How much does a notary cost in Missouri?
Most "notary cost" pages are run by an online-notarization platform or a notary supplier — each answering with its own product. This one isn't. Here's what it actually costs in Missouri, all your options compared fairly — including the one where your bank does it for free.
The two prices, separated
1 · The notarial fee
State-capped. This is the official act — verifying you, witnessing the signature, applying the stamp. It's the same amount whether you drive to the notary or they drive to you.
2 · The travel / convenience fee
RSMo 486.685 permits a travel fee only if the notary and the principal agree on it in advance and the notary explains, before travel, that the travel fee is separate from and in addition to the statutory notarial fee and is not required by law. No mileage cap or dollar cap is set by statute. It only applies when a notary comes to you — a bank or walk-in counter doesn't charge it.
Your options, compared honestly
Missouri specifics
Fee schedule: Missouri caps notary fees at $5 per signature for acknowledgments, jurats, and signature witnessings (RSMo 486.685), plus $1 per page (with a $3 minimum total) for certified copies; remote online/electronic notarizations are likewise capped at $5 per signature under RSMo 486.960, and no fee may be charged for notarizing an absentee ballot or absentee voter registration.
Travel fees: RSMo 486.685 permits a travel fee only if the notary and the principal agree on it in advance and the notary explains, before travel, that the travel fee is separate from and in addition to the statutory notarial fee and is not required by law. No mileage cap or dollar cap is set by statute.
Fee schedule must be posted: a notary charging fees must display an English-language schedule of fees in at least 12-point type at the notary's place of business, or provide it to the principal when notarizing outside the office.
Free for ballots: a notary may NOT charge any fee for notarizing the signature on an absentee ballot or absentee voter registration (RSMo 486.685).
Certified copies are priced per page ($1/page) but carry a $3 minimum total charge, so a 1- or 2-page certified copy still costs $3.
Non-discrimination: fees may not vary based on a principal's protected characteristics, though a notary may waive or reduce fees for humanitarian or charitable purposes.
Travel fees are allowed only with advance agreement and an explicit up-front disclosure that the travel charge is separate from, and additional to, the statutory notary fee.
The $5-per-signature cap is a maximum, not a set price; notaries may charge less.
Remote online notarization: RON · Live in-state — Missouri authorized remote online notarization via HB 1655 (2020), codified in RSMo Chapter 486 (electronic/remote notary provisions, secs. 486.900-486.1205), effective August 28, 2020. RON is operational: the Secretary of State registers electronic/remote notaries and maintains an approved-technology-provider process. RON fees are capped at $5 per signature under RSMo 486.960(2) (same as in-person acts). Interstate recognition: a Missouri notarial act performed for a remotely located individual is valid where the notary is physically located in Missouri at the time; Missouri (like most states) gives effect to out-of-state notarizations, including RON acts, performed under another state's authority.
Official source: Missouri Secretary of State (Notary Public program) — statute via Missouri Revisor of Statutes, revisor.mo.gov →Before you pay
- Ask to confirm the notary's commission is current (a mobile notary should be happy to show it).
- Get the total quoted upfront and itemized — the $5 per signature notarial fee separate from any travel/convenience fee.
- Ask for a receipt.
- For online/remote notarization, confirm the party receiving your document accepts it.
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Figures on this page are sourced to Missouri Secretary of State (Notary Public program) — statute via Missouri Revisor of Statutes, revisor.mo.gov (RSMo section 486.685 (in-person notarial-act fees); RSMo section 486.960 (electronic/remote notarial-act fees)), verified 2026-07-14. This is general information, not legal advice — confirm specifics with the official authority.