How to Become a Notary Public
in Massachusetts: A Step-by-Step Guide.

Review the eligibility checklist above before touching the application. Pay particular attention to the criminal history requirement — the question on the application is broad and requires disclosure of any conviction, not just felonies. If you have any history that gives you pause, speak with an attorney before applying. A disclosed minor offense is reviewable. Perjury on the application is not recoverable.

The notary public application is available on the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website at sec.state.ma.us. Complete every field clearly and legibly. The form requires: your full legal name, current address, telephone and email, current employer information, a three-year residential history, criminal history disclosure and a signature under penalty of perjury. Print the completed form — the application must be submitted in paper form with original signatures.

The application is free to download and submit. No filing fee is required at this stage.

You need three signed reference letters from people who can attest to your honesty, professionalism and moral character. Each letter must: come from a non-family member, include the reference’s name and contact information, be signed by the reference provider and be dated within the past 12 months. The strength of your references matters — a letter from an employer, attorney, municipal official, business colleague or community leader carries more weight than a letter from a casual acquaintance.

Appropriate references: your employer, a business partner, an attorney you work with, a town official, a clergy member, a long-term professional colleague. Inappropriate: your spouse, parents, siblings, children, roommates or anyone you have a financial relationship with that could be affected by the commission.

Send the completed application and all three reference letters as a single packet to:

Submit by certified mail with return receipt so you have documented proof of delivery and date. Keep photocopies of your entire submitted packet. If your application is incomplete, it will be returned without review and your processing time resets.

If the Secretary of the Commonwealth approves your application, it is forwarded to the Governor’s office for appointment. Upon appointment, you receive a notice and Commission Certificate by mail. At this point you pay the $60 commission fee to the Secretary of the Commonwealth as instructed in the notice.

Your commission is not yet active at this stage. You cannot perform any notarial acts until you have taken your oath of office. Do not purchase a seal or begin accepting clients until after the oath is complete.

The oath of office is the step that makes your commission active. You cannot perform any notarial acts without it. The oath must be taken in person before one of the following authorized officials: a currently commissioned Massachusetts notary public, a justice of the peace, a judge of a Massachusetts court, a clerk or assistant clerk of a Massachusetts court, or the Secretary of State.

The oath itself is brief. You swear to faithfully discharge the duties of your office to the best of your ability. The administering officer records the oath in their journal or on a certificate, which you retain with your commission documents.

Tewksbury Notary administers oaths of office for new Massachusetts notaries. Once you receive your Commission Certificate, call 978-424-4629 to schedule. The oath appointment takes about 15 minutes at our Tewksbury office at 1215 Main St, Unit 115. Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM, by appointment.

After the oath, order your supplies. Every Massachusetts notary needs two items: a seal or stamp and a permanent journal.

The seal or stamp must include: your name exactly as it appears on your commission, the words “Notary Public — Commonwealth of Massachusetts” and your commission expiration date. The seal may be an ink stamp or an embossing seal. Purchase from an NNA-authorized vendor or a local office supply specialist — they will format it correctly from your commission information. Cost: approximately $25–$50.

The journal is required by M.G.L. c. 222 §22. It must be a bound, permanent record — not a loose-leaf binder or digital file. Each entry must record: the date, time and type of notarial act; a description of the document; the signer’s name and address; the method used to verify identity; and the fee charged. The journal is a legal record that belongs to you, not to your employer. When your commission expires, you retain it for a defined period before submitting it to the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Massachusetts overhauled M.G.L. c. 222 comprehensively in 2017. Many older guides and templates reflect the pre-2017 law. You need to know the current version. The key provisions for every new notary:

Identity verification (§16) — acceptable ID, credible witness alternative, personal knowledge. Grounds for refusing a notarization (§19) — capacity questions, coercion, your own interest in the document. The six notarial act types and their required certificate language (§§2–8). Journal requirements (§22). Prohibited acts (§18) — what you may never do regardless of what anyone asks. The attorney-closing rule (§17) if you plan to do real estate work. Remote Online Notarization authority (§§27–33) under Chapter 107, Acts of 2023.

Reading the statute takes about two hours. Skipping it and learning through errors is far more expensive.

Errors and Omissions insurance is not required by Massachusetts law for a notary commission. But it is required by virtually every title company, lender and signing service company before they assign you a loan signing appointment. If you plan to do any real estate or mortgage document work, E&O coverage is not optional in practice.

Standard E&O policies for notaries provide coverage from $500 to $25,000 per claim and cost between $40 and $150 per year depending on coverage level. The NNA offers a competitively priced policy. Many notaries carry $25,000 per occurrence as the industry-expected minimum for loan signing work.

E&O covers honest mistakes — misapplying a certificate, using the wrong notarial act type, a journal entry error. It does not cover intentional fraud or acts outside the notarial role. It protects both you and your clients from the consequences of inadvertent error.

Your commission is valid for seven years from the date of appointment. It does not automatically renew. Renewal requires a new application to the Secretary of the Commonwealth — the same process as your original application, including three character references and the full application form.

A critical point most new notaries miss: any notarization performed after your commission expiration date — even by one day — is legally invalid. Set a calendar reminder 90 days before your expiration date to begin the renewal process. Processing takes the same 4 to 8 weeks as your original application, and there is no expedited option.

Your commission expiration date appears on your commission certificate and on your notary seal. It is also in the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s public database, which anyone can search. Verify your expiration date and note it now.