How to Become a Notary in Massachusetts: Application to Oath

Notary commissions sit alongside the other identity and recordkeeping procedures covered in Massachusetts vital records, certificates, and IDs. This article covers the commission itself: who qualifies, what the application packet contains, how the Governor’s Council approval and the oath work, and the seal, journal, and conduct rules that attach once the commission issues.

Who qualifies for a Massachusetts notary commission

The statutory bar is low. Under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 222, § 13, a person qualified for a notary public commission must be at least 18 years of age and must either reside in the Commonwealth or have a regular place of work or business in it. Out-of-state residents who commute to a Massachusetts job qualify on the work prong. The Governor’s office confirms the same two conditions on its notary public application page.

Massachusetts does not require a training course, a written examination, a surety bond, or errors-and-omissions insurance. Applicants do have to read chapter 222 and agree on the application to comply with its terms.

The rest of § 13 is a list of discretionary grounds for denial rather than automatic disqualifiers. The Governor may deny an application, a reappointment, or a renewal based on a material misstatement or omission in the application, a conviction that resulted in a prison sentence, certain misdemeanor convictions including operating under the influence, an admission to sufficient facts, a civil finding of fraud or deceit, revocation or denial of a notary commission or professional license in any jurisdiction, or any other reason that would render the applicant unsuitable.

What the application packet contains

The application to become a notary public is a paper form. Two attachments do most of the work: four endorsement signatures and a current resume.

1. Confirm the residence or workplace basis

   The application asks for a Massachusetts residence or a Massachusetts place of business. Applicants who live in another state list the Massachusetts employer that supplies the qualifying connection under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 222, § 13(a).

2. Collect four endorsement signatures

   The Governor’s office requires four signatures from known and respected members of the applicant’s community, gathered on the application itself rather than on separate letters. Employers, clergy, elected officials, and established local professionals are the usual signers.

3. Attach a current resume

   The application instructions call for a current resume. The Governor’s Council reviews the resume alongside the form, so it describes present employment and the work that would involve notarial acts.

4. Mail the packet to the State House

   Completed applications go to the Notary Public Office, State House, 24 Beacon St Room 184, Boston, MA 02133-1058. There is no online filing channel, and no payment accompanies the application.

## Approval, the $60 fee, and the oath Massachusetts notaries are appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Governor’s Council, not by a licensing agency. The Governor’s application page states that the Secretary of the Commonwealth charges a $60 fee upon qualification, and that the fee is not paid until the applicant receives notice that the Governor and the Governor’s Council have approved the application. Written notification of the appointment arrives approximately two weeks after the completed form reaches the State House, and that notice carries the swearing-in instructions. The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s notary public office maintains notary appointments and administers the oath of office to notaries public, justices of the peace, and other gubernatorial appointees. ## The seal, the journal, and the seven-year term Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 222, § 14 sets the term at seven years, running until the commission is revoked or the notary resigns, and a commissioned notary may perform notarial acts anywhere in the Commonwealth. The seal is the notary’s own property and cannot be lent. Under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 222, § 8(b), the seal carries the notary’s name exactly as it appears on the commission, the words “notary public” and “Commonwealth of Massachusetts” or “Massachusetts,” the expiration date in the form “My commission expires ___,” and a facsimile of the seal of the Commonwealth. Ink seals use black ink. A new seal is required at each renewal, on a new commission, and after a name change. Section 8(a) separately requires the notary to print or type their name below the signature on an acknowledgment and to state the commission expiration date. The seal also feeds a second state process. When a notarized document is going to be used in another country, the Secretary of the Commonwealth authenticates the notary’s commission and signature through the Massachusetts apostille procedure, which is why a seal that does not match the commission on file stalls the paperwork. Every Massachusetts notary keeps a chronological journal of notarial acts under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 222, § 22. A paper journal has to be a permanent bound register with numbered pages, and a notary keeps no more than one paper journal at a time. Entries are recorded at the time of the notarization and include the date and time, the type of act, a description of the document, the signature and printed name and address of each principal and witness, the evidence of identity relied on, any fee charged, and the address where the notarization happened. Renewal is handled by mail. The Secretary’s office states that renewal applications are mailed automatically five weeks before a commission expires and are not available online, which is why a notary has to report a change of name, residence, or business address to the Commissions Section within ten days. ## Limits on what a Massachusetts notary can do The conduct rules matter more here than in most states, because Massachusetts draws a hard line between notaries and attorneys. Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 222, § 17 prohibits a notary who is not licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth from advising clients, offering legal advice, or advertising as a legal specialist, and bars any suggestion of special influence with a government agency. Two specific restrictions catch people who expect notary work to be a side business. First, a non-attorney notary cannot conduct a real estate closing or act as a closing agent under § 17(e); a notary employed by a Massachusetts attorney may notarize documents in connection with a closing the attorney conducts, and a notary employed by a lender may notarize documents for that lender’s loan closings. Second, § 17(b) restricts non-attorney notaries in immigration matters and requires a written disclosure, in prescribed language, stating that the notary is not an attorney and cannot give legal or immigration advice. Remote online notarization is authorized but not yet operational. Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 222, § 28 lets a notary physically located in the Commonwealth notarize for a remotely located individual using approved communication technology, after registering as a remote notary with the state secretary and completing any required training. As of 2026, the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s remote online notarization page states that the training and the notification form are not yet available and that notaries are not to use online remote platforms at this time.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a notary exam or class in Massachusetts?

No. The qualifications in Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 222, § 13 are age and a Massachusetts residence or workplace. The application requires the applicant to read chapter 222 and agree to comply with it, but the Commonwealth administers no test and mandates no course for a standard commission. Section 28 does contemplate training as a condition of registering to perform remote notarizations, and that training has not been released.

How much does a Massachusetts notary commission cost?

The Secretary of the Commonwealth charges $60 upon qualification, billed only after the Governor and the Governor’s Council approve the application, according to the Commonwealth’s notary application page. No payment goes in with the application itself. Separate costs are the seal or stamp and a journal, both bought from commercial suppliers rather than from the state.

Can a notary commissioned in another state notarize in Massachusetts?

No. A commission authorizes notarial acts within the commissioning state. Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 222, § 14 authorizes a Massachusetts notary to act “in any part of the commonwealth,” and a Massachusetts commission does not travel to other states. A person who works in Massachusetts and lives elsewhere can hold commissions in both jurisdictions by qualifying separately in each.

What happens to a commission if a notary moves or changes their name?

Notice goes to the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Commissions Section within ten days of a change in name, residence, or business address, per the notary renewal page. A name change also requires a new seal under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 222, § 8(b). Notaries who miss the notice deadline typically discover it when the automatic renewal mailing never arrives.

Can a Massachusetts notary notarize a family member’s signature?

Generally no. Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 222, § 16(a)(vii) bars a notary from performing a notarial act when the principal is the notary’s spouse, domestic partner, parent, guardian, child, or sibling, and the bar reaches in-law, step, and half relatives. The narrow exception covers a notary who is a Massachusetts-licensed attorney, or who is employed by one, in connection with a will or other document that attorney prepared. The same section also blocks a notarial act when the notary is a party to or named in the document, or has a financial interest in its subject matter.

Sources

• Apply to become a notary public (Commonwealth of Massachusetts)mass.gov
• Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 222, § 13 (qualifications; grounds for denial)malegislature.gov
• Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 222, § 14 (term of commission)malegislature.gov
• Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 222, § 8 (official notarial seal or stamp)malegislature.gov
• Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 222, § 22 (chronological official journal)malegislature.gov
• Secretary of the Commonwealth: Notary Public Informationsec.state.ma.us
• Secretary of the Commonwealth: Remote Online Notarizationsec.state.ma.us

See also: Massachusetts Death Certificate: Ordering, Fees, and Wait Times. See also: Massachusetts Apostille: What It Certifies and How to Request One.