Becoming a New Notary Public/ Renewing a Notary Public Commission
To become a new Notary Public in the State of Maryland, or to renew your current notary commission, you must apply online through the Maryland Secretary of State’s OneStop. You can renew your notary commission 60 days before your current notary commission expires. You have until 30 days after your commission expires to renew your notary commission. Failure to do so will result in you having to apply for a new commission.
For NEW applicants, prior to beginning your application, you must complete a course of study, pass an examination, and receive a certificate of completion and a certificate of passing. To find a current list of course providers, please visit the Secretary of State’s website . Once your application has been approved by the Secretary of State, you will receive an email notification that your commission has been approved, and that you must appear at the Clerk’s Office within 30 days to take the oath of office.
For RENEWAL applicants, prior to beginning your application, you must complete a course of study and receive a certificate of completion. To find a current list of course providers, please visit the Secretary of State’s website . Once your application has been approved by the Secretary of State, you will receive an email notification that your commission has been approved, and that you must appear at the Clerk’s Office within 30 days to take the oath of office.
Please call 301-600-1965 to schedule an appointment to take the oath of office at the Clerk’s Office.
There will be a fee of $11.00 due at the time you receive your oath. Cash, check, or credit card (Visa, Mastercard, & Discover) payments are accepted.
Notary Authentication/Commission to Take Testimony
Occasionally, a document you have had notarized may need to be apostilled (certificate that authenticates the signature of a public official) for use in another country. To do so, the first step in that process is to have the notary authenticated, sometimes referred to as “Commission to Take Testimony”. Should you require this service, you will need to take your document(s) to the Clerk’s Office in the county the notary public was commissioned in. The county listed in the notary’s seal will indicate which county you need to take your document(s) to.
Effective October 1, 2020, the law requires that a certificate is completed for each and every notarial act. If a certificate is not included on the record being notarized, a notarial officer will be required to affix a certificate. If a certificate is not present, we will be unable to perform authentication because the notary has not performed the act as required by law. Additionally, in order to meet the criteria for authentication, the notary must sign using the name as it appears on the notary’s commission, and their seal shall include the name of the notary as it appears on the notary’s commission, the words “Notary Public”, the County in which the notary was commissioned, and the notary’s expiration date, unless the expiration date is part of the notarial certificate or affixed to or logically associated to the record being notarized. For additional questions regarding the notary authentication process, please call 301-600-1965.
After the notary has been authenticated, the document is taken to the Office of the Secretary of State in Annapolis for certification. Please visit the Secretary of State’s website for more information regarding apostilles.