expires.
What must a Pennsylvania notary journal contain?
Every Pennsylvania notary keeps a journal of all notarial acts in chronological order. It may be a bound paper register with numbered pages or an electronic journal in a tamper-evident format, under 57 Pa.C.S. § 319.
Each entry, made at the time of the act, records the date and time, a description of the record and the type of act, the full name and address of each person, how you identified them, and the fee charged. Since March 28, 2026, the journal may not hold personally identifiable data such as full Social Security or driver's license numbers, birth dates or places, or biometric records; the last four digits of an ID are acceptable.
You must allow inspection on request, in your presence, and provide a certified copy within 15 days. If your commission expires and you do not apply again within 30 days, or you resign or are revoked, the journal goes to the county recorder of deeds within 30 days.
How long does the commission last, and how is reappointment handled?
A commission lasts four years from the date of appointment. Apply for reappointment two to three months before it expires; if your commission is still active when you apply, you skip the exam, but the three-hour course is still required.
Education for reappointment must fall within the six months before you reapply, under 57 Pa.C.S. § 322(c). Apply even one day after expiration and the exam is back on your list.
Reappointment restarts the 45-day clock: bond, oath, recording and signature registration all happen again, and a new stamp is needed each term because the seal carries the expiration date and commission identification number. Our page on finding a notary seal expiration date shows where to read the date on your current stamp.
What do you report when your name, address or county changes?
Report any change to the information on file with the Department of State within 30 days. The Department takes name and address changes through an online form on its notary portal or on printable forms, as its update your information page describes.
A name change needs supporting evidence such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order, and you need a new rubber stamp before you notarize under the new name. Moving your office to another county means registering your signature in the new county and buying a new stamp within 30 days.
The 30-day rule also covers resignation, a change of technology provider, certain criminal convictions, discipline in another state and payment of a claim on your bond.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the Pennsylvania notary application take?
The Department of State quotes two to four weeks to process an application. Allow more time end to end, since the exam comes after approval and the 45-day bonding and recording window follows appointment.
Can I become a Pennsylvania notary if I live in another state?
Yes, if you have a place of employment or practice in Pennsylvania. You meet every other requirement the same way, and your office county is the one that appears on your stamp.
Can I take the Pennsylvania notary exam at home?
Once. Pearson VUE allows a single attempt from home or office; any retake is at a test center, and every attempt must fall inside your six-month window.
How much can a Pennsylvania notary charge?
The Department's fee schedule allows $5 for an acknowledgment by the first person and $2 for each added name, $5 for an oath, affirmation or verification, $5 for witnessing a signature, $5 for certifying a copy, and $3 per page to protest a negotiable instrument. Electronic and remote acts may be billed at up to $20 each.
Do I need an embosser in Pennsylvania?
No. The rubber stamp is the required seal. An embosser may be used alongside it but cannot stand in for it.
Can I keep my old stamp after the March 28, 2026 changes?
Yes, until your current commission expires. Your next commission needs a stamp in the new format with the seven-digit commission identification number.
Can Pennsylvania notaries notarize remotely?
Yes. A commissioned notary who notifies the Department and names an approved technology provider may perform electronic and remote acts. The Department's electronic and remote notarization page notes that Act 97 of 2020 made remote notarization permanent from October 29, 2020.
When the Department issues your commission, order a compliant rubber stamp from our Pennsylvania notary stamps and seals collection. The Pennsylvania notary stamp rules list every line the face must carry, and our state-by-state notary seal requirements page shows how Pennsylvania compares.
