EFFECTIVE MARCH 11, 2021
Every electronic notarial certificate must include:
- County/city within Virginia where the electronic notary public was physically located at the time the notarization was performed
- Whether the notarization was done in person or by remote notarization
Notary Commissions
The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth is responsible for the commissioning of Notaries Public in Virginia, pursuant to Section 47.1-8 of the Code of Virginia. At any given time, approximately 120,000 Virginians are commissioned as a Notary Public.
- View the Virginia Notary Handbook (2021)
- View the Notary Public Code of Virginia
- View the Important Guidelines for Virginia Notaries
How to become a notary or renew your commission:
Please read information carefully.
Notary Application Eligibility and Information
To be eligible to apply for a Virginia Notary Public Commission, you must be: (1) at least eighteen years old, (2) able to read and write the English language, (3) be a legal resident of the United States, (4) live or work in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and (5) have not been convicted of a felony. Any person who has ever been convicted of a felony under the laws of the United States or this Commonwealth, or the laws of any other state, shall not qualify to be appointed and commissioned as a Virginia Notary Public unless such person has had his/her rights restored.
Non-residents of Virginia may be appointed as notaries if they are regularly employed in the state and perform notary services in connection with their employment. A non-resident notary who ceases to be regularly employed in Virginia must surrender his or her commission.
Virginia is a “self certifying state” and does not require classes or testing to qualify to become a notary public.
Click here if you are applying for a Virginia Notary Public commission for the first time
Click here if you are currently serving as a Virginia Notary Public, you have not changed your name, and you would like to renew your commission
Click here if more than 30 days has passed since your Virginia Notary Public commission has expired and/or your name has changed and you would like to reapply
How to become an electronic notary:
An eNotary is a Notary Public who notarizes documents electronically. In order to be an electronic notary, you must first be a commissioned Virginia notary public and then apply to become an electronic notary.
You must be a commissioned eNotary to perform Remote Online Notarization.
The links below contain important guidelines and instructions for becoming an eNotary.
Virginia Remote Online Notarization Guidance
Since 2012, the Commonwealth of Virginia has allowed for Remote Online Notarization (see Title 47.1 of the Code of Virginia).
- Electronic Notarization Assurance Standard
- Electronic Notary Application Instructions
- Frequently Asked Questions about Becoming an Electronic Notary
How to acquire contact information for a notary who notarized documents for me in the past:
Anyone may request the address and telephone number of a notary by submitting a letter of request stating the name of the notary, the notary’s registration number, the notary’s expiration date, and the reason for the request to the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The request may be sent by email to notary@governor.virginia.gov or by fax to 804-371-0017.
I would like to acquire formal verification of a notary:
Our office will provide a formal letter stating both the notary's commission date and expiration date. This information is provided for verification purposes only and cannot be added to a notarized document. Verification can be made on most active and expired commissions dating back ten years from the notary’s commission date. The request may be sent by email to notary@governor.virginia.gov or by fax to 804-371-0017.
How to file a complaint against a notary:
Anyone who wishes to make a formal complaint against a notary public for incorrectly performing a notorial act must submit in writing a brief description detailing the complaint and a copy of the notarized document in question. Once the complaint is received, the notary department will determine if a violation has been committed. If the complaint is deemed valid, the notary will receive a letter of warning to advise them of the improper notarization. The notary is also sent a letter of acknowledgement to sign and return to our office.
This office is not able to investigate any possible wrongdoings by a Virginia notary, nor are we able to determine a conflict of interest. Please contact an attorney or the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office to obtain information for any possible Virginia Code violations or legal issues.
For more information contact:
Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
P.O. Box 1795
Richmond, Virginia 23218-1795
(804) 692-2536
(804) 371-0017 (fax)
notary@governor.virginia.gov
Verify/Search for Notary Commission Information
Search for a current Notary by name or by Notary ID
Please note search returns are for verification purposes. This is not a search to find notary services near you.
Notary Management Accounts
An account allows you to:
Change your contact information
Renew your commission online
If eligible, you may renew online rather than submitting a notarized, paper application. You will still need to report to the court to take your oath and pick up your commission.
Check the status of your application
This includes applications submitted and paid using the online renewal, paper applications received by our office that have been approved, commissions that have been sent to the court for pick up, and commissions that have been reported back to our office by the court as picked up.
View your application
You can view and save the application as it was entered in the system. You will only have access to the data and not a copy of the notarized application form.
Anyone can create an account!
Current Virginia Notaries Public - you will need to know your exact commissioned name, your date of birth, AND your current notary public registration number.
Expired Virginia Notaries Public with a commission expiration date in 2009 or later - you will need your previously commission name, date of birth, and previous registration number.
Individuals applying for the first time to be a Virginia Notary Public - once the account has been created, you will need to complete a paper application to be notarized and mailed into our office.