Illinois Notary Background Check

No Upfront Fingerprinting Required

One of the most common misconceptions about the Illinois notary application is that you need to schedule and pay for a fingerprint-based background check before applying. You don't.

When you submit your application through the Secretary of State's online portal, you sign a digital oath affirming that all information is true and authorizing the state to conduct a background investigation if it chooses to. That authorization is built into the application itself — it's not a separate step, and it doesn't require you to visit a live scan vendor or pay for a third-party screening.

This is different from many other Illinois professional licenses. Cosmetologists, real estate agents, and armed security guards all require fingerprint-based checks through the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation's approved vendor network. Notary public commissions do not follow that same process.

What the State Actually Reviews

The Secretary of State's Index Department reviews your application for completeness and accuracy: matching the name on your driver's license to your bond and application, verifying your course completion certificate, and confirming your residency or qualifying non-resident status.

The background authorization gives the state the ability to investigate further if something raises a flag — a prior felony conviction, a revoked commission in another state, or inconsistencies in your application. But this isn't a routine, comprehensive criminal background check run on every applicant the way it works for armed professions or financial licensees.

How a Criminal Record Affects Your Application

Illinois law requires applicants to state that they have not been convicted of a felony. The application also authorizes the Secretary of State to verify the information, including a criminal background check if necessary.

Certain records therefore create direct eligibility concerns:

Felony convictions. Any felony conviction is a direct eligibility issue; the application requirement is not limited to fraud, forgery, or recent convictions.

Other records. The application requirements do not provide a blanket assurance that misdemeanors or other records will be ignored.

If you have a criminal record and are concerned about eligibility, contact the Index Department before applying and answer the application accurately. Omitting or concealing a conviction on your application — which you sign under penalty of perjury — creates a separate accuracy problem. The oath you affirm explicitly states that all information is true and complete.

Don't Confuse State and Commercial Checks

If you plan to work as a notary signing agent handling mortgage closings, title companies and signing services will run their own background checks as a condition of engagement. These commercial requirements are separate from the state commissioning process and may include a separate background screening and proof of E&O insurance, depending on the title company or signing service.

These commercial checks are entirely separate from the state commissioning process. Passing the state's application review doesn't guarantee you'll clear a title company's vetting, and vice versa. The NNA's signing agent certification, for example, includes a mandatory background screening that has nothing to do with the Secretary of State.

The Bottom Line

The standard Illinois notary process does not require you to pay for fingerprints, schedule an appointment at a live scan facility, or wait for screening results before applying. The authorization is embedded in your application, the review happens on the state's end during processing, and most applicants never hear anything about it beyond the standard one to three business day approval.

For a full walkthrough of the application process, including what documents to upload and in what order, see our Illinois Notary Commission Guide.

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