DC runs its own program through the Office of Notary Commissions & Authentications. There's no exam — but there is more paperwork than most states: a letter of request, a mandatory orientation, a $2,000 bond, and an oath taken in person. You don't have to live in DC if you work here.
To be commissioned as a notary public in the District of Columbia, you must meet all of the following:
Source: D.C. Official Code § 1-1231 et seq. (Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts) and the ONCA Notary Public Handbook. Full requirements at the DC Office of Notary Commissions & Authentications. Confirm current details with ONCA.
DC's costs are moderate. Plan for $180–$280 total. The application fee is fixed at $75; the bond premium and supply prices vary, so confirm current figures with your provider.
| Item | Cost | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $75 | Yes | Non-refundable, paid to the DC Treasurer. Waived for DC and federal-government employees (unless applying for a dual commission). |
| Orientation | $0 | Yes | Mandatory ONCA orientation for new applicants. Not an exam — no separate fee. |
| $2,000 surety bond | $50–$100 | Yes | Covers the 5-year term. Not required for DC-government-only notaries. Premium varies — confirm current. |
| Notary seal & embosser | $40–$70 | Yes | Must show your name, "District of Columbia," and your commission expiration date. A raised-impression embosser is required. |
| Notary journal | $15–$30 | Yes | Required for all official acts (§ 1-1231.18) — bound with numbered pages, or tamper-evident electronic. |
| E&O insurance | $25–$60/yr | Optional | Recommended, but not required by DC. |
| Realistic total | $180–$280 | Lower end skips optional E&O. Bond premium and supply prices vary by provider — figures here are typical, not quotes. |
In DC you buy your own $2,000 bond (on the ONCA bond form) and supplies after you're appointed — there's no bonding-agent middleman. Confirm the current bond price and term on each provider's site before you buy.
Disclosure: the links below are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, Smoothquill may earn a small commission at no cost to you. We only recommend providers we'd use ourselves.
DC applies online through the Office of Notary Commissions & Authentications (ONCA). There's no exam, but there is a letter of request, a mandatory orientation, and an in-person oath. Plan for about 45–60 days once your application is approved.
Decide which commission you need: Residential (you live in DC), Business (your primary place of business or employment is in DC — you need not live here), or Dual (both).
This is the DC quirk that trips people up. A Business commission lets Maryland and Virginia residents who work in the District get commissioned. DC-government and federal-government commissions also exist, but those notaries may not charge for their services. You may hold a dual commission as Residential/Business or Residential/Government — not two businesses.
Apply online at nap.os.dc.gov — DC no longer accepts the PDF form. Each application must include an original letter of request.
For a business or government commission, the letter goes on company/agency letterhead with a physical DC address and DC phone number, and your supervisor states why the notary services are needed. For a residential commission, you write a letter explaining the community need (it may not reference work). Enter your name exactly as you want it on your commission and seal, and use only first-letter capitals. Applicant names and addresses are published in the DC Register.
Once ONCA finds your application sufficient, you'll get an email to pay the $75 non-refundable fee online. New applicants must attend a mandatory orientation.
DC and federal-government employees are exempt from the fee (unless they want a dual commission). The orientation covers DC notary laws, rules, and policies — it is not an exam, and there's no test to pass. ONCA schedules it after your application is approved.
After you receive your Appointment Notice, purchase the $2,000 surety bond on the ONCA-provided bond form and order your seal, embosser, and journal.
You may not buy supplies until the Appointment Notice arrives. The bond must be the original ONCA form completed and signed by the surety company (DC-government-only notaries are exempt; federal-government and dual notaries need it). Your seal must show your name, "District of Columbia," and the expiration date, and DC requires a raised-impression embosser.
See bond & supply providers →Bring your completed bond, the bond receipt, and your supplies to ONCA (441 4th Street NW) to take the oath of office and receive your Certificate of Appointment.
You may not perform any notarial acts until you've taken the oath. A commission not claimed within 60 days of its start date is canceled — you'd have to reapply and possibly retake orientation. Commissions begin on the 1st and 15th of each month.
Record every official act in your journal (§ 1-1231.18). You may charge up to $5 per notarial act; travel is billed separately by written, itemized agreement.
The journal must be a permanent bound register with numbered pages, or a tamper-evident electronic journal, and you keep it for your entire tenure. DC's per-act fee is capped low, so mobile notaries earn on the travel fee — see the fee rules below.
Apply to Smoothquill →Get the complete notary guide — steps, costs, and how remote online notarization works — emailed to you. Free, no strings.
DC notaries take acknowledgments, administer oaths and affirmations, take verifications, witness or attest signatures, and certify copies — always for a person who personally appears before them. You certify that the signer is who they say they are; you're not vouching for the document itself. Demand for notarization runs high in DC given the concentration of federal, legal, and real-estate work.
DC caps notarial fees at $5.00 per notarial act — you may charge less or waive it, but not more (DC- and federal-government notaries may not charge at all). Travel is separate: you may bill the actual, reasonable, itemized cost of traveling to the signer by written agreement (§ 1-1231.23(b)). That travel fee is where mobile notaries actually earn. Confirm current figures with ONCA.
DC's $5 per-act cap is low, so the act fee itself is not the income — travel fees and loan-signing work are. The District's dense federal, legal, and real-estate activity keeps demand high, and mobile notaries who serve the wider DMV can bill travel on top of the capped act fee.
Income estimates are based on the National Notary Association's annual notary income surveys, BLS data for legal services workers, and reported earnings from active notary marketplaces. Your actual income depends on market density, hours worked, and whether you certify as a Notary Signing Agent (NSA) for loan signing work.
How you actually get those clients: our notary marketing guide — attribution, Google Business Profile, and where to spend limited money.
DC authorizes both in-person electronic notarization (IPEN) and remote online notarization (RON), performed for a remotely located individual over audio-visual technology (D.C. Code § 1-1231.13a). You add an electronic-notary endorsement to your existing commission: complete the approved training, register the technology you'll use, and notify ONCA of your intent (the e-notary request runs through nap.os.dc.gov/enotary). You provide the name of your RON vendor at registration. Approved-provider requirements change — check ONCA for the current list before you commit to a platform.
Before you invest in RON registration: what RON actually pays → — the platforms' own published numbers.
DC commissions last 5 years. To renew, submit a new application and letter(s) of request through nap.os.dc.gov, pay the $75 fee, and obtain a new $2,000 bond for the new term. ONCA emails a reminder before your commission expires, and there's a published timetable showing when your renewal must be processed to avoid a lapse. If your commission has been expired more than 12 months, you're treated as a new applicant and must attend orientation again.
No. If your primary place of business or employment is in the District (with a physical DC address), you can hold a Business commission even if you live in Maryland or Virginia — your supervisor submits a letter of request on company letterhead. DC residents can hold a Residential commission, and you can hold both as a Dual commission.
No. DC does not require a notary exam. New applicants must attend a mandatory ONCA orientation covering DC notary law, rules, and policies — but there's no test to pass.
DC caps notarial fees at $5.00 per act. You may charge less or waive the fee, but not more. You may separately bill the actual, reasonable, itemized cost of travel by written agreement (§ 1-1231.23(b)) — that travel fee is where mobile notaries actually earn. DC- and federal-government notaries may not charge for their services.
DC requires a $2,000 surety bond covering your five-year term. It protects the public against a notary's negligence or misconduct — it's not insurance for you. Notaries commissioned only on behalf of the DC government are exempt; federal-government and dual notaries must have it. Premiums vary, so confirm the current price with a provider.
Yes. DC authorizes in-person electronic notarization (IPEN) and remote online notarization (RON) through an electronic-notary endorsement added to your commission: complete approved training, register your technology, and notify ONCA. Check ONCA for the current process and approved technology providers.
Plan for about 45–60 days after your application is approved. Once appointed, you must complete your bond, supplies, and oath and claim your commission within 60 days of its start date, or it's canceled and you have to reapply.
DC is more paperwork than most states — a letter of request and an orientation — but there's no exam. Complete the steps, take your oath at ONCA, and you're commissioned.
See bond & supply options →Affiliate links — see disclosure below.