Notary Commission
If you are an Illinois resident, you are appointed by the Secretary of State for a term of four years. If you are an out-of-state resident, you are appointed for a one-year term. For an appointment you must:
-
be a citizen of the United States or an alien
lawfully admitted for permanent residence;
-
be a resident of the State of Illinois or
employed in the state of Illinois for at least 30 days;
-
be at least 18 years of age;
-
be able to read and write the English
language;
-
have not been convicted of a felony; and
-
have not had a notary commission revoked
during the past 10 years.
You must
complete the proper application form provided by the Secretary of State
(link below), which includes the oath of office.
You must also obtain from a bonding or surety company a $5,000
notary bond. The application and bond are then forwarded to the
Secretary of State along with the $10 filing fee. If the Secretary
of State approves the application, your commission will be issued.
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/index/indexpub.html#notary
Your commission
will be mailed to the County Clerk of the county in which you
reside. The County Clerk will notify you upon receiving the commission.
The appointment is not complete until the commission is recorded
with the County Clerk. The recording with the County Clerk can be done
in person or by mail. The fee to record your commission with the
Madison County Clerk is $10 by mail or $5 in person.
You must then
obtain an official seal and can act as a notary anywhere in the State of
Illinois, as long as you continue to reside or work in the county in
which you were commissioned.
Bond
The $5,000 bond
must be issued by a company qualified to write surety bonds in the State
of Illinois. In order for a company to write bonds, that company
must be qualified to do so with the Illinois Department of
Insurance. Although the company you work for may be willing to post a
bond for you, it probably is not qualified to do so.
Most insurance
companies can write surety bonds. You may want to contact your
local agent. The decision where to purchase a bond can only be made by
the applicant.
The Office of
the Secretary of State
does not recommend any particular bonding company.
Seal
Every notary
public must obtain and use a rubber stamp seal no more than one inch in
height and two and one-half inches in length.
The stamp
should include your name exactly as commissioned and the date upon which
the commission expires. You may include the name of the county in
which your appointment is recorded on your seal. The law neither
requires the name of the county to appear on the seal nor prohibits it.
Certificate
of Authority
Courts or
public officials may require that a "certificate of authority" be
attached to a document that you notarized. This certificate confirms
that you were appointed and commissioned notary public for the State of
Illinois on the date of notarization. Such certificates are issued
by the County Clerk of the county that recorded your appointment or by
the Secretary of State. Most
documents you notarize will not require a certificate of authority, and
it is not your responsibility to obtain such a certificate for any
party.
Out-of-State
Resident
You must contact the Illinois Secretary of State Index Department at
217-782-7017 to request a non-resident applicant packet.
