How to Become a Notary in Minnesota: $120 Commission Fee and Mobile Notary Business Rules

If you search for a minnesota notary license, you will find that Minnesota does not use that word. The state appoints notaries public through a commission. The governor makes the appointment, and you apply through the Minnesota Secretary of State. Until your commission is issued and you have a compliant seal and records system in place, you cannot perform notarial acts. This guide covers the application, the $120 fee, the costs around it, and the business rules that apply when you notarize at a client's office or home instead of your own desk.

Minnesota has no general statewide business license, so a notary commission is not a business license either. It is an appointment to a public role with its own rules. If you also plan to run a mobile notary business, the business side has separate steps, covered in the second half of this guide.

What You Need Before You Apply

Gather these items before you start the application so you are not stopped partway through:

• Proof of age and identity: you must be 18 or older, and you will need a valid government-issued photo ID.
• Proof of residence: you must be a Minnesota resident, or a resident of Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota or South Dakota.
• The $120 application fee: it is non-refundable under Minn. Stat. 359.01 subd. 3. Pay only after you have checked every answer.
• For non-residents only: a Minnesota county selected for the commission, and the Secretary of State named as your agent for service of process.
• A seal or stamp: it must meet the requirements of Minn. Stat. 359.03. Read that section before you order, because a seal that does not comply can be a problem later.
• A recordkeeping system: a bound journal or a compliant electronic log. Confirm the current journal requirements with the Secretary of State before you buy one.
• An errors and omissions insurance quote: the notary chapters we reviewed set no bond requirement, but you should check with the Secretary of State and your insurer about E and O coverage before you accept paid work.

Step-by-Step: Getting Your Minnesota Notary Commission

Step 1: Confirm you are eligible

The eligibility test has three parts: your age, your residence, and, if you live outside Minnesota, your county and agent arrangements. Residents of Minnesota and the four neighboring states listed above can apply directly. If you live in one of those neighboring states and do not live in Minnesota, you must do two things that residents do not. You must name the Secretary of State as your agent for service of process, which means legal papers about your notarial work can be served on the state. You must also choose a Minnesota county for your commission. Choose the county carefully, since the application ties your commission to it. Confirm the county rules with the Secretary of State before you submit.

Step 2: Find the official application on the Secretary of State site

Start at the Minnesota Secretary of State homepage at https://www.sos.mn.gov/ and use its search or business services menu to find the notary section. Do not rely on third-party sites that charge extra to submit a form for you. The application and fee schedule are published by the state, and you should use the state's own versions.

Step 3: Complete the application and pay the $120 fee

Fill in the application completely and match your name and address to your ID exactly. The $120 application fee is non-refundable under Minn. Stat. 359.01 subd. 3, so an incomplete or incorrect form costs you money. Review the form twice, then have someone else check it. The appointment is made by the governor through the Secretary of State. This guide does not have a verified processing time for commissions, so ask the Secretary of State how long review takes before you plan your first paid notarizations.

Step 4: Understand the length of your commission

Under Minn. Stat. 359.02, a commission runs until January 31 of the fifth year after the year it was issued. Read literally, a commission issued in 2026 would run until January 31, 2031. You can start renewal up to six months before the commission expires. Put the expiration date on your calendar the day you receive the commission, and set a reminder for the day renewal opens.

Step 5: Order your seal and set up your journal

Order your seal only after you have read Minn. Stat. 359.03 and confirmed the requirements with the Secretary of State. Keep the seal under your sole control, and never lend it to another person. Set up your recordkeeping system before your first act, not after. Record each notarial act in the form the rules require, and keep those records in a safe, organized place.

Step 6: Decide whether you want electronic notarization

If you plan to perform electronic notarial acts, you must register that capability with the Secretary of State. Do not perform electronic acts until the registration is complete. Ask the Secretary of State what technology and process requirements apply, since electronic work carries its own rules that differ from paper notarizations.

Fees and Costs at a Glance

The table below lists the fees verified for this guide. Where a cost is not a state fee, it is marked as a cost to check with the vendor or agency.

Item	Amount	Source or where to confirm
Notary commission application fee	$120, non-refundable	Minn. Stat. 359.01 subd. 3
Maximum fee per oath	$5	Minn. Stat. 357.17
Maximum fee for most acknowledgments and similar acts	$5	Minn. Stat. 357.17
Certificate of assumed name (DBA), online or in person	$50	Minnesota Secretary of State
Certificate of assumed name (DBA), by mail	$30	Minnesota Secretary of State
Newspaper publication for a DBA	Check with the newspaper	Two consecutive issues required
LLC Articles of Organization, online or in person	$155	Minnesota Secretary of State
LLC Articles of Organization, by mail	$135	Minnesota Secretary of State
Seal or stamp	Check with vendors	Must meet Minn. Stat. 359.03
Errors and omissions insurance	Check with your insurer	No bond requirement in the chapters reviewed; confirm with the Secretary of State

Mobile Notary Business Rules in Minnesota

A mobile notary travels to the signer. That adds business obligations on top of the commission. The rules below are the ones to check before your first paid job.

Write a business plan

Mobile notaries must have a business plan. Keep it short and practical: your service area, your hours, your fee schedule, your insurance arrangements, how you will keep your journal secure while traveling, and how you will handle a signer who cannot be verified. A plan you actually use is more useful than a long document you file away.

Price travel carefully

The $5 maximums under Minn. Stat. 357.17 apply to the notarial acts themselves. Whether a travel or service charge can be added on top is a question you should put to the Secretary of State before you quote a client. Put the answer in writing if you can, and show the fee on every invoice so the client knows what they are paying for.

Name your business and file if needed

If you operate under a name other than your own, such as Twin Cities Mobile Notary, you need a Certificate of Assumed Name filed with the Secretary of State under Minn. Stat. Chapter 333. It costs $50 online or in person, or $30 by mail. The certificate must be published for two consecutive issues in the legal notices section of a qualified legal newspaper in the county where your principal place of business is located. Failure to publish may make the certificate invalid. The certificate must be renewed each year at no charge.

If you form an LLC for the business, the Articles of Organization cost $155 online or in person, or $135 by mail, and LLC formation does not require publication. The LLC must file an Annual Renewal every year, and the fee is $0, but it is due December 31. Missing that date can result in termination of the LLC without further notice.

Check city and county rules

Minnesota has no general statewide business license, but licensing and zoning are handled at the local level. Minneapolis and St. Paul license by category, and neither city issues a general business license. Minnesota also has about 853 cities and about 1,780 townships, so the rules for a home office or a mobile operation can vary widely from one place to the next. Ask your city or township whether a home-based office, a vehicle based business, or a shared workspace needs a permit or zoning approval.

Register for taxes before taxable sales

Register with the Minnesota Department of Revenue for a Minnesota Tax ID and a Sales and Use Tax account before you make taxable sales. Ask the Department of Revenue whether notary services and travel charges are taxable for your situation. Minnesota's state sales tax rate is 6.875 percent, and local taxes can add to it. Registration is required before taxable sales, not as a license.

Tips Before You Start

• Set your commission expiration and renewal dates on a calendar the day you are appointed.
• Read the seal rules and recordkeeping rules before you spend money on supplies.
• Get your insurance quote before you advertise. Your insurer may ask about your services, travel radius and any e-notary work.
• Keep your journal entries complete and consistent. A tidy record is your best defense if a transaction is ever questioned.
• Ask the Secretary of State every question that a statute leaves open, and save the answer in writing.
• Start with a narrow service area. Covering the Twin Cities metro is easier to manage than the whole state on day one.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Treating the commission as a license. Minnesota calls it a commission, and the rules that come with it are set by statute, not by a general business license.
• Choosing a county without thinking about it. Non-residents must select a Minnesota county, so make that choice with the Secretary of State's guidance in hand.
• Buying a seal before reading Minn. Stat. 359.03. A noncompliant seal can cost you the money you spent on it.
• Charging above the statutory maximums. The $5 caps for oaths and most acknowledgments apply under Minn. Stat. 357.17.
• Performing electronic acts before registration. Register with the Secretary of State first.
• Skipping insurance. No bond requirement appeared in the chapters we reviewed, but a single claim without coverage can be expensive. Confirm your coverage with your insurer and the Secretary of State.
• Assuming a home office is allowed. Check zoning and any city permit requirement before you list your home address for client visits.
• Missing the DBA publication step. An unpublished certificate may be invalid, which can undo the work of filing it.

What to Expect as a Minnesota Notary

A commission is a legal appointment, not a promise of income. Many people who hold a commission use it as a side service alongside other work, and some build a larger mobile practice over time. Results depend on your location, the volume of signings in your area, how you market your services, your travel costs, and the time you have available. Earnings are not guaranteed, and the fee caps mean that most of your revenue will come from volume, convenience and reliable service rather than from high per-act fees. Plan your budget around the costs in the table above, including insurance, supplies, vehicle use and any DBA or LLC fees, before you expect the work to pay for itself.

Official Resources

• Minnesota Secretary of State: https://www.sos.mn.gov/
• Minnesota Secretary of State business search and filings: https://mblsportal.sos.mn.gov/Business/Search
• Minnesota Department of Revenue: https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/
• Minnesota Small Business Development Center Network: https://mn.gov/deed/business/help/sbdc/

Important Disclaimer and When to Get Help

This article is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Statutes, fees and agency practices change, and the figures above reflect the sources cited when this guide was prepared. Confirm every fee, deadline and requirement with the Minnesota Secretary of State or the relevant agency before you act. If your situation is complex, such as a multistate practice, electronic notarization for out-of-state signers, or a business structure decision, talk with a qualified attorney. Ask a CPA about tax treatment for your fees, travel expenses and entity choice.