How to Become a Notary in Arizona

Yes. Beginning July 1, 2025, all new and renewing Arizona notary applicants are required to pass a notary examination. The exam is proctored by Prometric, a state-approved test administration vendor that also serves other Arizona agencies.

Yes

To help protect the public from fraud and reinforce the integrity of our notarial system, per A.R.S. § 41-270, the Office of Secretary of State will be instituting a notary competency examination. Beginning July 1, 2025, all new and renewing Arizona notaries public will be required to pass this examination. The broader objective is to reduce the risk Arizona residents face from financial loss and increase confidence in notary services across our state. By ensuring each notary meets a baseline of knowledge, notaries can mitigate costly abuses that come from the misuse of their seal and cause serious financial harm. As trusted participants in document transactions, notaries play a vital role in protecting the public. The examination will be proctored by Prometric, a state-approved professional test administration vendor which provides similar test proctoring services for other state entities. The examination can be taken at any of Prometric’s ten testing sites in Arizona or taken remotely. A $46.75 cost will be assessed for every proctored examination. A passing grade of 80% is needed to renew or start your notary commission. The examination will consist of 45 basic questions drawn directly from the 2025 Notary Public Reference Manual and must be completed within 60 minutes. The examination is ‘open book’*1. If the examination is failed, it can be retaken after 30 days. *1 A link for the notary manual is built into the examination, the manual can be accessed once you’ve started the examination. A physical copy is NOT allowed at testing sites or during remote testing. Though the examination will become a requirement as of July 1, it will be available beginning May 1, 2025. This will provide a two-month window to take, and if need be, retake the examination before the July 1 requirement takes effect. To avoid any potential lapse to current notary commissions and the ability of current notaries to perform notarial acts, all current notaries should plan to take the examination well ahead of their commission’s expiration date. This early compliance will help ensure a seamless renewal process. To help you succeed, we urge you to study the 2025 Notary Public Reference Manual prior to the examination, which can be found by following the QR code or on our website. It covers all the content tested in the examination.

Yes, an exam is required

Arizona state law does not allow the Central State Repository to perform a criminal history records check for private citizens, private employers, or agencies outside of the state of Arizona for the purposes of employment, immigration, obtaining a visa, or foreign adoptions. If you would like to receive a letter stating that Arizona cannot share records for these reasons, please go to https://psp.azdps.gov/criminal-history-csrs/backgroundlettersformTriage and print this letter. If a private citizen would like to review and/or challenge their criminal history record, they may do so by downloading the ‘Record Review Packet’ at the bottom of this page or go to https://psp.azdps.gov/account/login to begin a record review online. Noncriminal Justice agencies within the state of Arizona who are authorized under A.R.S. § 41-1750(G) and Public Law 92-544 to receive official criminal history records information from the Central State Repository may apply for the Noncriminal Justice (NCJ) Compliance Program, which conducts fingerprint-based state and federal criminal history background checks for authorized agencies. Agencies submitting applicant fingerprints must have an FBI-approved city, town, or county ordinance, tribal resolution, executive order, or state statute mandating the criminal history records check. For more information about the NCJ Compliance Program, please visit their webpage at https://www.azdps.gov/services/governmental-services/noncriminal-justice-compliance-ncj-program. A.R.S. § 41-1750(G) does not provide the Arizona Department of Public Safety the statutory authority to process applicant fingerprints and release Arizona state criminal history record information to private companies for employment purposes, with the exception of non-profit organizations pursuant to A.R.S. § 41-1750(G)23. Fingerprint Clearance Card: If you have been told by an employer or agency that you need a fingerprint clearance card in order to work for a company/agency, contact the Applicant Clearance Card Team at (602) 223-2279. Clearance Letter: Arizona law does not permit the Central State Repository to do a criminal history record check or provide a clearance letter for immigration, obtaining a visa, or foreign adoption. If you need a notarized copy of this statement, please visit https://psp.azdps.gov/criminal-history-csrs/backgroundlettersformTriage to print this letter. National Check / Clearance: A national check or clearance can be obtained by contacting the FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Correspondence Unit 1000 Custer Hollow Road Clarksburg, WV 26306 (304) 625-5590 Local Clearance: If you need a local clearance, you should contact your local law enforcement agency. Record Reviews: Individuals wishing to review their Arizona criminal record must complete a Record Review Packet.

No background check is required

A notary bond is required with your application and our office will not process an application without a bond. A.R.S. § 41-315. Our office does not provide bonds. A notary bond, also called a surety bond, is similar to an insurance policy. However, the key distinction is that the bond protects the public (whoever needs the document notarized) and not the actual notary. To protect yourself, you also can look into purchasing Errors and Omissions Insurance (“E&O”). E&O policies protect you, the notary, and will repay the bond should someone make a claim against it. It is not mandatory to have E&O insurance when applying. This distinction is hugely important because if someone makes a claim against your bond, you, the notary, must repay the difference back to the bonding company. Similarly, if you are taken to court, a judge can hold you to unlimited liability. Simply because you are bonded for $5,000 doesn’t mean you will not be expected to repay more than $5,000.

Yes, a $5,000 bond is required

Yes, application and a fee required

Stamp Required

A notary public is a public officer commissioned by the Secretary of State to perform notarial acts. When taking your notary bond for notarization, you must swear to a verbal oath, the oath of office, which is found on the notary bond. The name in the oath of office must match how it is written/printed previously on your bond and on the application. The office you are swearing to uphold in the oath of office should say notary public. A notary bond calls for jurat language because the applicant must sign and take an oath. This is important to note because any document with jurat language will have the applicant swear or affirm that the contents of the document are true and correct at the time of signing. Therefore, a document with jurat language must be completed prior to notarization and cannot have any blank spaces. Should a notary come across a bond with blank spaces, he or she should request that the signer complete the spaces prior to performing the notarization. These dates refer to the duration of your commission. These dates must be four years apart and one day less. For example, if your commission is effective on November 7, 2010, it will end on November 6, 2014 (11/7/2010 – 11/6/2014). If your bond does not have effective dates in the same sequence, it will be returned for revision.

Yes, an Oath is required

None