how to become a notary public

Before we bought our first house, I had no idea what a notary public did.

Turns out that a notary public is a public official that has been given the right to "administer oaths and affirmations" by the state. When you need to sign a document and "prove" you were the one signing it (or more importantly, the document requires it), you need to find a notary public (usually shortened to just a notary) to watch you do it. You show your ID, you sign, and they put their stamp on the document indicating they witnessed it.

If you've ever looked for Missing Money (I recommend you give it a look if you haven't in the last few years), the claim forms will require you to get it notarized.

When I worked at a company, all the administrative assistants were notary publics. It made finding a notary for my home purchase documents simple.

In the years since, having left corporate America, finding a notary has become slightly harder.

Where to Find a Notary Public

Anyone could be a notary public. So just start stopping people on the street and asking!

I'm just kidding, here are the best places to look:

Online – The most flexible way to find a notary is to get one online. A service like Notarize offers it but it's very expensive, $25 per document. This is higher than what most other notaries are able to charge but is the most convenient.
Your company – It's very likely that administrative assistants can notarize documents and will likely do it for free (they can usually charge a few dollars per signature, in Maryland it's $2).
Your bank – Your bank usually has notaries as well. They are also able to provide Medallion Guarantees, which are similar to notary publics except with more stringent requirements. Years ago, when I converted a paper Series I bond into an electronic bond, I needed to get a medallion guarantee. If you need one, call your bank to find out when someone with it will be present (usually the branch manager)
Your pharmacy – Many pharmacies, including Walgreens/CVS, may offer notary services too. The independent pharmacies are more likely to have them than a CVS but call to find out and you may be surprised.
Your library (maybe) – Sometimes your local public library may have a notary and it might even be for free (or very inexpensive, like a dollar versus $2-3). Search because not every library offers this and they may only offer it on certain days.
AAA – AAA branches usually offer these for free as a member benefit for free (included in your membership) and to non-members for a fee.
UPS Store – Did you know that almost every UPS Store owner is a notary? It's a nice little side hustle and you can find out if your local UPS Store offers Notary Services.
Ask a friend – Seriously, if you have a friend who you think deals with documents often – like a lawyer – find out if they're a notary. Many lawyers are notaries, especially if they do estate planning, so reach out to one of those first before other groups.
Search Google for "Notary Public" – If all else fails, you can Google for a local notary public.

It's best to find someone who you know you can find again, like the bank or UPS store, because you may need to reach out to them again in case there's something wrong with the document. 99.9% of the time it's unnecessary but precautions are usually to make sure those rare 0.1% occurrences are less impactful, right?

Why Not Become a Notary?

It's not difficult to become a notary. In Maryland, you can apply with the Maryland Notary Public Division and the fee is $11 ($9 for the application, $2 to pay with a credit card). You have to pay for various supplies too, like the record book. A commission lasts four years. It's pretty cheap.

I thought about doing that too.

Here's the catch – you can't notarize your or your family's own documents! You can't notarize anything where you have a vested interest or could benefit from it. While the universe of situations where you can turn your notary public stamp into a fountain of cash is … well, nil… it's frowned upon. (maybe my imagination isn't wild enough)

Technically, you should "refrain" from it so it's not expressly forbidden … but why push it. 🙂

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Jim Wang is a thirty-something father of four who is a frequent contributor to Forbes and Vanguard's Blog. He has also been fortunate to have appeared in the New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Entrepreneur, and Marketplace Money.

Jim has a B.S. in Computer Science and Economics from Carnegie Mellon University, an M.S. in Information Technology - Software Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as a Masters in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University. His approach to personal finance is that of an engineer, breaking down complex subjects into bite-sized easily understood concepts that you can use in your daily life.

One of his favorite tools (here's my treasure chest of tools,, everything I use) is Personal Capital, which enables him to manage his finances in just 15-minutes each month. They also offer financial planning, such as a Retirement Planning Tool that can tell you if you're on track to retire when you want. It's free.

He is also diversifying his investment portfolio by adding a little bit of real estate. But not rental homes, because he doesn't want a second job, it's diversified small investments in a few commercial properties and farms in Illinois, Louisiana, and California through AcreTrader.

Recently, he's invested in a few pieces of art on Masterworks too.

Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank or financial institution. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.