Commissioning + Eligibility
Not publishedof exam
Notarial Acts + Certificates
Not publishedof exam
Identification + Appearance
Not publishedof exam
Journal, Seal + Fees
Not publishedof exam
Remote + Electronic Acts
Not publishedof exam
Prohibited Acts + Penalties
Not publishedof exam
Quick Facts
- Commissioner
- Illinois Secretary of State
- Law
- 5 ILCS 312
- Rules
- 14 Ill. Adm. Code 176
- Term
- 4 years
- Course
- 180 minutes minimum
- Exam
- 50 questions, 85% pass
- Bond
- $5,000 or $30,000
- Apply
- $15 notary, $25 e-notary
- Fee cap
- $5 paper, $25 electronic
- Journal
- Required, 7 years
- Weights
- Not published
Bond Ladder
5K paper, 25K remote, 30K combined
$5,000 traditional$25,000 remote or electronic$30,000 combined bondOne claim, one tier
Bond vs E&O Insurance
Surety bond
- Required by statute
- Protects the public
- Surety recovers from notary
E&O policy
- Entirely optional
- Protects the notary
- Cannot replace the bond
Public versus notary protection
Eligibility Checklist
- Status
- U.S. citizen or LPR
- Age
- At least 18
- Residency
- Illinois, 30 days prior
- English
- Must be proficient
- Felony
- Conviction disqualifies
- Prior revocation
- None by Secretary
- Education
- Approved course completedSince 2024
- Nonresident
- Bordering state, Illinois workplace
Commission Steps
- 1 Course
- 3-hour approved provider
- 2 Exam
- Score 85% or higher
- 3 Bond
- Surety company, 4-year term
- 4 Oath
- Endorsed on bond face
- 5 Apply
- Online unless hardship exemption
- 6 Certificate
- Secretary issues commission number
- 7 Seal
- Vendor needs commission certificate
- 8 Journal
- In hand before notarizing
Key Numbers
- 4 years
- Resident commission term
- 1 year
- Bordering-state nonresident term
- 30 days residency
- Before you may apply
- 60 days notice
- Expiration warning mailed
- 2 years
- Exam valid before applying
- 5 years
- Ineligible after revocation
- 10 days
- Produce requested journal entry
- 30 days change
- Report name or address
Acknowledgment vs Jurat
Acknowledgment
- Signature may predate
- No oath administered
- Signer declares the signature
- Wording: acknowledged before me
Jurat
- Signed in your presence
- Oath or affirmation required
- Signer swears content true
- Wording: signed and sworn
Identity versus truthfulness
Which Notarial Act?
- Signer affirms own signature→Acknowledgment(Prior signing fine)
- Statement must be true→Jurat(Sign before notary)
- Sworn promise, no document→Oath or affirmation
- Only witness the signing→Signature witnessing
- Copy of a record→Copy attestation
- Signer signs as officer→Representative acknowledgment(Authority not verified)
- Signer cannot physically sign→Signature by direction(Both persons appear)
- Document has blanks→Refuse until completed
- Notary named as party→Refuse(Prohibited act)
Authorized Notarial Acts
- Acknowledgment
- Signer declares own signature
- Jurat
- Verification upon oath
- Oath or affirmation
- Administer a sworn promise
- Signature witnessing
- Attest signature being signed
- Copy attestation
- Certify or attest copy
- Protest
- Note negotiable instrument protest
- Signature by direction
- Both persons must appear
- Right to refuse
- No explanation required
Certificate Essentials
- Venue
- State plus county of act
- Date
- Date of notarial act
- Signature
- Exact commissioned name
- Ink
- Blue or black, legible
- Seal
- Black ink, photocopy-ready
- Loose certificate
- Staple or grommet, permanently
- Never
- Tape, paper clips, binder clips
- Second seal
- Allowed if first illegible
Three Ways Only
Know / Vouch / Show
Know: personal knowledgeVouch: credible witnessShow: valid photo credentialNo fourth option
Personal Knowledge vs Credible Witness
Personal knowledge
- Notary knows the signer
- No credential needed
- Explain on video remotely
Credible witness
- Notary knows the witness
- Witness swears to identity
- Witness name in journal
Who the notary knows
Identify the Signer
- You know signer personally→Personal knowledge
- Trusted person knows signer→Credible witness(You must know witness)
- Stranger with current ID→Identification document
- Credential expired→Refuse(Must be valid)
- Credential lacks signature→Refuse(Photo and signature)
- Remote paper act→Same three methods
- Electronic remote act→Credential plus KBA(All three required)
- Face does not match→Stop the act
Acceptable Identification
- Personal knowledge
- Notary already knows signer
- Credible witness
- Personally known to notary
- Credential issuer
- State, federal, or consulate
- Validity
- Unexpired at act time
- Photograph
- Image of signer's face
- Signature
- Signer's signature on credential
- Not acceptable
- Expired license, Social Security card
- Not acceptable
- Employer badge, utility bill
Seal Line Order
Official / Name / Title / Number / Expires
Official SealPrinted official nameNotary Public, State of IllinoisCommission No.My Commission Expires
Journal vs AV Recording
Journal
- Every notarial act
- Paper or electronic
- 7 years after last
AV recording
- Electronic acts by video
- Kept even if incomplete
- 7 years minimum
Both required, never either
Official Seal Elements
- Shape
- Rectangular, serrated or milled
- Size
- Max 1 by 2.5 inches
- Line 1
- Official Seal
- Line 2
- Notary's official name, printed
- Line 3
- Notary Public, State of Illinois
- Line 4
- Commission No. plus number
- Line 5
- My Commission Expires plus date
- Ownership
- Notary's, never the employer's
Journal Eight
Who, Witness, Signer, What, When, How, Fee, Where
Who: principal nameWhat: document descriptionHow: person, remote, electronicWhere: both locations
Notary Fee vs Filing Fee
You charge
- $5 paper act
- $25 electronic act
- Itemized receipt required
You pay
- $15 notary application
- $25 electronic notary
- $2 certificate of authority
Collected versus remitted
Required Journal Entries
- Principal
- Name of the signer
- Credible witness
- Name of each witness
- Substitute signer
- Name of person signing
- Document
- Title or short description
- Date
- Date of the notarization
- Method
- In person, remote, electronic
- Fee
- Amount charged, or n/c
- Location
- Notary and principal, city/state
- Timing
- Recorded at notarization
Money Line
$5 paper, $25 electronic, $15 apply
$5: paper act$25: electronic act$15: notary filing$25: e-notary filing
Never in the Journal
- Government ID number
- From the credential presented
- Any identifying number
- Could identify the principal
- Biometrics
- Fingerprint, voice print, retina
- SSN combination
- Name plus unencrypted SSN
- License numbers
- Name plus driver's license
- Financial data
- Name plus account information
- Electronic signatures
- Signer or any witness
- Accidental entry
- Redact before granting access
Sevens
Seven years: journal, e-journal, recordings
Paper journal: 7 yearsElectronic journal: 7 yearsAV recording: 7 yearsRemote paper video: 3 years
Fee Caps
- Paper act
- $5 maximum
- Electronic act
- $25 maximum
- Charging
- Optional, disclose before act
- Receipt
- Itemized, separate from charges
- Immigration form
- $10 per form completed
- Translation
- $10 per page
- Obtain document
- $3 per procedure
- Whole application
- $75 maximum
- Homeless certification
- No fee, since 2026
Retention Clock
- Paper journal
- 7 years after last act
- Electronic journal
- 7 years after last act
- AV recording
- 7 years, even if incomplete
- Remote paper recording
- Signatory keeps 3 years
- After commission ends
- Records kept 5 years
- Advertising acknowledgments
- Commission plus 2 years
- Government employment
- Retention rules do not apply
- Death or incompetency
- Deliver journal to Secretary
Remote vs Electronic Act
Remote (paper)
- Paper document
- Physical stamp and pen
- Any commissioned notary
- $30,000 bond
- Signer attests Illinois location
Electronic (RON)
- Electronic record
- E-signature and e-seal
- Separate e-notary commission
- Approved platform registered
- Signer may be outside Illinois
Paper versus electronic record
Which Notarization Channel?
- Signer in the room→In-person paper act($5,000 bond)
- Paper, signer on video→Remote notarial act($30,000 bond)
- Electronic record signed→Electronic notarial act(E-commission needed)
- Signer elsewhere in U.S.→Electronic act allowed
- Signer outside United States→Only with U.S. nexus
- You are outside Illinois→Stop(No authority)
- Platform not SOS-approved→Stop(Register first)
Electronic ID Proofing
- Alternative
- Notary's own personal knowledge
- Step 1
- Remote credential presentation
- Step 2
- Credential analysis, front and back
- Step 3
- Dynamic knowledge-based authentication
- Quiz size
- 5 questions, 5 choices
- Quiz pass
- 80% within two minutes
- Retake
- One retry within 24 hours
- Blind to notary
- Cannot see questions or answers
Remote Paper Act Steps
- Consent
- Both must agree first
- Location
- Signer attests Illinois presence
- Declaration
- Signer states document on camera
- Pages
- Each page shown legibly
- Signing
- Captured close up
- Transmit
- Copy to notary next day
- Return
- Signed back within 24 hours
- Original
- Within 30 days if used
- Restart
- Any dropout restarts session
Notary vs Signing Agent
Illinois notary
- Commissioned by Secretary
- Bond and oath filed
- Performs notarial acts
Signing agent
- Private designation only
- No Illinois commission exists
- Still cannot explain documents
State office versus job
If Something Goes Wrong
- Seal lost or stolen→Notify next business day
- Journal lost or stolen→Notify within 10 business days
- E-seal stolen or compromised→Police, vendor, Secretary
- Name or address changed→Notify within 30 days
- Moved out of county→Resign and reapply
- Secretary requests entry→Produce within 10 days
- Commission expired→Stop notarizing(No grace period)
Penalties Snapshot
- Knowing misconduct
- Class A misdemeanor
- Negligent misconduct
- Class B misdemeanor
- Impersonating a notary
- Class A misdemeanor
- Overcharging
- Class A misdemeanor first
- Repeat overcharge
- Class 3 felony
- Seal tampering
- Fine up to $1,000
- Notario advertising
- $1,500 per written violation
- Second ad violation
- Permanent revocation
- Paid legal advice
- Triple fee, $1,001 minimum
- Bond liability
- Notary and surety both
Secretary of State Actions
- Warning
- Written warning and reprimand
- Suspension
- Paused for designated period
- Revocation
- Seal surrendered immediately
- Referral
- State's Attorney or ARDC
- Non-cooperation
- Suspension or revocation
- Resignation
- Written notice, return stamp
- E-commission
- Falls with notary commission
- Complaints
- Police, Attorney General, State's Attorney
Hard Prohibitions
- Own signature
- Never notarize it
- Named party
- Cannot acknowledge that instrument
- Blank certificate
- Never sign in advance
- Altering document
- No change after signing
- Drafting
- Non-attorneys prepare nothing
- Explaining contents
- Only attorney-notaries may
- Adjudged mentally ill
- No act if known
- Blind signer
- Read instrument aloud first
- Non-English signer
- Translate nature and effect
- Suspended commission
- No acts at all
Common Traps
Appearance vs signature
Signer must appear ≠ Known signature is insufficient
Acknowledge vs swear
Acknowledgment needs no oath ≠ Jurat always needs oath
Remote vs electronic
Remote uses physical seal ≠ Electronic needs e-commission
Journal vs employer file
Journal belongs to notary ≠ Employer records change nothing
Fee charged vs fee paid
$5 is your charge ≠ $15 is your filing
County vs statewide
Reside in commissioned county ≠ Notarize anywhere in Illinois
Seal ink vs pen ink
Seal must be black ≠ Signature blue or black
Renewal vs automatic
No automatic reappointment ≠ New bond, oath, course
Notary vs document truth
Notary verifies identity ≠ Notary never verifies contents
Relatives vs self
Relatives may be notarized ≠ Own signature never can
Last Minute
- 1.Term = 4 years; no auto-renewal
- 2.Bond: $5,000 paper, $30,000 remote
- 3.Apply $15; e-notary adds $25
- 4.Course 180 minutes; exam 50 questions
- 5.Pass mark = 85%, three attempts
- 6.Charge: $5 paper, $25 electronic
- 7.Journal every act; keep 7 years
- 8.ID: known, witness, or credential
- 9.Credential needs photo and signature
- 10.Acknowledgment = declare; jurat = swear
- 11.Seal: black ink, rectangular, legible
- 12.Sign exactly your commissioned name
- 13.Notary stays inside Illinois always
- 14.Never notarize your own signature
- 15.Report lost seal next business day
- 16.Revoked = 5 years ineligible
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