Notary Exam Notice

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.

If you have any questions about these new requirements, contact Business Services at (602) 542-6187 or email [email protected]. Thank you for your attention to this announcement and for your continued service. By preparing for and adhering to these new standards, you help safeguard both our citizens and our state from fraudulent activity.

Remote & eNotary

Becoming an eNotary and/or Remote Online Notary

Arizona notaries can now apply to become E-notaries and/or Remote Online Notaries. The steps below must be taken BEFORE submitting your application.

Please note that there is no additional fee or bond at this time to become an Electronic or Remote Online Notary.

Reminder: Per Notary Rules, Notary fees shall be from "No charge up to a maximum of $10.00 per Notarial Act". This includes electronic and remote online notary fees.

  1. You must be a current, active Arizona notary public.
  2. You must review the applicable Administrative Rules BEFORE applying.
  3. You must contract with a vendor that provides the technology that you intend to use to perform electronic and/or remote notarizations. Below is a list of some of the vendors that you may wish to contact.
  4. Your application must provide a description of the technologies that you intend to use.
  5. Your application must provide the name and website URL of the vendor that will supply the technologies that you intend to use.

E-Notary and Remote Online Notary Seals

A Notary Public is commissioned by the Secretary of State to perform notarial acts, which may be done as a Traditional Notary, E-Notary, or Remote Online Notary.

Notary Name Jane Doe
(Commission # must be imprinted on Notary Seal)
Commission # 123456
Begin Date January 01, 2020
Notary ID 654321
Electronic Commission # 11223
Remote Commission # 11224
Begin Date February 15, 2023

Laws 2018, Chapter 13, Section 12, requires all notaries public to use an official seal for notarial acts imprinted with the notary public’s notarial commission number. https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/53leg/2R/laws/0013.pdf

With regard to eSeals, the Notary must likewise include the Notary’s commission number. Inclusion of the Traditional Notary commission satisfies this requirement, so long as the Notary has obtained the requisite Commissions to perform E-Notary and Remote Online Notary.

Vendors

The Arizona Secretary of State does not endorse any particular third-party vendors. The basic requirements for the technology are found in the Rules.

Please note that this is not a complete listing and you may use any vendor that meets the requirements set forth in the Notary Rules

Remote Online Notary Providers

Application

Electronic/Remote Notary Request
Electronic/Remote Notary Change

Please have your vendor and the technology that you will be using available as you will be required to include it on the application

 

Remote & eNotary FAQs

Remote notarization is when a signer personally appears before the notary at the time of the notarization using audio-visual technology over the internet instead of being physically present in the same room.

The signer will contact a notary or a Remote Online Notarization (RON) service provider. The signer’s document is usually in electronic format and is uploaded onto the RON platform. The signer’s identity is verified according to the requirements set forth in Arizona Administrative Rules. The notary and the signer communicate using audio visual technology. Once the signer’s identity has been verified and all other requirements completed, the signer and the notary sign the documents electronically and the notary affixes an electronic seal. The RON platform creates an electronic journal entry and records the notarization using audio visual technology.

Electronic notarization involves documents that are notarized in electronic form and the notary and document signer sign with an electronic signature. All other elements of a traditional, paper notarization apply including the requirement for the signer to physically appear before the notary.

The document to be notarized must be in an electronic format. The signer and the notary meet in person. Notary verifies the identity of the signer by traditional means, i.e., drivers license, identification card, etc. Signer signs the electronic document with an electronic signature. Notary signs the notarial certificate with an electronic signature and affixes electronic seal.

The Secretary of State will provide information on the application process and the requirements for same. The vendor that the notary selects for their electronic/remote notarization platform will provide training to the notary for their system.

No, you may not charge more for electronic or remote notarizations than for traditional notarizations. Per Notary Rules, notary fees shall be from "No charge up to a maximum of $10.00 per notarial act". This includes electronic and remote online notary fees.

No additional bond is required at this time.

Yes, you can perform a remote notarization for someone that is in another country so long as you (the notary) are physically located in the state of Arizona.

You cannot be commissioned as an electronic notary if you do not have a current notary commission. You must first become a traditional notary, then apply to become an electronic notary.

You cannot perform a remote notarization for someone that is in Arizona while you are located out of the state of Arizona. You can only perform a remote notarization while you are physically located in Arizona.

Upon receipt of your application and verification of accuracy, the Secretary of State’s Office will generate and email you an “E-notary/RON Request” which must be printed, signed, and returned. Once we receive the signed request, your commission certificate will be sent to you via email. The entire process will take one to two weeks.

You will receive an email with a link to your approved application and a link to your commission certificate.

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Resources

Contact Business Services

Starting February 3, 2025, both the Phoenix and Tucson offices will be open Monday through Friday (excluding Holidays) from 8 am to 5 pm.

Office of the Secretary of State
Business Services Division - Phoenix
1700 W Washington St, Fl 2
Phoenix AZ 85007-2808

602-542-6187

Office of the Secretary of State
Business Services Division - Tucson
400 West Congress Street, Suite 221
Tucson, AZ 85701

Contact Email Forms

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