For Notaries · Connecticut
How to Become a Notary in Connecticut
To become a notary in Connecticut, you must be at least 18 and reside or work in the state, review the state Notary Public Manual, and pass an exam built into your eLicense.ct.gov application. No surety bond is required. Pay the $120 state fee for a five-year commission.
Need a document notarized instead? This guide covers becoming a commissioned notary in Connecticut. If you are looking for a notary today, compare where to get a document notarized in Connecticut or notarize it online in minutes.
Last updated: October 2, 2026 · By Andrew Ray Yon, MBA, ChFC — CEO & Founder, USA Notary
Connecticut commissions its notaries through the Secretary of the State's Business Services Division, and the process is refreshingly light: no surety bond, no separate classroom course, and a single $120 fee. You apply entirely online at eLicense.ct.gov, where an open-book exam based on the state Notary Public Manual is built into the application and completed under oath. You'll also upload a Jurat and Writing Sample plus a Certificate of Character. Once approved, you record your oath and certificate with your town clerk within 30 days, and your five-year commission begins. Connecticut also lets notaries perform remote notarization of paper documents under Public Act 23-28.
Connecticut Notary Requirements at a Glance
| Eligibility | You must be at least 18 years old and either reside in Connecticut or have a principal place of business (place of employment) in the state. Non-residents must provide and keep current their Connecticut employment address. A valid email address is required, as all correspondence is sent by email. Applicants also submit a Certificate of Character signed by an unrelated public official or reputable business/professional person who has known them for at least one year. |
|---|---|
| Surety bond | No surety bond required. Connecticut does not require notaries to post a surety bond; errors & omissions (E&O) insurance is optional and not mandated by law. |
| State filing fee | $120.00 non-refundable state application fee for a new commission ($60 to renew). A separate $15 statutory fee applies for a later name change. Active Connecticut state employees may have the application fee waived. |
| Commission term | 5 years |
| Notary education | No separate training course or hour requirement. Applicants must review the State of Connecticut Notary Public Manual, on which the application exam is based. |
| Exam | Required. An examination based on the Notary Public Manual is built into the eLicense.ct.gov application and is completed under oath; every question must be answered correctly to be commissioned. It is not separately proctored. The exam applies to both new and renewing notaries. |
Connecticut requires no surety bond, charges a $120 non-refundable application fee, and issues notary commissions for a five-year term. — Connecticut Secretary of the State — Notary Public Licensing
How to Become a Notary in Connecticut: Step by Step
- 1
Confirm you're eligible
Verify you are at least 18 and either reside in Connecticut or have a principal place of business in the state, and have a valid email address on file.
- 2
Review the manual and prepare your documents
Study the State of Connecticut Notary Public Manual (the exam is based on it), complete a Jurat and Writing Sample in your own handwriting, and have an unrelated public official or professional complete a Certificate of Character.
- 3
Apply online and pass the built-in exam
Create an account at eLicense.ct.gov, complete the Notary Public Certification application, answer the examination correctly under oath, upload your documents, and pay the $120 state fee (no surety bond required).
- 4
Record your oath with the town clerk
After you receive your Certificate of Appointment (typically 3-5 business days), take the oath of office and record the oath and certificate with the town clerk where you reside or do business, within 30 days.
- 5
Get your supplies and start notarizing
Obtain a notary seal/stamp and journal (not required by law but recommended), begin notarizing, and optionally perform remote notarizations of paper documents under Public Act 23-28.
Remote Online Notarization in Connecticut (Limited)
Connecticut's Public Act 23-28 (now Conn. Gen. Stat. § 3-95b) authorizes remote notarization of paper documents, not fully electronic remote online notarization (RON). A notary may notarize a document for a signer who is not in the notary's physical presence if the two can communicate in real time by sight and sound using communication technology and the notary reasonably identifies the signer (personal knowledge, an unexpired government-issued photo ID, at least two different identity-proofing processes, or a credible witness). After the signer signs, the signer must mail or otherwise deliver the signed original copy of the record to the notary, who certifies it with the notary's commission signature and official stamp or seal. A notary may refuse to perform a remote notarization for an electronic record. When the signer is outside Connecticut or the United States, the record must meet one of the conditions in § 3-95b(c), such as involving Connecticut property or a transaction substantially connected to Connecticut. Section 3-95b(i) makes a remote acknowledgment ineffective for eleven kinds of record, including wills and trusts, powers of attorney, health care instructions, agreements as to the division of an estate and real estate closings.
Online / remote notary application fee: Section 3-95b does not state a separate fee for a remote notarization. The general notary fee cap applies to any act performed by a notary public under the general statutes: no more than $10, plus mileage. The cap was raised from $5 to $10 by Public Act 26-81; the Secretary of the State's notary page gives July 1, 2026 as the effective date.
Public Act 23-28, An Act Concerning Remote Notarial Acts, signed June 12, 2023; effective October 1, 2023; now Conn. Gen. Stat. § 3-95b, with the prohibited-record list in subsection (i) amended by Public Act 24-97 to add agreements as to the division of an estate. Remote notarization under § 3-95b applies to a paper original that the signer mails or delivers to the notary, and not to the record types listed in § 3-95b(i), including real estate closings. Statute text read October 1, 2026.
See how RON is authorized in Connecticut — and state by state →
The commission, the RON registration and the platform account are three separate things — which of them you can do entirely online sorts them out.
Walk through the Connecticut remote online notarization process →
Need a document notarized in Connecticut instead? Notarize online with a Connecticut commissioned notary.
Traditional Notary vs. Remote Online Notary in Connecticut
Connecticut permits only a limited form of remote notarization, so most work is done as a traditional notary. Here's how the two differ.
| Traditional (in-person) notary | Remote online notary (RON) | |
|---|---|---|
| How the signer appears | In person, in the same room | Over a live, recorded audio-video call |
| Available in Connecticut? | Yes | Limited — restrictions apply (see above) |
| What you need | Seal and journal | An approved RON platform, identity-proofing, and a digital certificate |
| Where the work comes from | Local, walk-in and mobile appointments | Nationwide — e.g. assigned online signings through USA Notary |
What Does It Cost to Become a Notary in Connecticut?
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| State application fee (new commission) | $120.00 |
| Surety bond | Not required |
| Notary seal/stamp & journal | Varies by supplier (optional; not required by CT) |
| Town clerk recording of oath & certificate | Varies by town |
| Video-conference tool for remote notarization (optional) | Varies by provider |
See what USA Notary costs a Connecticut notary for platform-side details.
What a Connecticut Notary Can Charge
The costs above are what you pay to get commissioned — this is the other side of the ledger. Connecticut caps what a notary may charge per notarial act, and here is exactly where those ceilings sit.
| Maximum in-person fee (per notarial act) | $10 |
|---|---|
| Maximum remote online notarization (RON) fee | $10 (paper only) |
A statutory maximum is a ceiling, not a price list, and it covers the notarial act only — travel, printing and after-hours convenience are quoted as separate line items. See how Connecticut compares with every other state in the how Connecticut fees compare across all 50 states.
Fee cap read from Conn. P.A. 26-81 (fee increase) on October 1, 2026. Fees are per notarial act or signature, and a notary may charge less than the cap; separately permitted charges such as travel or an online-platform technology fee are not part of it. Confirm before relying on a figure.
Renewing Your Notary Commission in Connecticut
Commission term in Connecticut
5 years
No state renews a commission automatically, and notarizing on a lapsed one is treated as acting without authority — start the renewal before the date above arrives.
For timelines, typical costs, and what to do if you've already let a commission lapse, see our step-by-step notary commission renewal guide.
Turn Your Connecticut Commission Into Income
USA Notary connects commissioned notaries with paid signing work — and the moment Connecticut makes remote online notarization available to you, you can add assigned, paid remote signings through the platform. How Connecticut notaries earn · membership cost · platform requirements · other states · compare RON platforms for Connecticut notaries
Join USA Notary as a notaryFrequently Asked Questions
How long does a Connecticut notary commission last?
Connecticut notary commissions are valid for a five-year term. Terms expire on the last day of the month in which the notary was originally appointed, and you can renew online within the 90 days before (or up to 90 days after) expiration.
How much does it cost to become a notary in Connecticut?
The state charges a $120 non-refundable application fee for a new commission ($60 to renew). There is no surety bond requirement. Additional costs are optional supplies like a stamp and journal, plus a town clerk recording fee that varies by town.
Is a class or exam required to become a Connecticut notary?
No separate class is required, but an exam is. Applicants must review the state Notary Public Manual and pass an examination that is built into the eLicense.ct.gov application and completed under oath. Every question must be answered correctly to be commissioned.
Who appoints notaries in Connecticut?
Notaries are appointed and commissioned by the Connecticut Secretary of the State, through the office's Business Services Division. You apply online at eLicense.ct.gov and record your oath with your local town clerk.
Can Connecticut notaries perform remote online notarizations?
Yes, but through a mail-back process rather than a fully electronic one. Under Public Act 23-28, effective October 1, 2023, a Connecticut notary may notarize a document for a signer who is not physically present, using real-time audio-video and one or more of the Act's identity-verification methods, but the signer must then mail or otherwise deliver the signed original to the notary, who certifies it with the notary's commission signature and official stamp or seal. A notary is not required to perform a remote notarization for an electronic record, and the Act makes remote acknowledgment ineffective for wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care instructions and real estate closings, among other records.
How much can a notary charge in Connecticut?
Connecticut's maximum fee for a standard in-person notarial act is $10, per act or signature.
When does a Connecticut notary commission expire?
The Connecticut commission term is: 5 years. No state renews a commission automatically — once yours lapses you cannot perform notarial acts until the renewal or reappointment is complete, so calendar the expiration date and start the paperwork early.
Where to go from here
The rest of the questions are the same in every state, so they live in one place each:
- How long it takes to become a notary — application, processing queue, and the waiting you can't control.
- What it costs to become a notary — the same line items as the Connecticut cost table, priced across every state.
- Notary bond vs. E&O insurance — which one is a state requirement and which is your own call.
- what a Connecticut loan signing agent does and earns — the highest-earning specialization once your commission arrives.
Becoming a Notary in Other States
Requirements differ by state — here are nearby New England guides and other popular states. See the full 50-state directory.
About the author
Andrew Ray Yon, MBA, ChFC
CEO & Founder, USA Notary Services LLC
Andrew Ray Yon is the founder and CEO of USA Notary Services LLC and the architect of the SharpNote remote online notarization platform. A Certified Notary Signing Agent since 2005, he has handled mortgage and title loan signings for two decades — personally completing more than 10,000 notarizations — and holds an MBA and the ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant) designation. Based in Virginia’s Greater Richmond region, he leads the company’s strategy, compliance, and platform development.
Connect on LinkedInOfficial sources
- Connecticut Secretary of the State — Notary Public Licensing
- American Society of Notaries — Connecticut State Information
- Public Act No. 23-28, An Act Concerning Remote Notarial Acts (text), Connecticut General Assembly
- Public Act Summary, PA 23-28, Office of Legislative Research, Connecticut General Assembly
- Connecticut General Statutes § 3-95b — Remote notarization requirements and prohibited records (Chapter 33)
- Public Act 26-81 (2026) — notary fee cap raised to $10, text
This guide summarizes public requirements from Connecticut's notary authority and is for general information, not legal advice. Requirements and fees can change — always confirm current details with your state before applying.