Application Procedures
Step 1: Download and read the Missouri Notary Public Handbook and complete the appropriate training
Prior to submitting an application to the Secretary of State, each new applicant or re-application for appointment shall read the Missouri Notary Public Handbook, available here: Missouri Notary Handbook, and complete computer-based training or other notary training in a manner prescribed by the Secretary of State. Each new applicant or reapplication shall attest to reading the handbook and receiving such training at the time of submitting the application for appointment and commission as a notary public. The mandatory training to become a Missouri notary public is available at the Missouri Secretary of State website in either online or written format.
Please visit the following address to access the online training course: Missouri Online Training Course
Or you may download the written training course here: Missouri Written Training Course
Once you have read the handbook, completed one of the available options for training and have received your certificate of completion, you will be ready to move to step 2.
Step 2: Download and complete the Missouri Notary Public Application
Missouri Notary Public Application
Please complete the application according to the instructions provided. The application MUST be typed. Once the application is complete, review it for accuracy and make sure there are no empty fields and then mail it and the $25.00 application fee to the following address.
Secretary of State, Commissions
PO Box 784
Jefferson City, MO 65102
After the staff in the office of the Secretary of State commissions section has approved the application, your commission will be issued and mailed to the appropriate office in the county where they reside. The commission's office is required by law to forward all completed commissions to the appropriate county office.
The same day the commission is issued, a letter will be mailed to you advising that your commission has been issued and mailed to the appropriate county authority. The letter contains the address where the applicant is to be sworn in, their commission number and the dates the commission begins and expires.
New and Renewing Notary Packages Renewing Notary Packages do not come with a notary journal
Our New and Renewal Notary Packages DO NOT include your required $10,000 Surety Bond/Errors and Omissions Combo Insurance policy. The State of Missouri requires purchasing your notary bond, which you will need to send along with your notary application.
Step 3: Order your $10,000 Surety Bond/Errors and Omissions Combo Insurance.
After you receive the letter containing your commission information and details regarding your being sworn in, you will need to order your official bond.
Please visit the Notary Rotary online store, enter the store to purchase your $10,000 notary bond and errors and omissions insurance package. To order, enter the required information, scroll down through the page to locate and select the desired products, and follow the instructions through checkout. Your supplies will be shipped as soon as possible, usually within two to three days. Once you receive your official surety bond and insurance from Notary Rotary, Inc. make copies for your records.
Please visit The Notary's Store you will be entering the Missouri section for your official notary supplies. We offer a New Notary Supply Package and a Renewing Notary Supply Package which include your required Missouri Notary Seal/Stamp and Missouri Notary Journal, and other needed notary supplies at a special reduced price. To order, enter the required information and scroll down through the page to locate the notary packages, or purchase your notary seal/stamp and notary journal separately and any other products you would like to purchase. Follow the instructions through checkout.
Step 4: File your Surety Bond and be sworn in by the appropriate county authority
Follow the instructions provided in the letter from the commission's office and proceed to the appropriate county authority to be sworn in. To meet the qualifications provided by law, you must appear in person and present your $10,000 surety bond to insure your four-year term as a notary public. The Clerk or Deputy will administer the Oath of Office, after which you must submit a handwritten specimen of your official signature on the Oath of Office. This signature MUST match the exact name typed on your commission certificate. The Clerk will staple the bond to the Oath of Office and official signature filing and mail them to the office of the Secretary of State. The Clerk or Deputy will then present you with your commission certificate. Only after being properly commissioned, bonded and obtaining his or her seal and journal should the notary perform notarial acts
The commission certificate will contain your exact official name as a notary public, your commission number, the commission beginning and expiration dates and the date the commission was issued by the office of the Secretary of State. You should keep your commission in a safe place throughout your term as a notary public.
Note: The Secretary of State may prohibit, for a period not less than 30 days and not more than one year, such person from reapplying for an appointment and commission as a notary public following the failure to appear and qualify within 90 days after the commission is issued.
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