New York Notary Fees (2026): The $2 Limit and the $25 Electronic Fee

A traditional New York notary may charge at most $2 for administering an oath or affirmation and $2 per person for taking an acknowledgment or proof (Executive Law Section 136). A registered electronic notary may charge $25 for each electronic notarial act, and that $25 includes all of the notary's costs. Some acts must be performed for free, and overcharging can cost a notary three times the overcharge and their commission. Those limits are among the lowest in the country, which surprises people coming from states that allow $10 or $15. You can look up any act with our notary fee calculator.

For in-person (traditional) notarizations, Section 136 sets these maximums: 1. Administering an oath or affirmation, and certifying it when required: $2. 2. Taking and certifying an acknowledgment or proof of execution: $2 for the first person, plus $2 for each additional person. 3. Swearing a witness to an acknowledgment or proof: $2 per witness. The key is to count people, not documents or pages. Three signers acknowledging one deed is three acknowledgments, so the maximum is $6. One person signing one affidavit is $2. Worked example: a married couple acknowledges a deed, and a subscribing witness is sworn for a separate proof on another document. The maximum is $2 + $2 for the couple and $2 to swear the witness, for $6 total. You may always charge less, or nothing. The figures are ceilings.

A notary who registers as an electronic notary may perform notarizations over live audio-video communication technology. The Department of State's regulations (19 NYCRR Section 182.11) set the fee at $25 for each electronic notarial act, inclusive of all costs the notary incurs. In other words, the platform fee, identity proofing and recording come out of the $25, not on top of it. Each act in a session counts separately. If a remote signer needs three documents notarized in one session, that is three electronic notarial acts. Don't confuse this with the $60 fee to register as an electronic notary. That is paid once to the Department of State, not charged to customers. The electronic notary must be physically in New York during the act, though the signer can be elsewhere, and must keep the recording of each session for at least 10 years.

A protest is a notary's formal written statement that a bill of exchange, check or promissory note was presented for payment or acceptance and refused. The fee for protesting a note, or the non-acceptance or non-payment of a bill, check or draft, is capped at: 1. 75 cents for the protest itself. 2. 10 cents for each notice, up to five notices on any bill or note. That includes the required notices and certificates. A notary who has a seal must also affix it to a protest free of charge when asked. Protests are rare in modern practice, but the cents-not-dollars detail is a favorite exam question.

Some notarial work carries no fee at all: 1. A notary may not charge for administering an oath of office to a member of the legislature, a military officer, an election inspector, a poll clerk, or any other public officer or public employee. 2. Each county clerk must designate at least one staff notary who notarizes for the public free of charge during normal business hours. That is worth knowing if a customer only needs one quick notarization. Volunteering at a bank, library or employer for free is also fine. The law sets maximums, not minimums.

Charging more than the law allows is not a small matter for a public officer. A notary who overcharges risks: 1. Criminal prosecution. 2. A civil suit by the person overcharged, for treble damages (three times the overcharge) under Public Officers Law Section 67. 3. Suspension or removal from office by the Secretary of State. Charging $5 for a single acknowledgment is an overcharge, because the maximum is $2. New York's fee statute says nothing about travel. If you run a mobile notary business, keep any separately agreed travel or service charge clearly separate from the notarial fee and agreed in advance, and remember that for electronic notarizations the $25 already includes all of your costs. When in doubt, ask the Division of Licensing Services before you set your prices.

The exam loves to mix up what a notary charges customers with what the state charges notaries. The administrative fees, paid to the Department of State or a county clerk: 1. Notary exam: $15. 2. Application or renewal: $60, non-refundable. 3. Change of name or address: $10 (waived for a name change due to marital status). 4. Duplicate ID card: $10. 5. Electronic notary registration: $60. 6. Certificate of official character from the Secretary of State: $1. 7. Filing a certificate of official character with a county clerk: $10. 8. County clerk certificate of official character with seal attached: $5. 9. County clerk authentication of a notary's signature: $3. None of these are notarial fees. To see how well you can keep the two lists apart, try the free New York notary practice exam.