New York Notary Oath of Office — How to Complete Form DOS-2201

What the Oath of Office Is and Why It Matters

The Oath of Office is a sworn statement that you will faithfully discharge the duties of a notary public. In New York, it is captured on Form DOS-2201, a physical card issued by the Department of State. Every notary applicant must complete this form — including attorneys and court clerks who are exempt from the written exam.

The completed oath serves two purposes. First, it is a legal prerequisite for your commission. The DOS will not process your application without it. Second, the card carries your signature, which becomes the specimen on file at your County Clerk's office. This specimen is what county clerks use to verify your notarial acts when someone requests document authentication.

How to Execute the Oath Correctly

The execution process involves three people: you, an active New York notary, and — in a sense — the scanner.

Step 1: Print the DOS-2201 form. Download it from the DOS website (dos.ny.gov) under the "Become a Notary Public" section. Print it on standard letter-size paper.

Step 2: Sign the oath in ink before a commissioned notary. You must physically sign the card with a handwritten ink signature. Digital signatures, typed signatures, and electronic signatures are all prohibited. The notary who witnesses your signature must be a currently active New York State notary public — not an out-of-state notary, and not someone whose commission has lapsed.

The officiating notary signs the jurat portion of the form and applies their notary stamp. This confirms that you appeared before them in person and swore or affirmed the oath.

Step 3: Scan the completed form as a single-page PDF. This is where most application rejections happen. The NY Business Express portal requires the oath to be uploaded as a single-page PDF document. The system rejects JPEG files, PNG images, multi-page PDFs, and any file that is not a clean, single-page scan.

Use a flatbed scanner or a mobile scanning app that exports directly to PDF. Make sure the entire card fits on one page, the text is legible, and both signatures (yours and the officiating notary's) are clearly visible.

The Most Common Rejection Reasons

The DOS does not charge a separate fee for the oath itself, but an incorrectly executed or formatted oath triggers an application rejection — which means resubmitting and waiting through another processing cycle. Here are the mistakes that cause the most rejections:

Wrong file format. Uploading a JPEG or phone photo instead of a PDF. Some phone cameras default to HEIC or HEIF formats, which the portal also cannot process. Always verify the file extension before uploading.

Multi-page scan. If your scanner produces a two-page PDF (common when scanning both sides of the card or including a cover sheet), the portal rejects it. One page only.

Missing notary stamp. The officiating notary must stamp the form. A jurat signed without a stamp does not meet the requirement. If the notary you chose does not have their stamp available, find one who does.

Digital or typed signature. Any signature that is not handwritten ink is rejected outright. This includes DocuSign-style e-signatures, typed name blocks, and signatures made with a stylus on a tablet.

Where to Find a Notary to Administer the Oath

If you do not personally know an active New York notary, several options are readily available:

• Banks and credit unions — most branches have at least one notary on staff and will notarize for account holders at no charge.
• UPS Stores and shipping centers — many offer notary services for a small fee (typically $2 to $5 per signature).
• Law offices — attorneys and their staff frequently hold commissions.
• Your county clerk's office — some county clerks have notaries available for walk-in oath execution.

The fee a notary can charge for administering your oath is capped at $2.00 under New York law, though many will waive it.

After the Oath: What Happens Next

Once you upload the scanned oath and submit Form DOS-0033 through NY Business Express along with the $60 application fee, the DOS reviews everything and processes your commission. The original oath card and your signature specimen are forwarded to the County Clerk in your qualifying county.

The entire process from oath execution to commission issuance typically takes four to six weeks. For a complete walkthrough of every commissioning step — including what to do after the commission arrives — the New York Notary Commission guide covers the full process from start to finish.

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