Michigan notary applicants need to be 18 or older and either live in Michigan or keep a principal place of business there; they file a $10,000 surety bond with their county clerk, swear the oath there, then apply to the Department of State with a $10 fee. No course or exam is required. A commission lasts six to seven years and ends on your birthday, and it never renews on its own. This page walks through each step, the costs, stamp choices, journals and reapplying.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against the Michigan Department of State notary pages, its notary application instructions (Rev. 08/25) and the Michigan Notary Public Act, 2003 PA 238. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | Michigan answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who can apply | Age 18 or older; Michigan resident or principal place of business in Michigan; U.S. citizen or proof of legal presence; reads and writes English; no felony in the past 10 years | MCL 55.271; Department of State notary services page |
| County of appointment | You must live in the county where you seek appointment, or, as a nonresident, keep your principal place of business there | Department of State notary services page |
| Training or exam | None among the qualifications or application steps | Department of State notary services page |
| How to apply | Online through Online Services and MiLogin, or on the paper application | Department of State notary application page |
| State fee | $10, nonrefundable | Notary application page |
| County clerk fee | $10 to $20, set by the county | Application instructions (Rev. 08/25) |
| Bond | $10,000 surety bond for six or seven years, filed with the county clerk; attorneys in good standing are exempt | MCL 55.273; application instructions |
| Oath | Administered by the county clerk's office when the bond is filed | Notary application page |
| Commission term | Six to seven years, ending on your birthday | MCL 55.269; Notary FAQ |
| Stamp or seal | Not required; six items must appear on each notarization. See the Michigan notary stamp hub | MCL 55.287(2) |
| Journal | Not required for traditional acts; required for remote acts and kept at least 10 years | Notary FAQ; notary services page |
| Renewal | No automatic reappointment; reapply within 60 days before expiration | MCL 55.279; Notary FAQ |
| Electronic and remote | Allowed on a state-approved system; file the E and R form with proof, no fee | Notary services page; E and R Request for Change (Rev. 02/26) |
For journal and remote notarization rules beyond Michigan, compare the 54-jurisdiction journal table with the 54-jurisdiction remote notarization table.
Who is eligible to be a notary in Michigan?
You are eligible at 18 or older if you live in Michigan or keep a principal place of business there, are a U.S. citizen or can show legal presence, read and write English, and have no felony conviction within the past 10 years.
Michigan appoints notaries by county. You must live in the county where you ask to be appointed; a nonresident applies in the county that holds their principal place of business. That county becomes your county of commission, and it is the county named in the block you place on every notarization.
Misdemeanors under the notary act count against you as well. The Department of State notary services page bars anyone convicted of two or more such offenses within 12 months while commissioned, or three or more within five years.
How do you apply for a Michigan notary commission?
Buy the bond, take it and your application to the county clerk to file the bond and swear the oath, then send the application to the Department of State with the $10 fee. Filing online through MiLogin is quicker than mailing it.
- Buy a $10,000 surety bond from an insurance agency or bonding company. Attorneys in good standing may skip this step.
- Fill out the notary application, online through the Department's Online Services or on the paper form.
- Visit your county clerk with the bond and the completed application. The clerk files the bond, gives you the oath of office and collects a filing fee.
- Submit the application to the Department of State with the $10 processing fee: card or e-check online, or a check or money order payable to the State of Michigan if you mail it to the Office of the Great Seal. Online filers upload the final application through Online Services.
- Collect your commission. The instructions say the commission card and wall certificate become available in your MiLogin account.
- Choose a stamp once you know your county of commission and expiration date.
Speed depends on the route. The Department's notary application page says online filings are processed the same day they arrive, its FAQ allows up to two weeks, and a mailed application can take four to six weeks from the date the fee is received.
What does a Michigan notary commission cost?
The state itself charges a $10 processing fee that is not refunded. Your county clerk collects $10 to $20 to file the bond and give the oath, and the bond premium is the largest variable, which the Department of State puts at $50 to $100.
- State processing fee: $10.
- County clerk filing: $10 to $20 under the application instructions; the notary services page notes that some counties charge more than $10.
- Bond premium: typically $50 to $100 by the Department's estimate, set by the surety.
- Name or address correction: no charge.
- Electronic and remote authorization: the E and R form states no fee.
- Stamp, embosser and journal: optional purchases, covered below.
Does Michigan require notary training or an exam?
No. Neither the Department of State's qualifications list nor its application steps include a course or a test. You are still bound by the Michigan Notary Public Act from the first day, so reading it before your first appointment is time well spent.
Two sections matter most for daily work. MCL 55.287 lists what must appear near your signature, and MCL 55.285 caps what you may charge. Both sit in the Michigan Notary Public Act, 2003 PA 238, which also governs your bond, term and reappointment.
How does the Michigan notary bond work?
Michigan requires a $10,000 surety bond written for six or seven years, the length of your commission. It is filed with your county clerk rather than the Department of State, and attorneys in good standing are exempt from bonding but still take the oath.
Buy the bond before you visit the clerk, since filing it and swearing the oath happen at the same visit. MCL 55.273 fixes the amount. Because the Department of State does not reappoint anyone automatically, staying commissioned means running through the whole application again, bond included.
Do Michigan notaries need a stamp, and which one should you order?
No stamp is required by law. Michigan puts the duty on the information shown with your signature, and a stamp is the simplest way to print it the same way every time. The Department of State says a stamp makes a notarization more consistent and complete.
MCL 55.287(2) lists six items, among them your name as on your commission application, the line naming the State of Michigan and your county, and your expiration date, plus an "Acting in the County of" line when you work outside your county. A stamp can print the fixed lines and leave the act date to write in. Our Michigan notary stamp guide goes through all six.
An embosser may be used beside an inked imprint that reproduces, but not as your only device. The Department's FAQ adds that embossers are not needed for documents used in Michigan. Since a stamp prints your county and expiration date, order it after the commission is issued.
Does a Michigan notary need to keep a journal?
Not for traditional notarizations: the Department's FAQ says the law requires no journal or particular record. Remote notarizations are the exception, with a single journal of set entries kept for at least 10 years, alongside the audio and video recording.
The remote journal logs the date and time, the nature of the act, a description of the record, the signer's details, how identity was confirmed, the fee charged and a reference to any recording. It can be a tangible, permanent bound register or a tamper-evident permanent electronic format, and you keep only one.
For paper notarizations the decision is yours. If you keep one anyway, a bound journal serves as your own dated account of each act.
How do you stay commissioned when a Michigan term ends?
You reapply. Michigan does not reappoint automatically, so you complete the full application process again, bond and oath included, within the 60 days before your current commission expires to keep the dates continuous.
Terms are not a fixed length. MCL 55.269 ends each commission on the birthday that falls at least six and no more than seven years after appointment, so read the expiration date on your commission card rather than counting six years. If your stamp prints that date, a new term calls for a new stamp, and our article on whether a notary seal has expired explains how to check an old one.
What if your name or address changes in Michigan?
Apply right away for a corrected commission. MCL 55.281 sets no day count, only the word "immediately", and the Department's Notice of Change form handles it by mail with no fee and no need to reapply.
A new name on your commission leaves the name on your stamp out of date. Once the corrected commission arrives, order a stamp that matches it.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Michigan notary work in another county?
Yes. Once appointed you may act anywhere in Michigan. When you notarize outside your county of commission, add "Acting in the County of" with the county where the act takes place, and keep your county of commission in the block.
Can I apply in a county where I work but do not live?
Only if you live outside Michigan. Residents apply in their county of residence; a nonresident applies in the county where their principal place of business sits.
How much can a Michigan notary charge?
Up to $10 for each notarial act. Travel fees may be agreed separately with the signer, according to the Department's notary services page.
Can Michigan notaries notarize electronically or remotely?
Yes, on a state-approved system only. Electronic notarization uses an approved vendor system with the signer present, and remote notarization uses an approved platform over audio and video. File the free Electronic and Remote Notary Request for Change, naming the system you are onboarded with and giving proof.
Do attorneys need a Michigan notary bond?
No. An attorney in good standing may skip the bond, though the oath before the county clerk still applies.
Once your commission card confirms your county and expiration date, choose a self-inking or pre-inked stamp, or an embosser to pair with one, from the ESS Michigan stamps and seals collection. Our state-by-state notary seal rules page shows how Michigan's optional stamp compares with states that require one.
