Arizona Notary Cheat Sheet.
The night-before summary, built like the exam.

Exam at a glance

• 45 questions, 60 minutes, 80% to pass (36 correct). Open book via a built-in manual link only; no physical copy.
• $46.75 per Prometric attempt; retake after 30 days. Required for all new and renewing notaries since July 1, 2025.

Commission numbers

• Bond: $5,000, issued 60 days before to 30 days after the effective date. Term: 4 years. Filing fee: $43. Renewal opens 2 months before expiration.
• Eligibility: 18+, citizen or permanent legal resident, Arizona tax resident, reads and writes English, keeps the approved manual.

Fee rules

• Per notarial act: no charge up to $10, set by rule. Applies equally to electronic and remote acts. The cap is per act, so three acknowledgments can total $30.
• Travel: only up to state-employee mileage and per diem rates. No surcharges, no separate journal-entry fees.
• Off-duty fees belong to the notary; employers cannot restrict whom a notary serves or cancel a departing employee's bond.

The notarial acts compared

Identification rules

• Unexpired: United States passport, driver license or nonoperating ID, armed forces ID, other government ID with photo or description and signature, inmate ID while in custody.
• Alternatives: personal knowledge through sufficient dealings, or a sworn credible witness identified by the notary.
• Real estate only: unexpired foreign passport plus United States entry documentation.
• Repeat signers: no new ID or journal signature for 6 months (never applies to remote acts).

Journal essentials

• Paper journal mandatory for tangible-record acts; only one paper journal at a time; entries in chronological order.
• Each entry: date, document description and act type, signer's printed name and address, signer's signature (paper journal), identity evidence with credential issue or expiration date, fee charged.
• Keep journals and records 5 years per act. Public entries viewable on written request stating month, year, name and record type.

Seal specs

• Must show: notary public, county, commissioned name, expiration date, commission number. Physical stamp: max 1.5 x 2.5 inches, any shape, with the great seal of Arizona.
• Never stamp over any signature. Never lend the device. Embosser only alongside the inked stamp.

Deadlines and penalties

• Address change: notice within 30 days or $25. Lost or stolen journal or seal: notice within 10 days plus police report for theft, or $1,000.
• Unauthorized practice of law or immigration consulting: up to $1,000 civil penalty and permanent revocation; unlawful advertising is a class 6 felony. Non-attorneys may never use 'notario publico.'
• Records not surrendered within 3 months of leaving office: forfeit $50 to $500. Reapplication after revocation: wait 1 year.

Remote online notarization

• Current commission first; notify the Secretary of State and name your technologies before the first remote act. No extra fee or bond currently.
• Identity: personal knowledge, credible witness, or at least 2 types of identity proofing. Live sight-and-sound technology required; audio only fails.
• Record every session audiovisually; keep it 5 years. Certificate must note communication technology was used. Notary physically in Arizona; signer anywhere with a United States nexus.