Qualification & Exam Administration
24%of exam
Civil-Law Notarial Authority
22%of exam
Property & Succession Transactions
20%of exam
Bond, Liability & Compliance
18%of exam
Professional Boundaries & Risk
16%of exam
UPL RiskRefusal DutyRisk PreventionNeutrality
Quick Facts
- Exam
- LA Notary
- Body
- LA Secretary of State
- Time
- 4 hours
- Pass Score
- Scaled 70 of 100
- Format
- Computer-based, LSU testing
- 2026 Bond
- $50,000 surety
- Commission
- Lifetime (unique to LA)
- Pass Rate
- ~15-25%, hardest in U.S.
Fee Sequence
$35 -> $30 -> $100 -> $35
Qualify: $35Pre-assess: $30Exam: $100Commission: $35
Pre-Assessment vs State Exam
Pre-Assessment
- One-time $30 online screen
- No passing score required
- Must finish before registering
State Exam
- Four-hour, $100, scored test
- Scaled score of 70 needed
- Determines the actual commission
Gatekeeper screen vs real test
Eligibility & Exemption Picker
- LA-licensed attorney→Skip exam and bond(Still file oaths)
- Non-attorney applicant→Complete pre-assessment first($30, no passing score)
- Unpardoned felony conviction→Disqualified from applying(Pardon restores eligibility)
- Registered voter elsewhere→Qualify in that parish(Not the work parish)
- Passed exam pre-2005→Parish-limited jurisdiction only(Reciprocal parishes included)
- Passed exam post-2005→Statewide jurisdiction granted(Full statewide authority)
Fees (Non-Attorney)
- Application to Qualify
- $35 filing fee
- Pre-Assessment
- $30, no pass score
- State Exam Fee
- $100 to register
- Commissioning Fee
- $35 after passing
- Study Guide
- $100, official 2026 edition
- Surety Bond
- $50,000 since Feb 20262026
Eligibility Checklist
- Age
- 18 years or older
- Residency
- Louisiana resident required
- Voter Registration
- In the commission parish
- Education
- High school diploma or GED
- Felony Record
- Unpardoned conviction disqualifies
- Pre-Assessment
- Mandatory before registering for exam
Exam Day Facts
- Format
- Computer-based single sitting
- Length
- 4 hours
- Location
- LSU Baton Rouge
- Materials
- Open-book, 2026 study guide
- Passing Score
- Scaled 70 out of 100
- Registration
- 30 days before exam date
- Schedule
- Monthly dates, not annual
- Item Types
- General knowledge plus scenarios
Authentic Act Signers
Party + 2 Witnesses + Notary
Party: signs the actWitnesses: two, in presenceNotary: signs, completes act
Jurat vs Acknowledgment
Jurat
- Swears contents are true
- Used for affidavits
- Attached to sworn statements
Acknowledgment
- Confirms a signature only
- No witnesses required
- Doesn't prove document contents
Truth sworn vs signature confirmed
Certificate Picker
- Signer swears truth→Jurat(Affidavits)
- Signer confirms signature→Acknowledgment(No witnesses)
- Need self-proving deed→Authentic act(2 witnesses + notary)
- Donate immovable property→Authentic act required(CC 1541)
- Sell immovable normally→Private act allowed(Later acknowledged)
- Grant power to sell home→Mandate in authentic form(Matches the sale's form)
Authentic Act Requirements
- Signers
- Each party signsCC 1833
- Witnesses
- Two required by law
- Witness Age
- 16 years minimum
- Presence
- All sign before notary
- Self-Proving
- Full proof without moreCC 1835
- Missing Witness
- Falls to private actCC 1834
Authentic Act vs Private Act
Authentic Act
- Notary plus two witnesses
- Self-proving in court
- Required for donations of immovables
Private Act
- No notary or witnesses needed
- Proven later by acknowledgment
- Cannot pass immovable donations
Authentic form required for some acts
Certificates & Instruments
- Jurat
- Signer swears truth
- Acknowledgment
- Confirms a prior signature
- Mandate
- Louisiana's power of attorney
- Procuration
- Written mandate instrument
- Principal
- Grantor of the mandate
- Mandatary
- Agent acting for principal
- Notarial Testament
- Notary plus two witnesses
- Olographic Testament
- Entirely handwritten, unwitnessed
Legitime Fractions
One heir = one-fourth; two+ = one-half
One heir gets one-fourthTwo+ heirs get one-halfDisposable portion is the remainder
Notarial vs Olographic Testament
Notarial Testament
- Signed before notary, two witnesses
- Self-proving, no court testimony
- Read aloud only if illiterate
Olographic Testament
- Entirely handwritten by testator alone
- No notary or witnesses at all
- Proven later via handwriting testimony
Formal versus purely private will
Succession Path Picker
- Estate is $125,000 or less→Small succession affidavit(2 sworn witnesses)
- Decedent dead 20+ years→Affidavit at any value(No cap applies)
- Forced heir survives→Protect the legitime(One-fourth or one-half share)
- Handwritten unwitnessed will exists→Olographic testament controls(Prove via handwriting)
- Notary-executed will wanted→Notarial testament format(Self-proving, 2 witnesses)
Property & Marital Regimes
- Immovable
- Land, buildings, standing timber
- Movable
- Everything else, the catch-all
- Component Part
- Fixed, can't be removed
- Community Regime
- Default marital property rule
- Community Sale
- Both spouses must sign
- Separate Property
- Needs a double declaration
- Lesion Beyond Moiety
- Price under half fair value
Recording Clocks
Statewide 15 days; Orleans 48 hours
Outside Orleans: 15-day deadlineInside Orleans: 48-hour deadlineNotary duty, not client's job
Usufruct vs Naked Ownership
Usufruct
- Right to use and enjoy
- Collects income or fruits
- Often held by surviving spouse
Naked Ownership
- Residual title, held by children
- Becomes full ownership at usufruct's end
- No use rights meanwhile
Use rights vs future title
Successions & Forced Heirship
- Succession
- Louisiana's term for probate
- Small Succession Cap
- $125,000 gross estate value
- 20-Year Exception
- No cap after 20 years
- Forced Heir Age
- 23 or younger at deathCC 1493
- Legitime (One Heir)
- One-fourth of the estateCC 1495
- Legitime (Two+ Heirs)
- One-half of the estateCC 1495
- Usufruct
- Right to use and enjoy
- Naked Ownership
- Residual title after usufruct
Community vs Separate Property
Community Property
- Default marital property regime
- Both spouses must sign sales
- Owned equally regardless of title
Separate Property
- Pre-marriage or inherited assets
- Needs a double declaration in deed
- One spouse alone may sign
Marriage regime decides who signs
Closing & Recording
- Signing Order
- Sellers, buyers, witnesses, notary
- Recording Deadline
- 15 days outside OrleansR.S. 35:199
- Orleans Deadline
- 48 hours for transfers
- Public Records Doctrine
- First to record wins priority
- Recording Duty
- Notary's job, not client's
Bond Timeline
$10,000 -> $50,000 on Feb 1 2026
Old bond: $10,000New bond: $50,000Effective February 1, 2026No E&O substitute now
Statewide vs Parish-Limited Jurisdiction
Statewide Jurisdiction
- Exam passed after June 2005
- Can act in every parish
- Standard for current notaries
Parish-Limited Jurisdiction
- Pre-2005 non-exam notaries only
- Commission parish plus reciprocal parishes
- Narrower than statewide authority
Exam date decides jurisdiction reach
Bond & Commission Maintenance
- 2026 Bond Amount
- $50,000 surety bond2026
- Prior Bond Amount
- $10,000, retired Feb 2026
- E&O Substitute
- No longer accepted
- Bond Renewal
- Every 5 years
- Attorney Exemption
- No bond required at all
- Commission Term
- Lifetime, unique to Louisiana
- Annual Report
- Due at commission anniversary
- Report Grace Period
- 60 days before suspension
Jurisdiction Rules
- Statewide Cutoff
- Passed exam after June 2005
- Pre-2005 Notaries
- Parish plus reciprocal only
- Adjacent Parish Rule
- Population under 40,000 allowed
- RON Signer
- May appear by video
- RON Witness
- Must be physically present
Professional Boundaries
- UPL Risk
- Drafting beyond notary authority
- Refusal Duty
- Decline suspicious or incapacitated signers
- Neutrality
- No favoring either party
- Act Register
- Log every notarial act
- Formality Errors
- Can void self-proving status
Common Traps
Felony bar vs pardon
Unpardoned felony disqualifies ≠ Pardon fully restores eligibility
Witness age vs adulthood
Notarial witness needs age 16 ≠ Not the general 18 rule
Jurat vs acknowledgment
Jurat swears contents true ≠ Acknowledgment confirms signature only
Authentic act vs private act
Authentic act is self-proving ≠ Private act needs later proof
Statewide vs parish-limited
Post-2005 exam grants statewide ≠ Pre-2005 notaries stay parish-limited
E&O vs surety bond
Surety bond required since 2026 ≠ E&O no longer accepted
Open-book vs easy exam
Study guide allowed in room ≠ Only ~20% of takers pass
Last Minute
- 1.Exam runs four hours, computer-based
- 2.Scaled passing score: 70 of 100
- 3.Open-book: bring the 2026 study guide
- 4.Attorneys skip exam, pre-assessment, and bond
- 5.Authentic acts need two witnesses, notary
- 6.Witness age minimum: 16, not 18
- 7.2026 bond is $50,000, no E&O
- 8.Forced heirs: age 23 or younger
- 9.Recording deadline: 15 days statewide
- 10.Orleans Parish recording deadline: 48 hours
- 11.Commission lasts for life in Louisiana
- 12.Bond renews every five years
- 13.Register 30 days before exam date
- 14.Pre-assessment costs $30, no passing score
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