Intro.2 Texas Notary Education Requirements (SB693)

Texas Notary Education Requirements (SB 693)

Senate Bill 693, passed by the 89th Texas Legislature and effective January 1, 2026, is the biggest change to Texas notary practice in decades. Before SB 693, anyone meeting basic qualifications could be appointed without training or testing. Now every new and renewing applicant must complete a Secretary of State education course and pass an assessment before submitting an application. This section covers the education and exam mechanics; expect several direct, fact-recall questions here.

Education Requirement Overview

The course must be taken directly through the Secretary of State. Third-party "notary schools" may sell study materials or practice exams, but only the SOS course satisfies the statute. A common trap answer names a community college, a private academy, or the State Bar of Texas — none of those provide the official course. The statute authorizes the SOS to charge a reasonable fee and to establish both initial and continuing-education courses.

Who Must Complete Education?

The exemption is narrow and date-specific: only those already appointed before September 1, 2025 skip the course, and only until their current commission expires. At that renewal — if it falls on or after January 1, 2026 — they take the course and pass the assessment like everyone else. There is no grandfathering beyond that first renewal.

The SB 693 Assessment

SB 693 pairs the course with a knowledge check delivered at the end of the training. Memorize these numbers — they are exactly what the SOS questionnaire will test:

Worked example: you answer 13 of 20 correctly, which is 65%. That is below the 70% floor, so you fail and must pay another $20 to retake. If you then score 15 of 20 (75%), you pass. Because you only get three attempts in a three-month window — and each costs $20 — the goal is to pass on the first try, which is exactly what working through this guide prepares you to do.

Course Content

The SOS course mirrors the topics this guide teaches:

Because the assessment is open-book, well-organized notes on these six areas — especially the exact numbers (4-year term, $10,000 bond, 70% pass, 10-year retention) — convert directly into points.

Other Major SB 693 Changes (Not Just Education)

SB 693 is more than a class. The same bill rewrote enforcement and record-keeping:

The 10-year retention rule is heavily tested — older Texas guidance referenced shorter periods, so any answer other than 10 years is wrong under SB 693. Note the measuring point: the clock runs from the date of each notarization, not from when your commission ends.

Why SB 693 Was Enacted

The legislature passed SB 693 in response to a rise in deed and title fraud and in remote-signing abuses — most notably notarizations completed without the signer ever appearing. By requiring training, an assessment, a permanent records journal, and criminal liability for absent-signer notarizations, the state created an audit trail and a competency floor. On the exam, "Why did Texas add education?" maps to four goals: prevent fraud, ensure competency, create an accountable record, and impose penalties for misconduct.

Step-by-Step: From Course to Commission

1. Visit the Texas Secretary of State notary training portal and create/log in to your account.
2. Pay the training/assessment fee and complete the up-to-2-hour course.
3. Take the assessment and score 70% or higher (14/20); retake (up to 3 times in 3 months) if needed.
4. Receive your completion confirmation.
5. Submit your notary application electronically with the $10,000 surety bond and the application fee (commission fee plus bond filing and archive fees).
6. Take the oath of office and receive your commission (4-year term) from the Secretary of State.

Common Traps

• Naming a college, private school, or the State Bar as the course provider — it is the SOS only.
• Assuming all current notaries must immediately retrain — the pre-September-1-2025 exemption holds until renewal.
• Choosing a retention period shorter than 10 years.
• Forgetting that the assessment is 20 questions with a 70% floor.

On the Exam

• Provider: Secretary of State only — not private schools, colleges, or the bar.
• Course length: up to 2 hours; assessment: 20 questions, 70% to pass, $20 per attempt.
• Retakes: up to 3 within 3 months.
• Exemption: notaries appointed before September 1, 2025, until they renew.
• Retention: keep your records journal 10 years from the date of notarization.