• As a Missouri resident, to apply for a notary commission you must meet certain legal qualifications.

  1. You must be at least 18 years of age.

  2. You must be a registered voter of the county within and for which you are commissioned or a resident alien of the United States.

  3. You must apply for the county in which you legally reside and be commissioned for this same county.

  4. You must be able to understand, speak, read and write the English language, and

  5. You must not have had a commission revoked during the past ten years.

  6. Training – Prior to submitting an application to the secretary of state, each new applicant must complete a computer-based notary training or other notary training in a manner prescribed by the secretary of state. Current notaries must complete the mandatory training at the time of reapplication for a new commission prior to their expiration date.

• You must then complete the Notary Public application (which can be picked up in the County Clerk's office) and mail the typed application to:

COMMISSION DIVISION
P.O. BOX 784
JEFFERSON CITY, MO  65102-0784
 

along with $25.00 made payable to the State Director of Revenue. You are required by law to use your official name and signature for all notarizations. Upon approval the Secretary of States office will notify you. At this time you may purchase your $10,000.00 notary bond from any insurance company (the cost is anywhere from $50 to $75).

• Bring your bond to the County Clerk's office, we will then have you sign your oath and bond (which will then be sent to Jefferson City to be recorded). There is a $3.00 filing fee in the County Clerk's office. You can purchase your seal from any office supply company once you know your expiration date.

• All commissions as a Notary Public are issued for a four-year term of office.

• The law allows ninety days from the date your commission is issued for you to qualify at your County Clerk's office.

• Notary Public handbooks may also be picked up in the County Clerk's office. You can find additional information at the Missouri Secretary of States homepage, Governmental Services (Commissions).

• Notary Journal – Each notary public shall provide and keep a permanently bound journal of his or her notarial acts containing numbered pages, except those notarial acts connected with judicial proceedings, and those for whose public record the law provides and the public record is publicly filed within ninety days of execution. Each notary public shall record in such journal the following:

  -month, day and year of notarization

  -type of notarization

  -type of document

  -name and address of the signer

  -identification used

  -fee and

  -the signature of the signer. (486.260)

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