How to Become a Notary in Illinois (2026 Guide)

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Key Takeaways

• Updated January 2024: Illinois now requires a 3-hour education course and exam (85% to pass) for all new and renewing notaries
• You must be 18+, live in Illinois or a border state for 30+ days, and be a US citizen or permanent resident
• $5,000 surety bond required ($25,000 additional for electronic/RON notaries)
• Application fee: $15 | Commission term: 4 years (1 year for non-resident commissions)
• No felony convictions and no commission revocations in the past 10 years

Illinois made significant changes to its notary laws in 2024, adding mandatory education and exam requirements that didn’t exist before. Here’s the current process for getting commissioned.

Requirements

To become a notary public in Illinois, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Live in Illinois or a bordering state for at least 30 days
• Be a US citizen or lawful permanent resident
• Be able to read and write English
• Have no felony convictions
• Have no notary commission revocations in the past 10 years

Step-by-Step Application Process

Step 1: Complete the 3-Hour Course and Pass the Exam

After completing the course, you must pass a 50-question exam with a score of 85% or higher. You get up to 3 attempts. This requirement applies to both new and renewing notaries: it’s a change from the old rules where no exam was needed.

Step 2: Purchase a $5,000 Surety Bond

Buy a 4-year, $5,000 Illinois notary surety bond from an authorized surety company. Cost is typically $40–$50. The bond protects the public, not you personally. Bonds are available from most insurance companies, and the Secretary of State recommends nobody: mailings from “notary associations” are private companies, not government, and they must say so.

Step 3: Submit Your Application

Complete the Illinois notary application online through the Secretary of State website. Sign the notarial oath section in front of a current Illinois notary, include your bond and proof of course completion, and pay the $15 fee. Your bonding company can handle the submission for you.

Step 4: Receive Your Commission and Buy Supplies

Once the Secretary of State approves your application, you’ll receive your commission certificate by mail. Processing typically takes 2 to 4 weeks. You are not a working notary yet: you may not notarize until the commission is recorded with your county clerk and your official seal is in hand. Illinois requires the journal (every notarial act recorded, contents specified by Rule 900, 5 ILCS 312/3-107), and your seal must carry your commission number (commissions dated before July 1, 2023 excepted); seal vendors will ask for a copy of your commission certificate.

Costs to Get Commissioned

Item	Cost
3-hour education course	$30–$75
Application fee	$15
$5,000 surety bond (4-year)	$40–$50
Notary stamp	$15–$25
Notary journal	$10–$50
Total	$110–$215

How Much You Can Charge

Illinois caps traditional notarial fees at $5 per act and remote online notarizations at $25. At those rates, most Illinois notaries earn their real income through mobile travel fees or signing agent work rather than the per-act fee itself.

Renewal

Illinois notary commissions last 4 years. The Secretary of State sends a renewal notice about 60 days before your commission expires, with a preprinted application and bond form. A commission expires at midnight on its expiration date with no grace period. You must retake the 3-hour course and pass the exam again for each renewal, and submit your renewal application with a new bond and the $15 fee. Moving counties or changing your name means resigning and reapplying.

Remote Online Notarization (RON)

Illinois has allowed Remote Online Notarization since January 2022, and the Secretary of State eliminated the fee for electronic notary services in 2026. To become an electronic notary, you need:

• An active Illinois notary commission
• An additional $25,000 surety bond on top of the $5,000 traditional bond — or a single combined $30,000 bond (14 Ill. Adm. Code 176.340)
• A contract with an approved RON technology provider
• Registration with the Secretary of State (new applicants can apply for the notary and electronic notary commissions together)

Becoming a Signing Agent in Illinois

Illinois is not an attorney state for real estate closings by law, though attorney involvement is customary in the Chicago metropolitan area. Downstate Illinois typically uses title companies without attorney involvement. Many Illinois notaries build successful signing agent businesses handling both in-state and out-of-state loan closings.

According to ZipRecruiter, the average annual pay for an Illinois notary is approximately $51,000. Signing agents who handle loan closings average about $89,000. Take a signing agent course after you get commissioned, and budget for a dual-tray laser printer before your first package.

Notarial Acts You Can Perform

Illinois notaries can perform the following notarial acts:

• Acknowledgments: verifying the signer appeared before you and acknowledged signing voluntarily
• Jurats: administering an oath and witnessing the signer sign in your presence
• Oaths and affirmations: swearing in a signer for verbal statements
• Certified copies: attesting that a photocopy is a true and correct copy of an original document
• Copy certifications: certifying copies of documents in your custody

Notarizing for Family Members

Illinois law does not explicitly prohibit notarizing for family members. What it prohibits is acting where you hold a direct financial or beneficial interest.

Penalties for Misconduct

Illinois treats notary misconduct seriously under the Notary Public Act (5 ILCS 312).

Acting without a commission and official misconduct are Class A misdemeanors, and fraud or forgery tied to a notarial act brings felony charges. The Secretary of State can revoke a commission for violations, and the $5,000 bond pays the public — anything above it comes out of your pocket.

Your Commission Belongs to You

Illinois treats the notary commission as personal property, not a workplace asset.

No employer can control the commission, require you to skip proper procedure, or restrict your services to company business — and paying for your bond or supplies buys no control either. When you leave a job, the stamp and commission go with you.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Illinois Compares to Neighboring States

Requirement	Illinois	Indiana	Wisconsin	Missouri
Bond	$5,000	$5,000	$500	$10,000
Exam	Yes (85%)	No	Yes (online)	No
Training	Yes (3 hrs)	No	Yes (online)	No
Term	4 years	8 years	4 years	4 years
RON	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Illinois requires a $5,000 bond plus the 3-hour course and exam. Indiana takes the same $5,000 bond but asks for no exam or course, despite recurring internet claims about a 2026 overhaul — none of that legislation checks out. Wisconsin has the region’s lowest bond at $500 but adds online training and an exam, and Missouri pairs a $10,000 bond with no exam.

Updated October 2026. Requirements based on the Illinois Secretary of State and the Illinois Notary Public Act (5 ILCS 312).