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Become a District of Columbia notary public with Notary Rotary

Qualifications:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Live or work in the District of Columbia

Notaries public for the District of Columbia are appointed for a commission term of five years.

Step 1: Download and complete the District of Columbia's Notary Public Application and collect the other required items:

The application can be downloaded here: 

District of Columbia notary public application 

• Applications must be signed within 30 days of the date of submission.
• Applications must be notarized.
• A letter stating the need for services must be prepared by the applicant's employer and submitted with the application. (If self-employed, submit the request on letterhead.)
• Three character reference letters must be submitted with the application.
• A 2x2 photo, taken within 30 days of the date of the application, must be submitted with the application.

Your application will be reviewed by NCAS for completeness and basic requirements such as either residing in the District of Columbia and/or gainfully employed in the District of Columbia.

If you have any questions about the notary commissioning process, please contact the Notary Commissions and Authentications Section by telephone at (202) 727-3117

Step 2: Submit the application to the Notary Commissions and Authentications Section.

Mail the completed application and related material to:
Notary Commissions and Authentications Section
441 4th Street, NW
Room 810S
Washington, DC 20001

After reviewing your application, a NCAS representative will send you notification of a testing date. Each applicant will be scheduled for testing only TWICE. Any applicant who fails to appear for testing after the second scheduling will be required to resubmit another application. The initial application will be discarded. NCAS will not return any applications.

After successful completion of testing applicants will receive information through the mail concerning the requirements for obtaining a District of Columbia notary bond, purchasing the embossing seal and the cost for obtaining a District of Columbia Notary Public Commission.

Step 3: Order your official surety bond, embossing seal, and other supplies from Notary Rotary.

Once you have received the information from the state regarding your official bond, embossing seal, and commissioning instructions you will need to order your notary supplies. The District of Columbia requires all notaries public to purchase a $2,000.00 surety bond before taking the oath of office. Before performing notarial acts as a District of Columbia notary public one must purchase an embossing seal and some form of notarial journal to keep record of all notarial acts performed. Notary Rotary can provide both the District of Columbia embossing seal, which meets all D.C. requirements, and the Modern Journal of Notarial Events, a journal specifically designed for notaries public. Please visit the Notary Rotary online store to purchase your notary supplies. Use the following link to access the store, Notary Supplies, choose District of Columbia from the drop down menu and click the Enter Store button. Enter all required information and scroll down to purchase your official bond, embossing seal, journal, and any other supplies you may need from our selection of products.

Follow the onscreen instructions through checkout and your order will ship as soon as it can be processed, usually no more than two days.

Step 4: Collect the items necessary and take the oath of office:

Once you receive your official bond and embossing seal from Notary Rotary you will need to prepare the items to take with you to the Notary Commissions and Authentications Section so you may take your oath of office. These items include the following:

• Payment for the commissioning fee in the amount of $50.00, cash or check for the exact amount only, the office does not give change. If paying by check the check must be made payable to D.C. Treasurer
• Your official surety bond in the amount of $2,000 with the receipt showing a 5-year commission term
• Your official embossing seal from Notary Rotary

Once you have collected these items you will be ready to go to the Notary Commissions and Authentications Section and take your oath of office. NCAS is located at the Judiciary Square Metro Station at the 4th Street exit. NCAS's hours of operation to the public are 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.