A Louisiana notary's signature is his seal.

Notaries in Louisiana are commissioned for life pursuant to Attorney General Opinion 1940-42.

Our Notary Database contains current contact information on all notaries.

Notary applicants must be qualified by the office of the Secretary of State and be commissioned in the parish of their residence. Qualified notary applicants must take and pass the state notary examination unless they are licensed to practice law in Louisiana. See Become a Louisiana Notary

A notary must be a resident citizen (registered to vote in the parish of residence) or alien of the state, 18 years of age or older, and take and pass the statewide standardized exam administered by the Secretary of State.  Anyone licensed to practice law in the state is exempt from the test. See Louisiana R.S. 35:191.

An application proving age, residence and voter registration, attesting to the notary's good moral character, integrity, competency and sober habits and finds a person competent and possessed of the necessary qualifications to be a notary after the notary examination has been passed. The qualifying fee is a separate $35 fee.

No class or course is required by law.

All providers of examination preparation for the State Notary exam are required to register with the Secretary of State.  See Notary Education Provider Information for a list of all registered providers.

The Secretary of State administers the exam regionally at least twice a year.

In order to be commissioned by the Secretary of State on behalf of the Governor, the following documents are required.

• Oath of Office
• Official Signature
• $10,000 Notary Bond or Errors and Omissions Policy or Personal Surety
• $35 commission filing fee

Notary Surety Bonds, Errors and Omissions policies and Personal Surety Bonds are required by law to be in the amount of $10,000. Surety Bonds and Errors and Omissions policies must be renewed every 5 years. A $20 filing fee is required. Personal Surety Bonds expire upon cancellation or death of the surety.

No, you may start on your commission date which can be obtained from the Notary Public Database.

There are groups of reciprocal parishes created by the legislature. See Louisiana R.S. Title 35:191 for more information. The reciprocal agreement allows a validly appointed notary in a parish authorization to exercise any and all functions of a notary in the reciprocal parishes without additional bonding or examination.

Yes, if you change your parish of residence you must change your commission to that parish. See What do I file.

Yes, even though the parishes have a reciprocal agreement, you must be commissioned in your parish of residence. See File Documents Online.

Send the changes to this office online, mail, fax or send us a message:
Notary Division
P.O. Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125
Telephone: 225.925.4704
Facsimile: 225.932-5359

Execute another oath with the new name, change the name on your bond, supply us with an official signature page and a name change affidavit with the $35 fee. See What do I file?

No, Louisiana R.S. 35:191 requires that you take and pass a written exam administered by the Secretary of State. This exam cannot be waived because you were a notary in another state.

Yes, although attorney-notaries have statewide jurisdiction, the commission is for their parish of residence. See What do I file?

The suspended status refers to an expired bond or a past due annual report.

Supply this office with an original or certified true copy of your bond signed by the clerk of court in your parish or an original or certified true copy of your Errors and Omission policy with a check or money order for the $20 filing fee.
*OR*
File your current and any past due annual reports.

If you have a Personal Surety and it is not indicated on the Notary Database, please supply us with the correct information.

Louisiana does not have a statutory fee schedule which would determine or limit what a notary can charge for his services.

Yes, send a request along with a check or money order for $15 to this office or submit a request online.  See File Documents Online

Documents going to another country require certification by the Secretary of State. The Commissions Division certifies the signature of the acknowledging Louisiana official. The fee is $20 per certificate and $10 for adoption certificates issued. Documents are normally processed and returned within 24 hours.