How to Become a Notary Public in Florida

Published 2026-08-01 · Updated 2026-08-01 · Becoming a Notary

Who is eligible

Under Fla. Stat. §117.01(1), an applicant for a Florida notary commission must be at least 18 years old, be a legal resident of the State of Florida, and be able to read, write, and understand the English language.

The statute also requires the application to include the applicant's full name, residence address and telephone number, business address and telephone number, date of birth, and Social Security number. The Social Security number is confidential and exempt from public disclosure under §119.071(5)(a) — it never appears in the public commission record.

An applicant who is not a United States citizen must record a declaration of domicile.

What a commission costs

There are three separate costs, and people routinely confuse them.

• The state filing fee — paid to the Florida Department of State with the application.
• The $7,500 surety bond — required by §117.01(6). This is not insurance for you. A surety bond pays the public if you make an error, and the surety can then come after you for reimbursement.
• Errors & omissions insurance — not required by Florida law. E&O is what actually protects the notary. It is optional for a general commission, but it is effectively mandatory if you want signing work, because signing services and title companies set their own minimums.

Most applicants go through a bonding agency, which bundles the bond, the education, the application filing, and a seal into one package. That is why you see quoted prices that bear no relation to the state fee alone.

Education and the application

First-time applicants must complete a state-approved notary education course before applying. Renewing notaries are treated differently from first-time applicants — confirm your current obligation with the Department of State or your bonding agency rather than assuming.

Applications are submitted to the Florida Department of State through a bonding agency. The state issues the commission certificate; the bonding agency typically supplies the seal.

How long it lasts

A Florida notary commission runs for four years. Your expiration date appears on your commission and in the public record — you can look up any Florida notary, including yourself, in this register or directly through the Department of State.

Renewal is not automatic. Start roughly 90 days out; a lapse means reapplying rather than renewing, and it takes any Remote Online Notary registration down with it.

What you can charge

Florida caps the fee for the notarial act itself at $10 per act (§117.05) and $25 per online notarization (§117.275). Those caps apply only to the act. Travel, printing, and signing-agent service fees are separate, uncapped, and negotiated directly. That distinction is the entire economics of mobile and loan-signing work — see what a Florida notary can charge.

Related articles