Notary & Apostille

Requirements to be Commissioned as a Notary Public

The applicant must:

• Be at least eighteen years of age.
• Be a resident of or have a place of employment in the State of New Mexico.
• Be able to read and write the English language.
• Successfully complete the Notary Education course and exam.
• Not have had a notary public commission denied, suspended, or revoked in another state.
• Not have been convicted of a felony or crime involving fraud, dishonesty, or deceit in the last five years.
• Not had a notary public commission denied, suspended, or revoked in another state.
• Not be disqualified to receive commission under Section 22 of the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts [14-14A-22 NMSA 1978].
• A judicial officer, the secretary of state or a full-time staff member of the secretary of state’s office, county clerk or deputy county clerk who is not licensed to practice law, may also be commissioned as a notary public to perform notarial acts outside the individual’s scope of duties as an automatic notarial officer.

Qualifications to be an Automatic Notarial Officer

To be eligible as an Automatic Notarial Officer in New Mexico, an individual must:

• Be a NM judge, an attorney licensed to practice law in New Mexico, a NM Court Clerk or Deputy Court Clerk, a NM County Clerk or Deputy County Clerk, or a staff member of the New Mexico Secretary of State.
• Take an online education course and successfully complete the exam.
• Register their official stamp with the Secretary of State.

Steps to Becoming a Notary Public

To be eligible as a New Mexico, an individual must:

• Each applicant is required to obtain a surety bond or its functional equivalent in the amount of ten thou- sand dollars ($10,000). The assurance must be issued by a surety or other entity licensed or authorized to do business in this state. Each surety bond must contain:
• the applicant’s signature as the principal applicant and their signature must be notarized by a current New Mexico Notary Public under the section ‘Acknowledgment of Principal (Applicant)’. The applicant should never notarize their own signature, even if their commission is currently active.
• Take an online education course and successfully complete the exam.
• Register their official stamp with the Secretary of State.

Applying for a Notary Public Commission with the Office of the Secretary of State

The Notary Application can be electronically filed at https://enterprise.sos.nm.gov

The notary application must be completed online and requires uploads to complete the filing:

• Certificate of Completion of Notary Education Course.
• A signed and notarized Oath of Office, which should be administered by a current New Mexico Notarial Officer. The applicant should never notarize their own signature, even if they are a current actively commissioned notarial officer.
• Notarized Surety Bond in the amount of $10,000.
• All uploads must be in PDF format.
• Paper applications may be requested from the Secretary of State’s Office and will be mailed to the applicant.
• There is a $30.00 filing fee for the notary application which can be paid via e-check or credit card.