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How to Become a Louisiana Notary

Any resident citizen or alien of the state, 18 years of age or older, may be appointed a notary public in and for the parish in which they reside provided that they meet the requirements established by Louisiana R.S.35:191.

Notary applicants must be qualified by the Secretary of State's Office and, unless licensed to practice law in Louisiana, must complete the Notary Exam Pre-Assessment as well as take and pass the state notary exam. The pre-assessment is online and must be completed before an applicant can register for the state notary exam. The pre-assessment is mandatory, but only needs to be taken once. The state notary exam is given at least twice a year.

How to Qualify

To become an applicant, you are required to complete an Application to Qualify. To qualify, you must: 

  • be registered to vote in the parish in which you seek commission;
  • be a resident citizen or alien of this state;
  • not have been convicted of a felony and not been pardoned; 
  • be able to read, write, speak and be sufficiently knowledgeable of the English language;
  • be 18 years of age or older; and
  • hold a high school diploma, a diploma for completion of a home study program approved by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education or a high school equivalency diploma issued after successfully completing the test of General Educational Development.

How to become Commissioned (For Attorneys after Approval of Application to qualify)

When your Application to Qualify is approved, you will receive a notification to submit your Commission documents. If you filed by paper, this notification would be sent via a letter mailed out. If you filed online, this notification would be sent via an email. Commission documents consist of an administered Oath of Office, Signature form, and Letter of good standing from the LA Supreme Court.

How to Register to Take the Exam Pre-Assessment

When Application to Qualify is approved, you will receive a notification to register online to take the mandatory Notary Exam Pre-Assessment. If you filed by paper, this notification would be sent via a letter mailed out. If you filed online, this notification would be sent via an email. (If you have previously taken the pre-assessment, you would proceed to register for the state notary exam directly.) When registration for the pre-assessment is complete, the LSU Center for Assessment and Evaluation will email you login instructions to complete the pre-assessment. Once this office receives your score from LSU OAE, you will be able to register for the state notary exam. This test is an evaluation and does not require a passing score for you to register for the state notary exam.

How to Register to Take the Exam

Once you have received a score on the Notary Exam Pre-Assessment, you can register online to take the state notary exam. The deadline to get your Application to Qualify, Notary Exam Pre-Assessment and Examination Registration completed is 30 days prior to the exam. Please take note that the Application to Qualify must be approved by the Secretary of State's Office and the Notary Exam Pre-Assessment registration and scoring process take approximately one week. It is, therefore, beneficial to the applicant to submit these well in advance of the deadline. Deadline to complete the Pre-Assessment is 37 days prior to the exam.

How to Prepare for the Exam

The Secretary of State publishes an official study guide for the exam. Entitled Fundamentals of Louisiana Notarial Law and Practice, the study guide contains the sources and materials from which the exam items are drawn. To purchase the study guide online, see Purchase a Study Guide.

No course or class is required by law in order for you to take the exam, but we suggest you take a good course or join a good study group. Although the secretary of state does not recommend particular courses or instructors, we maintain a list of registered and bonded notary exam preparation course providers. For more information, see the Frequently Asked Questions and the Forms & Fee Schedule. You can also send us a message or call us at 225.922.0507. 

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