The Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications (ONCA) approves and commissions individuals as DC notaries public. The office commissions both new applicants and reappointments. The process for renewing a commission is the same as applying for an original commission, except applicants for renewal do not have to attend an orientation session.

 

ONCA Does Not Notarize Documents.

 

ONCA is open to the public. Office hours are from 9 am-1 pm, Monday-Friday, except holidays. Applicants have sixty (60) business days to come to the ONCA office to take the oath of office.

 

• As of March 30, 2023, the Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications will begin accepting applications for those who wish to become an in-person electronic notary (IPEN).  See below for details.

 

Remote Notarizations are NOT permitted in the District of Columbia. We are working to implement this process and will update the web page as soon as it is finalized.

 

• How do I apply to become a notary or to renew my commission? There is a link below on this website. There is also a link that will show you when you must have your application approved in order to not have a lapse in your commission. It shows when your application must be approved and then what your new Commission date will be. ONCA does not send out reminder notices when you are renewing your commission.

 

The Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications now accepts applications to become a notary and to renew a commission online. See below for instructions and the link to the application.

 

The Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications (ONCA) approves and commissions individuals as DC notaries public. The office commissions both new applicants and reappointments. The process for renewing a commission is the same as applying for an original commission, except applicants for renewal do not have to attend an orientation session.

 

As of July 16, 2016, notaries do not need to submit annual reports with information on the last 3 months of notarial acts performed for that year.

 

The Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications (ONCA) Does Not Notarize Documents. We commission individuals to become notaries public in the District of Columbia.

 

ONCA does not issue or renew passports. For information regarding passports, go to: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html, or you may search the Internet for other providers.

 

How to Become a Notary Public

 

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age, be a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States, residents of the District of Columbia (if applying for a residential commission), or maybe residents of other jurisdictions whose primary place of business or employment is located in the District of Columbia (if applying for a business or government commission). If applying for a dual commission, the applicant must both live in DC and have a primary place of business or employment in DC.

 

All applicants to become a notary public for the first time or those who have not renewed their commission in over 12 months must attend an orientation session.

 

Notary Commissions in the District of Columbia are for five (5) year terms, beginning on the 1^st and 15^th of each month (except January 2^nd) and ending on the 14^th and last day of each month (except January 1^st).

 

The non-refundable application fee for new and application renewals is $75. The process to become a notary public takes about 45 - 60 days once the application is deemed sufficient. Those applying for government commissions only are exempt from the application fee.

 

Note: If you are applying to renew your application ONCA does not send out reminder notices, but you may use this (link) for a timeline as to when your application must be approved in order to avoid a lapse in your commission.

 

Electronic Notary

An in-person electronic notary (e-notary) is someone who can notarize a document using a computer, tablet or smartphone.  This notarization must still be done in person; the individual having the document notarized must physically appear before the notary, but the notarization will be done using technology, not paper.  This is often called In-Person Electronic Notarization (IPEN).

• In order to become an e-notary you must have taken the oath of office as a notary public in the District of Columbia.
• Please read through the Electronic Notarization Handbook (e-notary Handbook) at the bottom of this website before you decide to apply.  This e-notary Handbook provides details on the requirements, the process, and the application.
• You will receive an endorsement on your commission as a notary public when you become an e-notary, not a new commission.  The beginning date of the commission will be the date you take the oath of office as an e-notary; the end of the endorsement will be the same date as the end of your commission as a notary public.
• If you apply within four (4) months of the expiration date of your notary commission, you will not be able to submit the e-notary application.  Since it takes 45-60 days to approve an application, we want to protect you from having to pay the application fee twice in a short period of time.
• You must have the name of the vendor or software you will be using as an e-notary when you apply. 
• You must use your name as it appears on your commission.  You must use the default email address you provided on your notary application. This is the email address at which you have been receiving all your notifications.  You must use the same category/type of commission (Residential, Business, Government, Dual, etc.) as you did on your commission.  You must use the same addresses. You must have the expiration date of your current notary commission.  Without this exact information, your application will be denied.
• If you have a Dual Commission, the contact information on your Commission is your home information.
• When you submit your e-notary application for review, it may take 3-4 minutes for you to receive notification that your application has been received.  Please be patient.
• New applicants to become an e-notary must take training through an outside vendor and provide proof the training has been successfully completed.
• The entire process takes about 45-60 days.
• More details are in the Electronic Notary Handbook.

 

 

Application

• You must use the link provided on this website below. We no longer accept the PDF version of the application; if you submit that form through the mail or in person it will be returned to you as denied.
• There is a choice of submitting an application for a notary or an electronic notary.  You may only apply for an electronic notary if you have recently taken the oath as a notary.  Pick the correct application.
• The new application may be filled out and submitted to the ONCA office online. Be sure to read the instructions thoroughly before completing the application.
• If you fill out the application in all CAPS in any field, it will be returned for corrections. You may only capitalize the first letter of each word.
• Put in your name EXACTLY as you wish it to appear on your commission.  You do not have to use a middle name or initial. If you want it to be Mark Smith, use Mark Smith. 
• Please do not use any abbreviations. You must spell out the name of the street, for example, Martin Luther King.
• There is a dropdown for the name of the thoroughfare, for example, Street, Road, Avenue.
• There is a dropdown for the quadrant, NW, NE, SW, and SE. If your residential address does not have a quadrant, please use “NA” in the dropdown.
• You may not save the application, so be sure you have all the required information, including the letter(s) of the request before you begin.
• You may not print the application and type it manually.
• Once the application has been received and deemed sufficient, you will be notified to pay the application fee online (except those commissioned on behalf of the DC or federal government) by credit card.
• It may take 2-3 days after you submit the application for the process to begin.
• The e-notary application has fewer fields than the notary public application, but all fields with an asterisk must be completed in order to submit the application.
• Once completed, you will press “Save,” and the application will be submitted.
• You will receive a notification the application has been received. Please check your spam and junk folders.
• If you do use a general work email such as “info@” or just the name of the store or company, you may not get the email.
• If your application is not sufficient, you will receive an email notifying you of the errors with a link to the original application so you may make the corrections and re-submit the application. Please do not submit a new application; this will delay the process.
• The entire process takes 45-60 days.

 

This link to the application allows you to choose whether you are applying to become a notary public or an electronic notary (e-notary).  You must have taken the oath of office as a notary public before you can apply to become (or renew) as an e-notary.

 

Do not use Explorer as your Browser. We suggest you use Chrome or another up-to-date browser. You will not be able to use the application from a secure website.

 

You will choose if you are applying to become (renew) a notary public or an electronic notary public.  You cannot do both.

 

E-Notary Application

If you are applying to become (or to renew) an electronic notary, please read the e-notary Handbook before completing the application and be sure to read the instructions before beginning the application.

• You must have taken the oath of office as a notary public before you can apply to be an e-notary.
• Your name must be exactly as it is on your Commission.  If you changed your name on your commission, you must use the PDF form on our website for change of name, before you can apply to be an e-notary.
• You must use the exact home and business address as on your notary application and commission.
• You must use the same company/agency.  If you changed employment or moved, you must use the PDF form on our website and change your address or employment before you submit the e-notary application.
• You must provide the name of the software or vendor you will be using. You don’t have to purchase the software, but we must have the name.  We do not provide a list of approved vendors.  You may do an Internet search for in-person electronic notary (IPEN).
• If you do not meet all these requirements, your application will be denied.
• The e-notary will take the oath of office by phone.  If you do not take the oath within ten (10) business days of the first time a member of the ONCA staff contacts you, the Endorsement will be canceled, and you will have to apply again.

 

If you change your name or address during your commission or you change employment during your commission, you resign your commission or if your sealer/embosser was lost or stolen, please use the link to one of the forms below and then scan the document with the required appropriate supporting documents and email them to the ONCA office at [email protected].

 

 

Change of Name

Change of Address

Change of Employment

Resignation of Commission

Lost or Stolen Sealer

 

 

Changes in the Law

As of December 4, 2018, many exciting amendments were made to the Code for Notaries Public. While much of the new law codifies existing regulations and policies, some highlights include:

• The person for whom you are performing notarial acts must personally appear to you.
• You may not notarize documents you or your spouse has signed or for which you or spouse have a beneficial interest.
• You must have personal knowledge of the individual appearing before you or a current government ID with a photo or a signature. The government may be the US or any country but it must be a current ID with a photo or a signature.
• If the person personally appearing before the notary does not have appropriate identification, you may accept a credible witness with verification of oath of the witness and the appropriate identification.
• If an individual is physically unable to sign a record, the individual may direct an individual other than the notarial officer to sign the individual's name on the record. The notarial officer shall insert "Signature affixed by [name of another individual] at the direction of [name of individual]" or words of similar import.
• If you will be notarizing documents in a language other than English, you must submit a form stating you can read and write in the language you will be performing those notarial acts. When you took the oath of office you made a statement you could read and write in the language(s). Notaries commissioned prior to December 2018 may continue to notarize in any language until they renew.
• The certificates/stamps used on the forms have changed. For existing notaries, you may use the ones you have, but when you renew and for new applicants, the supply companies will have a new format.
• For more details on becoming and the responsibilities of a notary public in the District of Columbia, please see the Notary Public Handbook ^[PDF], call (202-727-3117), or email at [email protected]

 

View Frequently Asked Questions.

 

More Information:

• Notary and E-Notary Application 
• Notary Public Handbook ^[PDF]
• Electronic Notary Handbook ^[PDF]
• To view Notary Public code, https://code.dccouncil.us/dc/council/code/titles/1/chapters/12A/
• To view Rules for Notaries Public, https://dcregs.dc.gov/Common/DCMR/RuleList.aspx?ChapterNum=17-24&ChapterId=695