Overview

The Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications (ONCA) commissions District of Columbia notaries public and authenticates documents for domestic and foreign use. Authentications require a signature from a DC department head or notarization by a District of Columbia commissioned notary public. A document is considered authenticated once the proper certificate with the Seal of the District of Columbia has been affixed to it.  ONCA is not authenticating the document; only that the department head or notary is legitimate.

• ONCA does not notarize documents.
• ONCA is an agency of the District of the Columbia. It does not accept passport applications or applications for FBI fingerprints or any other federal purposes. For information on passports visit the State Department website.
• ONCA does not accept cash for any transactions.
• To search for a notary public near you, go to Search for a Notary Public and use the Search for a Notary Public by address.
• To search for a notary by name, to confirm if the individual was a notary at the time the notarial act was performed, go to Search for a Notary Public and use the Search for a Notary Public by name/expiration date.

Contact Information

441 4th Street, NW
Suite 810 South
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 727-3117
Fax: (202) 727-8457
[email protected]

Hours of Operation

Monday-Friday, 8:15AM-4:45PM
Walk-In Hours: 9AM-1PM

Frequently Asked Questions

See office services under related content.