New York State Notary Public Exam
The New York State Notary Public Exam certifies individuals to serve as impartial witnesses to document signings and help prevent fraud. Notaries public are state-commissioned public officers who play a crucial role in securing legal and financial transactions across the state.
Most applicants must pass the written examination. New York attorneys and qualifying Unified Court System court clerks appointed after a qualifying Civil Service promotional examination are exempt from the written exam; application and fee requirements still apply.
Core duties and notarial acts
Distinguish an acknowledgment of a genuine, voluntary signature from a jurat requiring an oath or affirmation and signing before the notary.
For ordinary acknowledgments and jurats, personal appearance is required. It may be physical or, for an authorized electronic act, through compliant communication technology. A mailed signature or ordinary telephone call alone is insufficient.
Identity and records
For physical appearance, 19 NYCRR 182.5(b) allows qualifying valid current government photo identification, at least two qualifying current signed documents, personal knowledge, one sworn witness known to both signer and notary, or two sworn witnesses who know the signer and provide qualifying government identification.
Record the date, approximate time and type of act; names and addresses of persons served; number and type of services; identification credential type and applicable witness details; and appearance-verification procedures. Electronic acts also require technology and provider details. Retain records for at least ten years.
Certificate information and impartiality
New York does not require a notary seal. Required identifying information beside the signature must be printed, typed or stamped in black ink under Executive Law §137; an optional seal does not replace it.
Executive Law §137 requires the commissioned name, Notary Public State of New York, county of qualification and commission expiration beside the signature, with additional certificate-of-character information where applicable. Official number must be affixed to instruments requiring an oath or affirmation under 19 NYCRR 182.3(a)(4).
Do not act with a direct pecuniary interest, backdate, or provide legal advice as a non-attorney. Apply the examination exemptions and other appointment requirements when planning your application.
Source: New York Department of State Notary Public License Law (March 2026), Executive Law §§131, 135-c, 137 and 19 NYCRR Part 182.
Cost and registration
The written exam costs $15 and the commission application costs $60: $75 combined for an applicant who takes the exam. Exam-exempt applicants still pay the application fee. Under Executive Law §131, $20 is apportioned to the county clerk from the $60 application fee; it is not an extra $20 application charge.
Name/address changes and duplicate identification cards carry separate administrative fees where applicable. These are paid to the Department of State, not fees the notary charges a signing customer.
Source: New York Department of State Notary Public License Law (March 2026), Executive Law §§131, 135-c, 137 and 19 NYCRR Part 182.
Exam format
The exam is a written test administered by the New York Department of State. You must achieve a passing score of 70% to be commissioned. Upon passing, your notary commission is valid for 4 years, after which you are responsible for tracking your license expiration date and renewing on time. The state allows a 90-day renewal window before your commission expires.
How the New York Notary practice bank covers the outline
Counts are the live question bank, grouped by the outline area each question was written to.
Verified facts about the New York Notary exam
40 statements, each bound to the official document it was taken from. The source link beside every line opens that document.
Requirements and rules
- The applicant must be of good moral character, have the equivalent of a common school education, and be familiar with the duties of a notary public.
- New York State Legislature
- Candidates must bring two #2 pencils; none are provided at the exam site.
- New York Department of State
- Exam topics are license law and general terms and information related to the duties and functions of a notary public, as outlined in the Notary Public License Law booklet.
- New York Department of State
- Candidates must bring a current, photo-bearing, government-issued signature identification.
- New York Department of State
- Offered in Spanish, Haitian-Creole, Italian, Korean, Russian and Chinese in addition to English; tell a proctor on arrival.
- New York Department of State
- No pre-registration is required; seats are limited and assigned first-come, first-served, and late arrivals are not admitted.
- New York Department of State
- The $15 exam fee is paid by check, money order, MasterCard or Visa; cash is not accepted, exam fees are nonrefundable, and a returned check draws a $20 penalty.
- New York Department of State
- Most applicants must pass the written examination. New York attorneys and qualifying Unified Court System court clerks appointed after a qualifying Civil Service promotional examination are exempt from the written exam; application and fee requirements still apply.
- New York Department of State
- Candidates are notified of results by mail.
- New York Department of State
- All exam results are reported only as passed or failed; no numerical score is disclosed. New York does not publish a percentage passing threshold.
- New York Department of State
- Applicants must submit the oath of office, duly executed before a person authorized to administer an oath, together with their signature.
- New York State Legislature
- The notary is responsible for tracking the license expiration date and renewing on time.
- New York State Department of State
- An applicant must be a resident of New York State or have an office or place of business in New York State at the time of appointment.
- New York State Legislature
- Each county clerk must designate at least one staff notary to notarize documents for the public free of charge during normal business hours; a notary designated this way is exempt from both the examination fee and the application fee.
- New York Department of State
- Holding yourself out to the public as entitled to act as a notary public, or using or advertising the title, without having been appointed, is an offense.
- New York Department of State
- A notary who expects to sign regularly in counties other than their county of residence may file their autograph signature and a certificate of official character with the clerk of any other county.
- New York Department of State
- The commission, oath and official signature (plus the county clerk's $20 apportionment) are transmitted by the Secretary of State to the county clerk of the notary's county of residence by the tenth day of the month after appointment.
- New York Department of State
- A notary public who is a stockholder, director, officer or employee of a corporation may take the acknowledgment or proof of another party to an instrument executed to or by that corporation, or administer an oath to another officer of it, but may not take the acknowledgment or proof of an instrument by or to the corporation if that notary is a party executing it, individually or as the corporation's representative.
- New York Department of State
- A notary public who practices fraud or deceit in the performance of the duties of the office is guilty of a misdemeanor and may be removed from office.
- New York Department of State
- A notary's general authority is defined in Executive Law §135.
- New York Department of State
- A notary public who is an attorney at law admitted to practice in New York may, at their discretion, administer an oath or affirmation to, or take the affidavit or acknowledgment of, their own client.
- New York Department of State
- If the notary is a party to, or directly and pecuniarily interested in, the transaction, the notary is not capable of acting in that case (for example: a notary who is a grantee or mortgagee in the conveyance, or a trustee in a deed of trust).
- New York Department of State
- If a commission has expired, applying for reappointment with the county clerk within 6 months of expiration lets the Secretary of State waive the qualifying requirements; miss that window and you requalify from scratch, including the exam.
- New York Department of State
- Unless a lawyer, a notary public may not engage, directly or indirectly, in the practice of law — including drawing wills, deeds, contracts or other legal papers, or giving advice on the law.
- New York Department of State
- A public servant authorized to issue official certificates who issues one knowing it contains a false statement, with intent to defraud, deceive or injure, is guilty of issuing a false certificate.
- New York Department of State
- Falsely making, completing or altering a written instrument (such as a deed, contract or public record) with intent to defraud, deceive or injure is forgery in the second degree.
- New York Department of State
- A public servant who, intending to obtain a benefit or to injure or deprive another of a benefit, commits an unauthorized official act or knowingly refrains from a legally required duty is guilty of official misconduct.
- New York Department of State
- Any qualified notary public is authorized to perform an electronic notarial act using audio-video communication technology that lets the notary interact with the person appearing, provided the section's conditions are met.
- New York Department of State
- An electronic notary must use a network that permits location detection during an electronic notarial act and may not disable or interfere with any location-detection function while performing one.
- New York Department of State
- No notary public or business employing a notary public in New York may require that notarial transactions exclusively use electronic notarization.
- New York Department of State
- An electronic notary must be physically located within New York State when performing an electronic notarial act, regardless of where the document signer is located.
- New York Department of State
- When video and audio technology is used to verify a document signer's identity, the electronic notary must keep the recording for at least ten years from the date of the transaction.
- New York Department of State
- Before performing any electronic notarial act, a notary must register that capability with the Secretary of State on a prescribed form and pay a registration fee set by regulation.
- New York Department of State
- An officer may not take an acknowledgment unless the officer knows, or has satisfactory evidence, that the person making it is the person described in and who executed the instrument.
- New York Department of State
- The officer taking an acknowledgment or proof must endorse or attach a signed certificate stating everything required to be done, known or proved in taking it, together with the name and residence of any witness examined.
- New York Department of State
- A conveyance is any written instrument, other than a will, a short lease, an executory sale contract or a power to convey as agent, by which an estate or interest in real property is created, transferred, mortgaged or assigned, or by which title to real property may be affected.
- New York Department of State
- An officer authorized to take an acknowledgment or proof, or to certify or record one, who is guilty of malfeasance or fraudulent practice in that duty is liable in damages to the person injured.
- New York Department of State
- Proof of a conveyance by a subscribing witness may not be taken unless the officer is personally acquainted with the witness, or has satisfactory evidence the witness is who they claim to be; the witness must also state their place of residence.
- New York Department of State
Fees
What is tested
- For physical appearance, 19 NYCRR 182.5(b) allows qualifying valid current government photo identification, at least two qualifying current signed documents, personal knowledge, one sworn witness known to both signer and notary, or two sworn witnesses who know the signer and provide qualifying government identification.
- New York Department of State
Podcast episodes
Free episodes from the Every Exam Prep podcasts that cover the New York Notary exam. Each one opens on Apple Podcasts.
Notary & Government Exam Prep · Sep 9, 2026 · 5 min
New York Notary Exam: $15, 70%, Four Years, and No Seal Required
Listen on Apple PodcastsNotary & Government Exam Prep · Sep 9, 2026 · 6 min
Which States Actually Require a Notary Exam: 25 of 51
Covers the New York Notary exam alongside related exams.
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Frequently asked questions
What is the New York State Notary Public Exam?
Most applicants must pass the written examination. New York attorneys and qualifying Unified Court System court clerks appointed after a qualifying Civil Service promotional examination are exempt from the written exam; application and fee requirements still apply. A commission authorizes specified notarial acts; the examination tests the relevant duties and law.
How much does it cost to become a notary in New York?
The exam itself costs $15, and the initial application fee for the commission is $60, so plan on $75 in state fees before any study materials.
How many questions are on the NY notary exam and how long do I have?
The written examination is administered by the New York Department of State on notary law and practice. The current question count and time limit are not stated in the sources checked for this page.
How do I register for the New York notary exam?
You sign up for a scheduled exam session through the New York Department of State, which administers the test at locations around the state, and pay the $15 examination fee. Check the Department of State's current exam schedule and walk-in or registration rules for your area, since procedures vary by test site.
How long does a New York notary commission last?
A New York notary commission runs for a four-year term. After that you renew rather than start over, so passing the exam once sets you up for the full term. Confirm current renewal requirements with the New York Department of State when your term nears its end.
Where should I start studying for the NY notary exam?
Start with the free practice questions and printable cheat sheet on this site, which cover the core notary-law topics the exam draws from: notarial acts like acknowledgments and jurats, identification rules, prohibited acts, and recordkeeping. Pair that with the official New York Department of State study materials so you are working from the state's own statement of the law.
Sources
- 1.Notary Public Frequently Asked Questions — New York Department of State (accessed Sep 7, 2026)
- 2.New York Notary Public License Law, March 2026 — New York Department of State (accessed Sep 7, 2026)
- 3.Become a Notary Public — New York Department of State (accessed Jul 9, 2026)
Official sources
The official documents our facts about this exam are taken from.
- New York Notary Public License Law (current edition, cover reads "September 2026")New York Department of Statedos.ny.gov
- July – December 2026 Notary Public Walk-In Written Examination Information and ScheduleNew York Department of Statedos.ny.gov
- New York Notary Public License Law, March 2026New York Department of Statedos.ny.gov
- Notary Public Frequently Asked QuestionsNew York Department of Statedos.ny.gov
- NY Executive Law § 130 — Appointment of Notaries PublicNew York State Legislaturenysenate.gov
- Become a Notary PublicNew York Department of Statedos.ny.gov
- Renew or Update Notary Public LicenseNew York State Department of Statedos.ny.gov
- NY Executive Law § 136 — Notary Public; FeesNew York State Legislaturenysenate.gov
- NY Executive Law § 131 — Procedure of Appointment; FeesNew York State Legislaturenysenate.gov
Last verified against New York Department of State's official sources:
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