How to Become a Notary Public in Indiana: Application, Bond and Fees

A notary public in Indiana is a commissioned official who witnesses signatures, administers oaths and certifies certain documents. The work itself is straightforward. Getting the commission takes a few weeks of paperwork, a surety bond and a set of fees you should understand before you start. This guide walks through the process as the Indiana Secretary of State presents it on INBiz, the state's online filing system, and flags each point where you need to confirm a current figure with the agency.

This content is informational only. It is not legal or tax advice. If your situation is unusual, such as a notary role tied to a business you are forming or a dispute over a signed document, talk to a qualified Indiana attorney.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather these items first. Most delays come from one missing item, not from the state being slow.

• Proof of eligibility. You must be at least 18 years old, a United States citizen or a permanent legal resident, and either a full-time Indiana resident or primarily employed in Indiana. Have your residential address and, if you are relying on employment, your work address ready.
• A valid government ID. Enter your name exactly as it appears on the ID you will use. Confirm which identity documents INBiz accepts before you start.
• A payment method. The application, the background check and the continuing education are paid through the online system.
• A surety bond quote. Indiana requires a surety bond of at least $25,000. Bond companies sell these, and the state does not set the premium, so get two or three quotes before you apply.
• An email address you check every day. The state communicates with applicants through the INBiz account.
• A decision on traditional or remote notarization. Remote notarization requires an additional authorization and approved technology. Decide now so you budget for it correctly.
• Optional: errors and omissions insurance. The state's fee totals do not include this coverage. Whether to carry it is your decision, and the cost varies by carrier.

Step-by-Step: Becoming an Indiana Notary

1. Confirm you qualify. Check the eligibility rules above against your own situation. If you live outside Indiana but work primarily in the state, read the Notary Guide's explanation of the employment test rather than relying on a summary, since the wording matters.

2. Read the Secretary of State Notary Guide. The Notary Guide, revised May 20, 2024, covers your duties, seal rules, bond terms and remote notarization. Read it before you apply so you know what you are agreeing to. You can find it through INBiz and the Secretary of State's website at in.gov/sos/business.

3. Create an INBiz account and start the notary application. Go to the INBiz notary certification page and begin the initial application. Enter your personal information exactly as it appears on your identification. A mismatch between the application and your ID is a common cause of delay.

4. Pay the $75 application fee. The initial application fee is $75, and it is nonrefundable. Check every field before you pay, because a mistake you catch later will not get the money back.

5. Pay the $16.32 background check. Indiana charges a $16.32 limited criminal history background check. The INBiz total for a traditional notary includes this charge.

6. Complete the continuing education requirement. INBiz lists continuing education at $50 due every two years, and it totals three courses at $150 over the eight-year commission term. Confirm on INBiz when your first course is due, what subjects it must cover and which providers it accepts before you pay for a course.

7. Obtain your surety bond. Purchase a surety bond for at least $25,000, as required by Indiana Code 33-42-12-1(c)(4). The bond protects the public if you make an error or act improperly. Ask the bond company to confirm the exact form the state requires and when it must be filed.

8. Take the oath and file your bond as the Notary Guide directs. The oath and bond filing are steps where the sequence matters. Follow the Notary Guide for the timing, and do not perform any notarial act until your commission is in effect.

9. Order your notary stamp. Your stamp must meet the content and format rules in the Notary Guide, so check those before you order. Since July 1, 2024, the word seal is no longer required on the notary seal. Stamp prices vary by vendor, and the state does not publish a stamp cost, so compare several vendors.

10. Optional: add remote notary authorization. If you want to perform remote notarial acts, submit the remote notary authorization application, which carries a $100 fee. Confirm the technology and recordkeeping requirements in the Notary Guide before you buy any platform.

Indiana Notary Fees at a Glance

The figures below come from the INBiz notary page and the Secretary of State Notary Guide. Fees can change, so confirm each one on INBiz before you pay.

Item	Amount	Notes
Initial or renewal application	$75	Nonrefundable
Limited criminal history background check	$16.32	Included in the traditional total
Continuing education	$50 due every two years	INBiz totals three courses at $150 over the term
Remote notary authorization application	$100	Optional
INBiz total, traditional notary	About $241.32	Application, background check and continuing education
INBiz total, remote notary	About $341.32	Adds the remote authorization
Surety bond	At least $25,000 in coverage	Premium not set by the state; get quotes
Notary stamp	Varies	Not in the state fee totals; confirm stamp specifications first
Errors and omissions insurance	Varies	Optional; not in the state fee totals

The totals above exclude the bond, the stamp and any errors and omissions insurance. Budget for those separately. Expect your real first-year cost to be higher than the state fees alone.

How Much You Can Charge

Indiana caps what a notary may charge. The Notary Guide lists a maximum of $10 per notarial act and $25 for a remote notarial act. Charging more than the cap is a compliance problem even if the client agrees to pay it, so set your fee schedule with those limits in mind.

A Pending Fee Change to Watch

The Secretary of State proposed rule LSA 25-153, with an anticipated effective date of July 1, 2025, that would restructure notary fees. The proposal would add a $5 statutory commission processing fee under IC 33-42-12-1 and enhanced-access fees. At the time of research, the INBiz page still showed the $75 application figure, and the rulemaking docket did not show a final outcome. Confirm the current fee schedule on INBiz before you file.

This matters for your budget. If the processing fee took effect, your application cost could differ from the $75 figure shown here, so check the amount in the payment step rather than relying on this article.

Remote Notary Authorization

Remote notarization lets you perform notarial acts for signers who are not physically in front of you, using audio-visual technology. The state treats this as a separate authorization on top of your commission, which is why the INBiz total rises from about $241.32 to about $341.32.

Before you buy a platform or sign up for a remote notarization service, read the remote notary requirements in the Notary Guide. Those rules govern the technology you can use, how you identify signers and how you keep records. Do not assume a platform meets the state standard because a vendor says it does.

Renewing Your Indiana Notary Commission

An Indiana notary commission runs for eight years. Renewal uses the same INBiz system. The renewal application fee is $75, and you must meet the continuing education requirement before you renew.

Start early. Note your commission expiration date the day you receive the commission, and calendar a reminder well ahead of it. This article did not verify how far in advance INBiz accepts a renewal, so check the renewal window on the site. If your commission lapses, you cannot perform notarial acts until you are recommissioned, and you may need to go through the initial process again.

If you also hold a remote authorization, confirm whether it renews on the same date as your commission. Do not assume it does.

Checking Whether a Notary Is Commissioned

People searching for an Indiana notary often need to confirm that a notary's commission is active before they rely on a document. The Secretary of State is the agency that holds commission records. This guide did not verify a public notary lookup tool, so start at INBiz and confirm which search option the state currently offers rather than relying on a third-party directory.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Paying fees from an old article. Fee figures change. Check each amount on INBiz at the moment you pay.
• Skipping the bond shopping step. Waiting until the last minute can leave you accepting the first quote. Get several before you start the application.
• Mismatched names. If the name on your application does not match your ID, the file can stall.
• Ordering the stamp too early. Ordering before you know the required content can produce a stamp you cannot use. Read the Notary Guide first.
• Acting before the commission is in effect. Do not notarize anything until you have completed every required step and the commission is active.
• Charging over the cap. The $10 and $25 limits apply to each notarial act, so a flat fee for a bundle of acts needs to be checked against the rule.
• Offering remote notarization without authorization. The remote authorization is a separate step. Performing remote acts without it creates risk for you and for the people relying on your work.
• Letting the commission lapse. Put the expiration date on a calendar the day you receive your commission.

What to Expect From the Process

Many applicants find the process moves steadily once their documents are ready and the bond is in hand. The most common delays come from mismatched information, unanswered state messages and waiting too long to buy a bond or stamp.

This guide could not verify a current processing time for notary applications. Do not schedule signing work for a specific date until you have a commission in hand. If you have a client or employer who needs notarial services by a deadline, let them know the commission may not be active yet.

Expect the work after approval to be mostly routine: checking identification, confirming that the signer understands the document, recording each act and charging within the legal limits. The volume you see will depend on your location and the kind of documents you handle.

When to Get Professional Help

Most applicants can complete the Indiana notary process without outside help. Consider talking to an attorney if you plan to notarize documents with legal consequences, if you are unsure whether your employment or residency qualifies you, or if you face a complaint about a notarial act. A CPA can help with the tax side of any income you earn from notary work, though notary fees are usually modest.

This article is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Rules, fees and forms can change. Confirm every figure with the Indiana Secretary of State through INBiz before you act on it.