Notary applications and renewals are now submitted online. As part of this online process, an email address will be required since all correspondence, including commission certificates and renewal notices will be sent electronically by email. Applicants will receive further instructions and information by email throughout the application process. During the application process, each notary applicant will establish a notary profile which will be used to track the status of applications, and update information and renew commissions in the future. In order to submit renewal applications, existing notaries who have not previously created a notary profile must first visit notaryforms.delaware.gov to complete the process. If you need assistance with creating your profile, please contact us by phone at 302-739-3073 and press option 6, or by email at notary@delaware.gov.

REQUIREMENTS

Every notary applicant must meet all of the following requirements:

• Must be at least 18 years of age.
• Must be able to read and write English.
• Must be of good character and reputation – Individuals convicted of a felony who have not had their rights restored as well as applicants convicted of a crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude are not eligible for a Delaware notary commission.
  • Any prior conviction will require a Certified Background Check from the jurisdiction in which the conviction occurred.
• Must have a reasonable need for a notary commission.
• Must be a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States, and have a legal residence with a street address in Delaware OR maintain an office or place of employment within the State of Delaware that is available Monday-Friday during normal business hours to accept Service of Process. NOTE: Notaries are NOT permitted to notarize outside of the boundaries of the State of Delaware. In order to qualify, non-resident notaries must demonstrate they would regularly conduct notarial acts in the State of Delaware and provide a valid Delaware business address for the employer or company where service of legal process would be accepted. Use of a post office box, virtual office space, or a registered agent does NOT qualify.  The Secretary of State may require proof of employment and/or residency at any time.

PAYMENT

For notary commissions which require a fee, a non-refundable payment is required to process the application. Please see our fee schedule for fee information. Please have a valid method of payment ready before beginning your application. Valid methods of payment include electronic checks from business or personal checking accounts as well as Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit cards.

In addition, organizations that anticipate a high volume of notary activity may establish a pre-funded depository account with the Secretary of State for payment of application fees. Organizations that would like to fund a prepaid account to pay for notary applications may submit a Corporate Application by clicking here. Once approved, the organization will receive a Company ID that must be provided to applicants for entry into the application. Entry of this ID number will allow applicants to bypass the online payment screens and the fees will be deducted from the pre-funded depository account.

For information on establishing a depository account please send an inquiry to notary@delaware.gov.

APPLICATION

During the application process, you must answer every question marked with an asterisk (*). Answers you provide will direct you to the next relevant question. If you are not sure how to answer a question, simply mouse-click inside the answer field and question-specific assistance will appear in the “HELP” box to the right of the question.

Answer each of the questions truthfully. False statements or misrepresentations will subject you to a claim of perjury under Delaware law. (Title 29, §4307(f)).

TYPES OF NOTARIES

There are three categories of notaries:

Traditional notaries – this is the most typical type of notary. A person meeting the above requirements can apply for this type of notary commission.

Limited Governmental Notaries – Limited Governmental Notaries – This type of commission may be issued to any employee of any State of Delaware agency. It may also be issued to any employee of a Delaware Police Agency, whether that Police Agency is State, local, county or municipal. This type of commission must be approved by the employer, has no application fee, and has no expiration date as long as the employee works for the agency. A Limited Governmental Notary may not charge any fee for a notarial act and the duties permitted by this type of Notary are set by the agency according to their needs. For more information regarding this type of notary commission click here.

Notaries for Certain Service Organizations – This type of commission may be issued to 1 notary public for each State recognized veterans’ organization; or 1 notary public for each volunteer fire company or volunteer ambulance and rescue company. Notary Public Commissions under this category are for the term of 4 years with no application fee. Notaries commissioned under this category can only perform notarial acts in connection with their organization and without charge as follows:

• In the case of a notary appointed for a veterans’ organization, for the benefit of any veteran, their families and dependents
• In the case of a notary appointed for a volunteer fire company or volunteer ambulance and rescue company, for the benefit of any member of the organization to include their families and dependents.

To submit an application for one of the above types of notaries, click here.   To apply for Limited Governmental or Service Organization commissions, select the applicable link on the first screen.  For a traditional notary commission, please select “Continue” at the bottom of the screen.