To become a Louisiana notary, you must be 18 or older, a resident citizen or alien of the state with a high school diploma or equivalent and no unpardoned felony, file a qualifying application with the Secretary of State, pass its written exam, and post a $50,000 bond before the Governor issues your commission. Licensed attorneys skip the exam. No term applies: you keep the commission by filing an annual report and renewing the bond every five years.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against La. R.S. 35:1, 35:2, 35:12, 35:71, 35:191, 35:191.1, 35:192, 35:201 and 35:629, and the Secretary of State's notary rules at LAC 46:XLVI. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | Louisiana answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who can apply | 18 or older; resident citizen or alien; reads, writes and speaks English; high school diploma or equivalent; no felony unless pardoned. A residence-based applicant must be a registered voter of the parish | La. R.S. 35:191(A)(1), (B) |
| Who appoints | The Governor, with the Senate's advice and consent; the Secretary of State runs the application and exam | La. R.S. 35:1; 35:191(C)(1)(b) |
| Training or course | Optional; no course is required by law | LAC 46:XLVI.107 |
| Exam | A pre-assessment test with no minimum score, then a written state exam given at least twice a year. Attorneys and current notaries are exempt | La. R.S. 35:191(C)(2), (3) |
| How to apply | Qualifying application to the Secretary of State, due no later than 30 days before the exam date | La. R.S. 35:191(C)(1)(d) |
| Application and exam fees | $35 application fee; the statute sets the exam fee at $100 | La. R.S. 35:191(C)(1)(c); 35:191.1 |
| Bond | $50,000 since February 1, 2026, filed with the Secretary of State and renewed every five years | La. R.S. 35:71(A), (B), (D) |
| Oath and filing | Oath of office, bond and official signature produced before the commission issues | La. R.S. 35:201(A) |
| Commission term | None. A notary is commissioned for life | LAC 46:XLVI.111(B) |
| Where you can act | Parish of residence plus one office parish; every parish if you passed the exam on or after June 13, 2005, or are a Louisiana attorney | La. R.S. 35:191(A)(1), (P) |
| Stamp or seal | Optional. Your name and notary identification number must be typed, printed or stamped on each act. See the Louisiana notary seal hub | La. R.S. 35:12(B) |
| Annual report | Filed every year around the commission anniversary; $25 fee | LAC 46:XLVI.139; 46:XLVI.129 |
| Journal | The sections read here set record duties only for remote online acts, kept ten years | La. R.S. 35:629 |
| Remote online notary | Separate authorization: an application, the Secretary of State's course and a one-time $100 fee | La. R.S. 35:625.1; LAC 46:XLVI.144 |
For journal and remote notarization rules beyond Louisiana, compare the 54-jurisdiction journal table with the 54-jurisdiction remote notarization table.
Who can become a notary in Louisiana?
A resident citizen or resident alien of Louisiana who is 18 or older, reads, writes and speaks English, holds a high school diploma or equivalent, and has no unpardoned felony can apply. A citizen seeking a commission based on residence must also be a registered voter of that parish.
The application has you swear to your good moral character, integrity and sober habits. If an answer raises doubt, the Secretary of State sends the file to the district court for the parish, and a judge decides whether you are fit to serve. Interdiction, or mental infirmity that prevents service, also disqualifies an applicant under R.S. 35:191.
What makes a Louisiana notary different from notaries elsewhere?
Louisiana follows the civil-law tradition, so its notaries do far more than witness signatures. Under R.S. 35:2 they receive wills, make inventories and partitions, and draw up conveyances, marriage contracts and other written agreements, and acts executed under Civil Code Article 1833 are authentic acts.
Those powers are tied to places. A commission covers your parish of residence and one other parish where you keep an office, and the statute groups many neighboring parishes so a notary in one may act in the others. A notary who passed the state exam on or after June 13, 2005, or who is a Louisiana attorney, may act in every parish.
What are the steps to a Louisiana notary commission?
The Secretary of State handles everything from application to commission paperwork, and the Governor issues the commission. Plan around the exam calendar, since the application and fee are due no later than 30 days before the exam you choose.
- File the qualifying application with the Secretary of State, with a certificate of your age and residence and the $35 fee.
- Take the pre-assessment test. It has no passing score; it measures how likely you are to pass. Attorneys and current notaries skip it.
- Register for and pass the written exam. After approval you may register for any exam within one year without a second application fee, though every sitting carries the exam fee.
- Post a $50,000 bond and file it with the Secretary of State.
- Submit your oath of office and official signature with the bond and the commission filing fee listed in the Secretary of State's rules.
- Receive your commission. An appointment that needs Senate consent is interim until the Senate confirms it.
That last step has no parallel in most states. Under R.S. 35:201(C), a commission issued while the Legislature is in regular session goes to the Senate for confirmation within 48 hours; one issued between sessions expires at the end of the next regular session unless the Senate confirms it.
What is on the Louisiana notary exam, and is a course required?
The Secretary of State sets and grades a written exam, given at least twice a year at regional testing centers in computer or paper format. No course is required by law, though the state sells a study guide and registers private course providers.
Licensed Louisiana attorneys and people who already hold a valid Louisiana commission are exempt from the exam. A serving notary who passed before June 13, 2005 may still sit it to gain statewide reach, registering at least 45 days ahead, and failing it leaves the existing commission untouched.
The rules at LAC 46:XLVI.109 direct candidates to the Secretary of State's website for the exam schedule, format and content, and the procedure for reviewing a failed exam.
How much does it cost to become a Louisiana notary?
The statute fixes a $35 application fee and sets the exam fee and study guide at $100 each. The bond premium, the commission filing fee and a $25 annual report fee each year come on top of those.
Check one mismatch before paying. The fee schedule in the Secretary of State's 2013 rule, LAC 46:XLVI.129, lists $75 for exam registration, $90 for the study guide and $30 for the pre-assessment test, while R.S. 35:191.1, last amended in 2016, sets $100 for the exam and the guide. The Secretary of State's current fee schedule decides what you pay.
- Qualifying application: $35, set by R.S. 35:191(C)(1)(c).
- Exam: $100 per sitting under R.S. 35:191.1.
- Study guide: $100 under R.S. 35:191.1.
- Commission filing: $35 in the rule's fee schedule.
- Annual report: $25 each year.
- Bond premium: set by the surety you choose.
How does the $50,000 Louisiana notary bond work?
Since February 1, 2026, a Louisiana notary must post and maintain a $50,000 bond, up from $10,000, and file it with the Secretary of State. Errors and omissions insurance no longer takes the place of the bond under Acts 2025, No. 258.
A bond written by a surety company authorized in Louisiana does not need recording with, or approval from, the clerk of court. A bond secured by a personal surety or a special mortgage still has to be recorded in the parish mortgage office. The Legislature's digest of Act 258 summarizes each change.
Bonds are renewed every five years, except personal surety bonds, which are renewed when the surety dies. Under R.S. 35:71(E), a notary who is not an attorney and misses a renewal or filing is automatically suspended until a bond is in force and on file.
Do you need a notary stamp or seal in Louisiana?
No seal is required: the rules say a notary's signature is the seal. What each act must show is your name as it appears on your commission, typed, printed or stamped, with your notary identification number placed next to it.
Attorneys may use their Louisiana bar roll number instead. Under R.S. 35:12(D), recorders and state agencies may refuse a document that lacks the number or the typed, printed or stamped names. A stamp carrying your name and number puts both on every page in one motion, and it can only be made once the Secretary of State has assigned the number.
An embosser or decorative seal is allowed if you want one, and no particular style is prescribed. Our Louisiana notary seal guide sets out what may appear on the face.
How do annual reports and bond renewals keep a Louisiana commission active?
A Louisiana commission never expires, so nothing is renewed on a four-year cycle. Instead you file an annual report every year and renew the bond every five years, and missing either can suspend your authority to act.
The notary division mails a notice within 60 days before your commission's anniversary date. You file online with your notary identification number and the access code printed on the postcard, or by mail, fax or email with payment. The filing fee is $25.
The statute treats a commission suspended for a missed report or bond as suspended rather than invalid. For a lapsed bond, R.S. 35:71(E) removes your authority to act until a bond is in force and filed.
Does Louisiana require a notary journal?
The Title 35 sections read for this guide set no journal for in-person acts. Remote online notarization differs: R.S. 35:629 requires printable electronic copies of each remote act and an audio and video recording, both kept at least ten years.
A notary may name a custodian to hold those electronic records, provided the notary keeps unrestricted access and the custodian meets the Secretary of State's standards. Remote authority itself goes only to a notary with a valid commission who files an application, completes the Secretary of State's course and pays a one-time $100 fee.
What happens after a move or a name change in Louisiana?
Tell the Secretary of State within 60 days of any change to your residential address, mailing address or both. A move to a new parish can also change which parishes your commission covers, so it may require a new commission.
A notary who has held a commission for five years, or passed the exam on or after June 13, 2005, and moves to another parish can be commissioned there without retesting. You remain valid in the old parish for 60 days while qualifying in the new one. For a name change, the rules call for a name change form with new oaths, a signature page, bond papers and the filing fee.
Frequently asked questions
How much time should I allow for the Louisiana process?
It depends on the exam calendar. Exams run at least twice a year, the application and fee are due at least 30 days before the exam you pick, and approval to sit lasts one year. The commission follows once your oath, bond and signature are on file.
Can a Louisiana attorney become a notary without the exam?
Yes. A person admitted to practice law in Louisiana is excused from both the pre-assessment test and the written exam, may act in every parish, and may use a bar roll number in place of a notary identification number.
Can a resident alien become a Louisiana notary?
Yes. R.S. 35:191 opens the office to a resident citizen or alien of the state. The registered voter rule in Subsection B is written for resident citizens seeking a commission in their parish of residence.
Can Louisiana notaries notarize online?
Yes, with separate authorization from the Secretary of State, which requires a valid commission, an application, the state's course and a one-time $100 fee. Certain instruments cannot be done remotely. SCR 35 of the 2026 session proposes that the Louisiana State Law Institute study allowing authentic acts to be passed online.
Where can I buy Louisiana notary supplies?
Louisiana names no approved makers and prescribes no seal style, so any supplier may make your stamp or embosser. The practical item is a stamp with your commissioned name and notary identification number, ordered once the number is assigned.
With your notary identification number in hand, choose a name and number stamp or an embosser from the ESS Louisiana stamps and seals collection. For how Louisiana's optional seal compares with states that mandate one, read our roundup of notary seal requirements by state.
