New Mexico commissions notaries who are 18 or older, live in New Mexico or work there, can read and write English, and pass the Secretary of State's education course and exam; you then file online with a notarized oath, a $10,000 surety bond and a $30 fee. Commissions last four years. Once commissioned, you have 45 days to file a copy of your official stamp and cannot notarize before it is on file. Below: each step, the costs, stamp filing, journal rules and reappointment under New Mexico law.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against the New Mexico Secretary of State's notary commission pages and handbook, NMSA 1978 Chapter 14, Article 14A, and 12.9.3 NMAC. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | New Mexico answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who can apply | 18 or older; a New Mexico resident or someone employed in the state; reads and writes English | NMSA 1978 § 14-14A-20(B) |
| Screening | No felony, and no crime of fraud, dishonesty or deceit, in the last five years; no commission denied, suspended or revoked in another state | Secretary of State, Become a Notary |
| Training and exam | Notary Education course and exam, taken online; 80% or higher passes; the National Notary Association is the approved provider | Secretary of State, Training Resources |
| How to apply | Online only, through the Secretary of State's enterprise portal, with every upload in PDF form | Secretary of State, Notary Commissions |
| State fees | $30 filing fee, nonrefundable, plus a separate $30 for the training and exam | 12.9.3.8(A) NMAC; RULONA FAQs |
| Bond | $10,000 surety bond or functional equivalent, covering acts during the whole term, with your signature notarized | NMSA 1978 § 14-14A-20(D) |
| Oath | Oath of office administered by a current New Mexico notarial officer, notarized and uploaded | NMSA 1978 § 14-14A-20(C) |
| Commission term | Four years | NMSA 1978 § 14-14A-20(E) |
| Stamp or seal | Copy filed within 45 days of receiving the commission and before your first act. Face rules: New Mexico stamp requirements | 12.9.3.8(C) NMAC; NMSA 1978 § 14-14A-16(C) |
| Journal | Every notarial act recorded; kept ten years after the last entry; paper or electronic | NMSA 1978 § 14-14A-18 |
| Renewal | Same application as the first one, with a new bond; no retest if the commission is not over a year expired and the exam was passed after January 1, 2022 | NMSA 1978 § 14-14A-20(G); Secretary of State, Renew a Notary Commission |
| Remote online notary | Separate course and exam, a $75 application and an approved platform, open only to current commission holders | Secretary of State, Become a Remote Online Notary |
How the New Mexico 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 public in New Mexico?
Any adult who lives in New Mexico, or who has a place of employment in the state, can apply if they read and write English and pass the state exam. NMSA 1978 § 14-14A-20(B) sets these qualifications, and § 14-14A-22 lists the grounds for refusal.
The Secretary of State's Become a Notary page adds two screening points. You cannot have a felony conviction, or a conviction for a crime of fraud, dishonesty or deceit, within the last five years, and you cannot have had a commission denied, suspended or revoked in another state.
Because a workplace counts, living across the state line does not rule you out: a New Mexico place of employment is enough. Some officials, such as judicial officers and county clerks, act as automatic notarial officers, and the statute lets certain of them also hold a notary commission for acts outside their official duties.
What are the steps to apply for a New Mexico notary commission?
New Mexico accepts applications online only. You pass the education course and exam, gather a notarized bond and oath, upload everything as PDFs to the Secretary of State's portal, pay $30, and then file your stamp once the commission issues.
- Finish the Notary Education course and exam and save the certificate of completion.
- Buy a $10,000 surety bond. A current New Mexico notary notarizes your signature on it; you may never notarize your own documents.
- Take the oath of office before a current New Mexico notarial officer, who notarizes the signed form.
- File on the enterprise portal. Upload the certificate, the oath and the bond as PDF files, then pay the $30 filing fee by e-check or credit card.
- Receive your Certificate of Commission. It carries the commission number and expiration date your stamp has to repeat.
- Order the stamp and register it within 45 days, and before your first notarial act.
Paper stopped being an option on October 13, 2023, when the office quit taking paper applications, renewals and stamp registrations. Under 12.9.3.8(B) NMAC, the commission issues only when the names and signatures agree across your documents, so write your name the same way on the bond, oath and certificate.
What does the New Mexico notary course and exam involve?
Every applicant completes the Notary Education course and passes its exam before filing. The Secretary of State names the National Notary Association as its approved provider, requires a score of 80% or higher, and lists a separate $30 fee for the training and exam.
Both parts are online. Section 14-14A-20(B)(5) makes the exam a condition of the commission, which is why the portal asks you to upload the certificate of completion with the rest of your file. The training resources page sets out who must take the course and the passing score.
Keep that certificate once you are commissioned. The renewal page asks for the original when you reapply, and an exam passed after January 1, 2022 can spare you a retest, as the renewal section below explains. Remote online notaries sit a second, separate course and exam.
What are the fees for a New Mexico notary commission?
The state charges a $30 application fee and a separate $30 for the training and exam. Add the premium on your $10,000 surety bond, your official stamp and a journal. Under 12.9.3.8(A) NMAC, the $30 filing fee is not refundable.
Other state charges come later and are small: the handbook lists $3 to amend a commission for a name change and $3 for a duplicate certificate, and the remote online notary application costs $75.
How does the $10,000 notary bond work in New Mexico?
Section 14-14A-20(D) requires a $10,000 surety bond, or its functional equivalent, on file before the commission issues. The issuer must be authorized to do business in New Mexico, and the bond has to cover acts you perform during the entire term.
The bond protects the public rather than you. If you violate the law that governs notaries, the surety is liable under the assurance, and it must tell the Secretary of State within 30 days after paying a claimant.
A surety that wants to cancel must warn the Secretary of State 30 days ahead. The warning matters, because the statute lets you notarize only while a valid assurance is on file, so a canceled bond stops your authority until a replacement is filed.
How long does a New Mexico commission last, and how do you renew it?
Each commission runs four years under § 14-14A-20(E). To be reappointed, you apply the same way you did the first time, with a fresh $10,000 assurance, through the same online portal the office uses for new applicants.
The Secretary of State mails an expiration notice at least 30 days before the end date. You can skip the course and exam if your commission has not been expired for more than one year and you passed the exam after January 1, 2022; send the original certificate of completion with the online renewal. Past the one-year mark, you take both again.
The 45-day stamp deadline applies on renewal too: the renewal page tells approved applicants to buy and register their stamp within 45 days. A stamp from the last term still shows the old expiration date; our expiration date guide for notary seals explains where that date appears.
What notary stamp do you order once New Mexico commissions you?
Order the stamp only after your Certificate of Commission arrives, because the face repeats its commission number and expiration date. New Mexico also requires the Great Seal of the State, your legal name, and the words State of New Mexico and Notary Public.
The Secretary of State's stamp page asks for 10-point type and your legal name exactly as the certificate lists it. Under 12.9.3.14 NMAC, an impression on paper must be in permanent ink that photocopies, so an embosser used alone does not satisfy the rule on a paper record. Our page on New Mexico notary stamp requirements covers each element.
Then register it. Rule 12.9.3.8(C) NMAC gives you 45 days from receiving the commission to send the Secretary of State a copy of the stamp, and missing that window brings a referral to the State Ethics Commission. Section 14-14A-16(C) also requires the stamp to be on file before your first notarial act, so register early if clients are waiting.
What goes in a New Mexico notary journal?
NMSA 1978 § 14-14A-18 requires a journal of every notarial act you perform, kept for ten years after the last act recorded. The Secretary of State accepts a paper journal or an electronic one that meets its security conditions.
According to the journal requirements page, each entry needs the date and time of the act, what kind of act it was along with a description of any record, every served person's full name and address, your identification method, and any fee you charged.
An electronic journal has to be securely stored, recoverable after a software malfunction or computer crash, tamper evident, and available as a PDF if the public or the State Ethics Commission asks. If a journal goes missing or is stolen, notify the Secretary of State promptly.
What do you report after a name or address change in New Mexico?
File the Secretary of State's form within 30 days whenever your name, contact information, signature, official stamp or surety bond changes. Under 12.9.3.8(E) NMAC, a name change also calls for a new official stamp and an amended certificate.
The handbook sets the name change amendment fee at $3. Since the stamp must show your legal name exactly as the certificate does, the amended certificate and the new stamp go together. A lost or stolen stamp is reported promptly; the statute gives no day count.
How does a New Mexico notary add remote online work?
Yes, after separate approval. You must already hold a New Mexico commission, pass the Remote Online Notary course and exam, pick a platform from the state's approved list, and apply online with the $75 fee and a PDF of your electronic stamp.
Approval must come before your first remote act; 12.9.3.8(D) NMAC points to the remote rules in 12.9.4 NMAC. The remote online notary page lists the approved providers.
Frequently asked questions
Can a New Mexico notary work anywhere in the state?
Yes. Section 14-14A-20(D) authorizes notarial acts in this state while a valid assurance is on file, and the statute ties that authority to New Mexico as a whole rather than to one county.
What fees may a New Mexico notary collect?
The handbook caps fees at $5 per acknowledgment, $5 per person for an oath or affirmation without a signature, $5 per jurat, and 50 cents a page for a copy certification with a $5 minimum.
What happens if I miss the 45-day stamp filing?
Rule 12.9.3.8(C) NMAC refers noncompliance to the State Ethics Commission. Apart from that, you cannot perform any notarial act until your stamp is on file with the Secretary of State.
Do I need a new stamp when I renew?
Plan on it. Your stamp repeats the expiration date on your Certificate of Commission, which changes with each term, and the renewal page has you register an official stamp within 45 days of approval.
Which supplies does a new New Mexico notary need?
Two: an official stamp that meets the Secretary of State's face rules, and a journal for every act, on paper or electronic. An embosser on its own will not do on paper, because the rule calls for a permanent-ink impression that photocopies.
Do automatic notarial officers need training?
Yes. The training page requires every notarial officer to finish the Notary Education course and exam, giving automatic notarial officers a one-year grace period, and they must also give the Secretary of State proof of their official stamp.
Once your Certificate of Commission arrives, have it beside you when you order from our New Mexico notary stamps and seals, since the stamp must match it word for word. For how other states set their stamp rules, see our notary seal requirements by state.
