North Carolina Notary Requirements and E&O Insurance

Is a notary bond required in North Carolina?

North Carolina does not require notaries public to obtain or file a surety bond. The Notary Public Act, codified at Chapter 10B of the General Statutes, sets out qualifications, education, examination, and recordkeeping requirements, but it contains no bonding provision. As a result, there is no bond amount to purchase and no bond to record.

Instead of a bond, North Carolina protects the public through screening and training. Applicants must be at least 18 (or legally emancipated), reside or have a regular place of work or business in the state, reside legally in the United States, be able to speak, read, and write English, hold at least a high school diploma or equivalent, complete the required course, and keep the most recent notary manual approved by the Secretary as a reference. The Secretary may deny or refuse a commission for a felony or crime of dishonesty, a civil finding of deceit, prior discipline, or official misconduct.

North Carolina residents are commissioned in their county of residence, and non-residents are commissioned in the county where they work or do business. The oath of office is administered at the register of deeds, and no notarial act performed before the oath is valid.

How to become a notary in North Carolina

1. Confirm eligibility under G.S. 10B-5, including the age, residency/employment, English, and high school diploma requirements.
2. Within the three months before applying, complete at least six hours of approved classroom instruction (licensed North Carolina attorneys are exempt from the course).
3. Pass the approved written examination with a score of at least 80% (attorneys are exempt).
4. Purchase and keep the current notary manual approved by the Secretary of State.
5. Submit the application — available through the register of deeds in each county — with the applicant’s original pen-and-ink signature acknowledged before an authorized officer, or electronically if the Secretary permits.
6. After the commission is issued, appear before the register of deeds to take the oath of office before performing any notarial act.

Bond vs. E&O insurance in North Carolina

Because North Carolina imposes no bond, the only relevant optional protection is errors and omissions (E&O) insurance. A surety bond, where required in other states, pays a harmed member of the public and is then recovered from the notary; E&O insurance instead protects the notary by covering defense costs and covered losses arising from honest mistakes. In North Carolina, E&O is purely voluntary and is chosen by notaries who want personal financial protection.

Renewing your North Carolina commission

A commissioned notary may apply for recommissioning no earlier than 10 weeks before the commission expires. Recommissioning requires a new application meeting most of the initial qualifications and a passing score on the written exam, though attorneys and notaries continuously commissioned since July 10, 1991 without discipline may be exempt from the exam. A person may still apply within one year after expiration, but must meet the recommissioning requirements and may need to repeat the education course unless the Secretary waives it. No bond renewal is involved because no bond is required.

Remote online notarization in North Carolina

North Carolina authorizes remote electronic notarization. A notary must first register as an electronic notary with the Secretary of State under the electronic and remote notary provisions of Chapter 10B before performing acts by communication technology, and certain documents (such as self-proved wills, certain trusts, and codicils) are excluded from remote notarization. Notaries should follow the Secretary of State’s eNotary registration process and technology standards.

Non-resident notaries in North Carolina

North Carolina addresses non-residents directly: a person who does not reside in the state but has a regular place of work or business there may qualify and is commissioned in the county of that employment or business. All other qualification and education requirements still apply.