1.2 Application Process

Where and How You Apply

Pennsylvania processes all notary applications online through the Department of State's notary portal. There is no paper-first track for a standard commission. The filing fee is $42 and is non-refundable — you do not get it back if the application is denied or the exam is failed, so candidates should confirm eligibility before paying.

The application collects your identity and PA connection, your background disclosures (criminal history and any prior notary discipline), and proof that you completed the 3-hour course within the prior six months. Because the fee is sunk once paid, accuracy on the background questions matters: a false statement on the application is itself a ground for denial and later revocation.

The Ordered Sequence

The steps run in a fixed order, and a common exam trap is scrambling them:

Note that the bond and oath come last, after the exam and the Notice of Appointment — not at application time. Chapter section 1.3 covers that 45-day post-appointment phase in detail.

The Pearson VUE Examination

The Department's examination vendor is Pearson VUE. The exam is required of every first-time applicant and anyone whose prior commission has lapsed; only a holder of a current, unexpired commission applying to renew is exempt.

The exam is drawn directly from the 3-hour course curriculum: RULONA statutes, regulations, notarial procedures, and ethics, including electronic notarization duties. If you do not pass within the six-month authorization window, the authorization lapses and you must restart.

Testing Options: OnVUE vs. Test Center

Pennsylvania allows the first exam attempt to be taken remotely from home or office through OnVUE online proctoring. If you fail that first attempt, every subsequent attempt must be taken at an approved Pearson VUE testing center. Candidates often miss this on the exam: remote testing is a one-time courtesy for the initial attempt only.

When Applications Are Denied

The Department may deny a commission for:

• Criminal convictions involving fraud, dishonesty, or felonies
• Prior notary misconduct (revocation or suspension)
• A false statement on the application
• Failure to meet a threshold requirement (age, PA connection, education)

Because the $42 fee and any $65 exam fees are non-refundable, a denial means lost money as well as lost time.

Strategy for the Six-Month Authorization Window

The six-month authorization window is one of the most important logistical facts to internalize, because it controls the whole timeline. The clock starts when the Department authorizes you to test, not when you applied and not when you took the course. Inside that window you may sit for the exam as many times as you need, but you only pay the $65 fee each time you actually schedule an attempt.

If the window closes before you pass, the authorization simply expires — you have not lost your application standing the way a missed 45-day post-appointment deadline would void a commission, but you do have to obtain a fresh authorization to test again.

Practical sequencing advice that the exam likes to reward: complete the 3-hour course first, because the exam questions are drawn directly from that curriculum, and the course completion is also a prerequisite the application itself checks. Then file the application and pay the $42 fee. Then schedule the OnVUE remote attempt early in your window so that, if you fail, you still have months of runway to retest at a Pearson VUE center.

How the Application Connects to Later Steps

A recurring source of confusion is when money and obligations come due. Lay the costs out in order:

The two most heavily tested figures here are the $42 application fee and the $65 per-attempt exam fee — keep them distinct. The bond and recording costs belong to the post-appointment phase covered in the next section, not to the application itself.

What Happens After You Pass

Passing the exam does not, by itself, make you a notary. Once you pass and the Department processes your file, you receive a Notice of Appointment. That notice is the trigger for the 45-day post-appointment phase — obtaining the bond, taking the oath, registering your signature, and recording everything with the county Recorder of Deeds. Until those steps are complete, you hold an appointment but cannot lawfully perform a single notarial act.

Treat the Notice of Appointment as the starting gun for the 45-day clock, and you will keep the application phase and the post-appointment phase cleanly separated — exactly the way the exam frames them.