Renewal Applicant Information

*Application process change as of 01/22/2024*

The notary application fee changed from $9 + $2 service charge to an application fee of $25.

How to Renew Your Notary Commission:

Order the Handbook and review it: ($23.00) https://sos.maryland.gov/Notary/Pages/SOS_ORDERFORM.aspx

All renewal applicants must complete a Course of Study: https://sos.maryland.gov/Documents/NotaryCourseofStudyandExaminationProviders.pdf

Upon successful completion of the notary public course of study, notaries will receive a certificate of completion from the provider. Notaries must submit an electronic copy of their certificate as part of their online renewal application.

Complete your new online notary application at: https://mdsos2.my.site.com
Find the legislative district number & the name of your Senator ! Use the look-up link provided by the Maryland General Assembly

Renewal Application Process:

Upon completion and payment, you will receive an email from the online registration vendor confirming completion of the application and payment.

The Secretary of State will receive your renewal application the next business day.

Your renewal application will be reviewed for completion and to ensure you provided your valid home address.

We will conduct a background check to ensure you have disclosed any criminal convictions and civil judgments entered against you (civil judgment defined in the definitions Part XIII of the Notary Handbook). If you did not accurately report information about your criminal record on your application, the application will be denied. The determination to approve or deny your application is made by the Secretary of State.

If approved, you will be notified via email of the approval of your renewal application. That email notification will instruct you to appear at the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county in which you will be commissioned for your next commission. Read the attachment for specific instructions to obtain your commission from the Clerk of the Court.

After receiving notification, you must appear before the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county in which you are commissioned to take the oath of office within 30 days of the date you were notified. Failure to appear within 30 days will result in revocation of your commission. If your commission is revoked because you did not appear within 30 days, you must reapply by submitting a new application and pay another application fee.

Clerk of the Court’s Fee: Be prepared to pay the Clerk of the Court $10.00 for the commission and $1.00 registration fee. This is separate from your notary application fee paid to the Secretary of State.
The Clerk of the Circuit Court will swear you in. After you are sworn in, you will receive your notary commission via email at the email address provided on your notary application. After you are sworn in and have received your commission, you are an official Notary Public for the State of Maryland.

	Complete Application	Application Determination
New notary application	15 minutes	2-14 days
Renewal notary application	10 minutes	1-3 days
Remote notary notification form	5 minutes	1-3 days