How to Become a Notary in Georgia (2026 Guide)

Already a notary? Our self-paced online courses help you expand your services and grow your income. Browse courses →

Key Takeaways

• New for 2025: Georgia HB1292 (Act 549 of 2024) requires an approved training course before each appointment and renewal, and a journal for self-filer notarizations
• No exam, no bond, no insurance required
• Apply through your county’s Clerk of Superior Court
• Application fee: $40-$55 (varies by county) | Commission term: 4 years
• You must be 18+, a GA resident, and able to read/write English

Georgia made significant changes to its notary laws with House Bill 1292, effective January 1, 2025. Training courses and journals are now mandatory. Here’s the current process.

Requirements

To become a notary public in Georgia, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Be a resident of Georgia (residents of bordering states who are regularly employed or conduct business in Georgia apply in the county of that employment)
• Be able to read and write English
• Be a citizen of the US or lawfully present in the US
• Have no felony convictions (unless rights restored)

Step-by-Step Application Process

Step 1: Complete the Required Training Course

Effective January 1, 2025, all Georgia notary applicants (new and renewing) must complete an educational training course approved by the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA). The course is delivered through the Authority’s e-learning portal (elearn.gsccca.org), where you register; the fee is not published on the GSCCCA pages, so confirm it when you register. The timing rule is strict: complete the class before your initial appointment, and again within the 30 days before each renewal appointment, not a month early. This is the HB1292 requirement.

Step 2: Submit Your Application to the Clerk of Superior Court

Unlike most states, Georgia notary applications go through your county’s Clerk of Superior Court, not the Secretary of State. Contact your county clerk for the application form. Some counties still require endorsers: county residents who have known you for 30 or more days and are not related to you, signing your application. Bring your training completion certificate and pay the filing fee ($40-$55, varies by county), take the oath, and you are appointed for a four-year term with jurisdiction across the whole state. Georgia also asks applicants to provide an operating telephone number.

Step 3: Receive Your Commission and Buy Supplies

The clerk will process your application and issue your notary commission. Purchase your notary stamp (required) and a notary journal (required for self-filer notarizations under HB1292, recommended for everything else). Stamps cost $15-$25, journals cost $10-$50.

What Changed with HB1292 (January 2025)

Georgia House Bill 1292 (Act 549 of 2024) introduced several changes effective January 1, 2025:

• Mandatory training: All new and renewing notary applicants must complete an approved training course
• Self-filer journal: Notaries must keep a journal for notarizations performed for self-filers on real estate instruments
• ID clarification: Satisfactory evidence of identity now expressly includes government-issued photo ID or personal knowledge

Journal Requirements (New)

Under HB1292, the journal requirement applies to notarizations performed for self-filers, parties who file real estate instruments without an attorney. There is no blanket journal mandate for every act, though keeping one for all notarizations is the safer practice. A journal entry should include the date, type of notarial act, document description, signer information, and the type of identification presented.

Costs to Get Commissioned

Item	Cost
Training course (GSCCCA online)	Free
Application fee (varies by county)	$40-$55
Notary stamp	$15-$25
Notary journal	$10-$50
Total	$65-$130

Bond and Insurance Requirements

Georgia does not require a surety bond or errors and omissions insurance. E&O is still recommended: with no bond in the picture, your own policy is the only thing that pays your defense when a notarial mistake leads to a claim.

Renewal

Georgia notary commissions last 4 years. Renew through your county Clerk of Superior Court. You must complete the training course again, but there’s no exam. Apply before your commission expires to avoid a gap.

Becoming a Signing Agent in Georgia

Georgia is an attorney state for real estate closings, meaning an attorney must be involved in the closing process. However, many Georgia notaries build signing agent businesses handling out-of-state loan closings or working with title companies who need notaries for document execution.

See our guide to becoming a signing agent for training recommendations.

How Much You Can Charge

The commonly published Georgia maximum is $2 per notarial act — acknowledgments, jurats, oaths, and the rest. Georgia does not publish its code freely, so treat $2 as the standard reference figure and confirm with the GSCCCA before printing a fee schedule. You may always charge less or nothing, and whatever you charge must be communicated in advance.

Notarizing for Family Members

Georgia law does not explicitly prohibit notarizing for family members, but the conflict-of-interest rule applies: you cannot notarize a document in which you have a direct financial or beneficial interest. You should avoid notarizing for your spouse when the document involves shared financial interests. When in doubt, refer family members to another notary.

Penalties for Misconduct

Notarizing without authority is a misdemeanor; fraud or forgery tied to a notarial act is a felony. The Clerk of Superior Court can revoke a commission, and personal civil liability for improper notarizations stacks on top.

Your Commission Belongs to You

Your commission is personal: no employer controls it, your stamp goes with you when you change jobs, and no employer can require you to skip proper procedure or restrict your services to company business.

How Georgia Compares to Neighboring States

Requirement	Georgia	Florida	Alabama	South Carolina	Tennessee
Bond	None	$7,500	$50,000	None	$10,000
Exam	No	No	No	No	No
Training	Yes (HB1292)	No	Yes	No	No
Journal	Self-filers	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended
Term	4 years	4 years	4 years	10 years	4 years
Max Fee	$2	$10	$10	$5	None (in-person)

Georgia recently added mandatory training and a self-filer journal requirement (HB1292, effective 2025). Alabama’s $50,000 bond towers over Georgia’s no-bond regime. Florida charges the region’s highest fees ($10), and notaries in Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Montana can all perform weddings — Florida is the busiest of the four. South Carolina offers the longest commission at 10 years. Full guides: Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee.

Remote Online Notarization

The GSCCCA notary pages do not describe a remote online notarization program: no registration process, no approved-technology list, and no RON statute citation appears on the application, general-information, or education-rules pages. Third-party sites claim a Georgia RON status one way or the other; we are not repeating claims we could not verify on a state page. Before making remote work part of your plan, confirm the current status directly with GSCCCA.

Frequently Asked Questions

Updated October 2026. Requirements based on the GSCCCA and Georgia HB1292.