Montana requires both education (4+ hours) and an exam (80% to pass) for all applicants — new and renewing. The bond is $25,000, one of the highest in the country. The application is online through the SOS Notary Portal.
Under Montana Code Annotated Title 1, Chapter 5, Part 6, the requirements are:
Montana's costs are moderate. The $25 application fee is low, the exam is free, and the $25,000 bond is the largest expense (though premiums stay reasonable).
| Item | Required? | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Secretary of State application fee | Required | $25 |
| $25,000 surety bond (4-year term) | Required | $50–$70 |
| Approved notary education (4+ hours) | Required | $20–$75 |
| Montana Notary Examination | Required (free) | $0 |
| Notary stamp/seal | Required | $15–$35 |
| Notary journal (record book) | Required | $15–$30 |
| E&O insurance (recommended) | Optional | $25–$50/yr |
| Total to get commissioned | $125–$235 |
Montana requires education AND an exam for all applicants — new and renewing — since July 1, 2020. The exam is 50 questions, 60 minutes, 80% to pass, with 3 attempts allowed before a mandatory 3-month wait. Your application must be submitted within 30 days of your surety bond's effective date.
Montana's process is education-first, then exam, then bond, then online application.
Take a notary education course from a Montana SOS-approved provider (list at sosmt.gov/notary). Education is mandatory for all applicants. Save your training certificate.
Take the online state exam — 50 questions, 60 minutes, 80% to pass. You get 3 attempts; after 3 failures you wait 3 months. Take it within 6 months of submitting your application. Save your exam certificate.
Buy your 4-year, $25,000 bond from a Montana-authorized surety. Cost is typically $50-$70. Use the exact name you'll use as a notary. The standardized MT bond form includes a Statement of Qualifications and Oath of Office.
Sign the bond as principal AND sign the Oath of Office before a current notary, who notarizes it.
Create an account on the SOS Online Notary Portal. Upload your training certificate, exam certificate, and the signed/notarized surety bond form. The name on your application must exactly match the bond. Pay the $25 fee. Apply within 30 days of the bond's effective date.
Once approved, you'll receive your commission. Order your stamp and journal (both required), and you're ready to notarize.
Montana notaries can perform these acts statewide under MCA Title 1, Chapter 5, Part 6:
Montana uses a mileage-based fee structure, useful for mobile notaries:
Billings, Missoula, Bozeman, and Great Falls are the main markets. Montana's large geographic spread means mobile notaries cover wide areas — and the mileage-based fee structure rewards that. Bozeman in particular has been one of the fastest-growing areas in the country, with strong real estate notary demand.
Montana authorized RON, covered under the standard bond. To perform RON in Montana:
Your Montana commission is valid for 4 years. Renew no more than 30 days before or 30 days after expiration.
Renewal requires the exam again (Montana requires it for renewals too). For continuing education, renewing notaries can take 4 hours in the 12 months before applying OR 2 hours in each of the 3 years preceding renewal. You'll also need a new $25,000 bond and the $25 fee.
Montana's $25,000 bond is tied with Indiana for the second-highest in the country (only Alabama and Louisiana's $50,000 bonds exceed it). It reflects Montana's statutory choice for public protection. Despite the high face amount, premiums stay reasonable at $50-$70 because notary bonds are low-risk for sureties.
Yes. Montana requires both education and the exam for renewing notaries, not just new applicants — this has been the rule since July 1, 2020. For renewals, the continuing education requirement is 4 hours in the 12 months before applying, or 2 hours in each of the 3 years preceding renewal.
It's 50 questions, 60 minutes, 80% to pass. You get 3 attempts; if you fail all 3, you wait 3 months before trying again. With the required 4 hours of education behind you, most applicants pass. Take it within 6 months of submitting your application.
Montana doesn't strictly require residency. You qualify if you're a MT resident, a spouse/dependent of active-duty military stationed in MT, maintain a registered MT business, are employed at a MT office by a licensed employer, or hold a current MT professional license. This is broader than most states' residency rules.
Yes. Your commission is statewide — useful in a state as geographically large as Montana.
Yes. Montana allows mileage-based travel fees in addition to per-act notarial fees. Given Montana's size and rural geography, travel fees are a meaningful part of mobile notary income. Disclose them to clients in advance.
Montana's large geography and mileage-based fees reward mobile notary work. Bozeman's rapid growth and the Billings/Missoula markets create strong demand. We're recruiting founding-cohort Montana notaries now — 10 spots, $10 platform fee for life.
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