Maine Notary Application

The Application Is Paper-Only

If you're looking for an online application portal, it does not exist for first-time Maine notary applicants. The state requires a physical paper application — the "Application for a Notary Public Commission" — that you fill out by hand or typewriter, get signed by three different people, and mail to Augusta.

You can download the PDF from the Secretary of State's Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions website or request a paper copy by contacting the Notary Public Section directly.

The renewal process uses an online portal (Total Notary Solution), but your initial commission goes through mail. Plan for that from the start.

Filling Out the Form

The application asks for your legal name, physical address, mailing address, phone number, and email. You must disclose any criminal convictions for offenses carrying one year or more of imprisonment, and any fraud or dishonesty convictions within the past 10 years. You also need to disclose if you've had a notary commission revoked or suspended anywhere in the last five years.

New Hampshire residents who qualify through Maine employment must include a signed statement from their employer verifying current employment status.

The form includes an integrated open-book exam — the test questions are printed directly on the application. You answer them using the state's free "Notary Public Course of Study" PDF as your reference. It is not timed, not proctored, and designed to be completed at home.

Getting the Three Required Signatures

Before you seal the envelope, you need three signatures on the form — and they come from three different people:

1. A registered Maine voter who is not your relative signs the endorsement section, attesting to your honesty, integrity, and ability to perform notarial acts.

2. Your local municipal clerk or registrar of voters verifies your residency, then signs and stamps the application with their official seal. You visit your town hall or city hall in person for this.

3. An active, commissioned notary public watches you sign the application and notarizes your signature. This is a standard notarization of your own signature under oath.

The municipal clerk seal is the one people forget about. Without it, the application goes back to you, and you lose weeks of processing time.

Fee and Mailing

The application fee is $50. Pay by check or money order made out to the "Treasurer, State of Maine," or fill out the Credit Card Payment Voucher form and include it in the packet.

Mail or hand-deliver everything to:

Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions
Notary Public Section
101 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0101

Processing takes 15 to 20 business days after they receive a complete application. If anything is missing or illegible, they return it and the clock resets.

After the Application Is Approved

Approval is not the finish line. The Secretary of State mails you a "Certificate of Qualification" that starts a strict countdown: you have 30 days to take your oath of office before a Dedimus Justice and 45 days to return the completed certificate. Missing the 30-day oath window suspends your commission — you then have 90 days to request reappointment before you have to start from scratch.

For a pre-flight checklist that walks you through every section of the application, every required signature, and every deadline after approval, the How to Become a Notary in Maine guide covers the complete sequence so nothing slips through.

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