Can a notary charge more than $2.50 per notarial act in New Jersey?

For the notarial act itself, no — New Jersey caps it at $2.50 per notarial act. A mobile notary may add a separate travel/convenience fee, which is not the notarial fee and must be disclosed and agreed to in advance. Always ask for it itemized.

Will my bank notarize for free in New Jersey?

Often, yes — many banks and credit unions notarize documents free for their account holders during branch hours. Call ahead: not every branch has a notary on duty, and some won't handle every document type.

What ID do I need to get something notarized in New Jersey?

A current, government-issued photo ID is the standard requirement; the exact list of acceptable IDs is set by New Jersey. Check New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (DORES) — Notary Public Unit before your appointment for the authoritative list.

Notary cost · New Jersey

How much does a notary cost in New Jersey?

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 New Jersey, all your options compared fairly — including the one where your bank does it for free.

$2.50

per notarial act — that's the notarial stamp, capped by New Jersey. Getting a notary to you (the trip) is a separate, market-set charge. New Jersey caps notary fees by act type under Treasurer regulation N.J.A.C. 17:50-1.18: $2.50 per general act (administering an oath/affirmation, executing a jurat, taking proof of a deed, or taking an acknowledgment), plus flat transaction caps of $15.00 for all grantor acknowledgments in a single real-estate transfer and $25.00 for all mortgagor acknowledgments in a single real-estate financing (regardless of how many signatures); remote online notarization carries no separate fee cap, so the same $2.50-per-act ceiling applies (platform/technology fees are separate and unregulated).

The two prices, separated

1 · The notarial fee

$2.50 per notarial act

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

Not capped by New Jersey

New Jersey law caps only the statutory notarial fees ($2.50 per act; $15/$25 real-estate transaction flats). Travel and mobile 'service' fees are not capped by statute or regulation, so a notary may charge them on top of the notarial fee. However, the mandatory notary journal must record 'an itemized list of all fees charged for the notarial act' (per the NJ Notary Public Manual / N.J.A.C. 17:50 and N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.18), so total charges are documented per act. It only applies when a notary comes to you — a bank or walk-in counter doesn't charge it.

Your options, compared honestly

Option	What you pay	When it's the right call
Bank / credit union	Often free for account holders	Simple documents, during branch hours, when you can get there. Call first — not every branch has a notary.
Walk-in (UPS-type)	Up to $2.50 per notarial act + the store's own convenience fee	You're already out, no account at a bank, need it now. You travel to them.
Mobile notary	$2.50 per notarial act act fee + a travel fee (a base rate plus mileage, set by the notary)	Hospital, homebound, after-hours, real-estate or multi-signer signings — when the trip is worth paying for. Ask for the travel fee itemized upfront.
Online / RON RON · Live in-state	n/a in-state	You can notarize by video without leaving home. Confirm the receiving party accepts a remote notarization.

New Jersey specifics

Fee schedule: New Jersey caps notary fees by act type under Treasurer regulation N.J.A.C. 17:50-1.18: $2.50 per general act (administering an oath/affirmation, executing a jurat, taking proof of a deed, or taking an acknowledgment), plus flat transaction caps of $15.00 for all grantor acknowledgments in a single real-estate transfer and $25.00 for all mortgagor acknowledgments in a single real-estate financing (regardless of how many signatures); remote online notarization carries no separate fee cap, so the same $2.50-per-act ceiling applies (platform/technology fees are separate and unregulated).

Travel fees: New Jersey law caps only the statutory notarial fees ($2.50 per act; $15/$25 real-estate transaction flats). Travel and mobile 'service' fees are not capped by statute or regulation, so a notary may charge them on top of the notarial fee. However, the mandatory notary journal must record 'an itemized list of all fees charged for the notarial act' (per the NJ Notary Public Manual / N.J.A.C. 17:50 and N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.18), so total charges are documented per act.

Real-estate transactions use flat per-transaction caps, not per-signature: $15.00 total for all grantor acknowledgments in a single real-estate TRANSFER, and $25.00 total for all mortgagor acknowledgments in a single real-estate FINANCING, 'regardless of the number of such services performed' — so a closing with many signatures is still one flat fee.

At $2.50 per general act, New Jersey has one of the lowest statutory notarial-fee caps in the United States.

Fee amounts are no longer fixed in the statute itself — since P.L. 2021, c.179 (eff. Oct 20, 2021), N.J.S.A. 22A:4-14 delegates the amounts to the State Treasurer, who sets them in regulation N.J.A.C. 17:50-1.18.

A notary journal is mandatory (since the 2021 law) and must include 'an itemized list of all fees charged for the notarial act'; the journal must be retained for 10 years after the last recorded act.

Notaries may not accept fees for legal or immigration advice and may not give such advice.

The $25 application/commission fee, up-to-$15 online exam fee, and county-clerk oath fee are commissioning costs paid by the notary — they are NOT charges a signer pays for a notarization.

Remote online notarization: RON · Live in-state — Remote online notarization is permanently authorized and operational in New Jersey under P.L. 2021, c.179 (N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10 et seq.), effective October 20, 2021 (superseding the temporary COVID-era authorization of P.L. 2020, c.26). NJ-commissioned notaries register with DORES and use approved communication-technology/RON platforms, so the capability is live in-state. There is NO separate statutory RON fee cap — the standard per-act fee schedule ($2.50 per act) applies to electronic and remote acts the same as tangible ones; any RON platform/technology fee is separate and unregulated. New Jersey recognizes notarial acts validly performed under the laws of another state.

Official source: New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (DORES) — Notary Public Unit →

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 $2.50 per notarial act 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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Notary costs in every state Compare all 50 states + how notary pricing actually works New Jersey notary guide Curious what notaries here can charge — or thinking of becoming one? How online (remote) notarization works What RON is, where you can use it, and what your document must accept

Figures on this page are sourced to New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (DORES) — Notary Public Unit (N.J.A.C. 17:50-1.18 (Fees for notarial services) — the dollar amounts are set by the State Treasurer by regulation pursuant to N.J.S.A. 22A:4-14, as amended by P.L. 2021, c.179; amounts also restated in the official NJ Notary Public Manual, Chapter 11.), verified 2026-07-14. This is general information, not legal advice — confirm specifics with the official authority.