How to Become a Notary in North Carolina

You’re probably here because you were wondering what it would take to become a notary public in the state of North Carolina. You’ve come to the right place! We’ll show you how easy and stress-free it can be when you follow these simple steps and tips.

First of all, you need meet these eligibility qualifications:

• You must be at least 18 years of age.
• You must live in or have a regular place of work or business in North Carolina.
• You must be a legal citizen in the United States.
• You must speak, read, and write English.
• You must have a high school diploma or equivalent.

After you’ve reviewed this list and are sure that you qualify, the first step in becoming a notary is to  pass a six-hour training course and written exam (unless you are a licensed member of the North Carolina State Bar) with a score of at least 80%. You can sign up for such a course at your local community college.

Next, you’ll need to purchase and review a current copy of the Notary manual (available for purchase here) that explains the duties and responsibilities of a commissioned notary public.

After you’ve completed your course and received your manual, you’ll need to fill out and submit an application and have a pen-and-ink signature witnessed by an authorized notary.  This application is available to download here.

Along with your application, you need a recommendation of a public official in North Carolina (examples may be your town mayor, town council members, clerks of court, registers of deeds or the head your local police or fire department) and submit the recommendation with the application.

After you have carefully reviewed and completed the application and received your letter of recommendation, mail them, along with a $50 non-refundable processing fee made out to NC Secretary of State, to:

Notary Public Section
Department of the Secretary of State
PO Box 29626
Raleigh, NC 27626-0626

Allow at least two weeks for your application to be processed and receive your commission in the mail.

Lastly, after you’ve received your commission, you have 45 days to register with your county’s register of deeds and take your oath of office.  If you don’t register within this time period, you’ll have to resubmit your application and $50 fee, so make sure to do this step as soon as you get that letter!

If you’ve successfully completed all the above steps, you are officially a Notary Public in the State of North Carolina!  Congratulations!  You’re on your way towards a successful business!  Stop by now and then to tell us about your experiences, we always love to hear success stories!

Don't forget to setup your free public profile on NotaryCRM.