NOTARY STATE APPLICATIONS

Any resident citizen or alien of the state, 18 years of age or older, may be appointed a notary public in and for the parish in which they reside provided that they meet the requirements established by Louisiana Laws.

Notary applicants must be qualified by the Secretary of State’s Office and, unless licensed to practice law in Louisiana, must complete the Notary Exam Pre-Assessment as well as take and pass the state notary exam. The pre-assessment is online and must be completed before an applicant can register for the state notary exam. The pre-assessment is mandatory, but only needs to be taken once. The state notary exam is given at least twice a year.

To become an applicant, you are required to complete an Application to Qualify which is located on the website of the Secretary of State’s office.

ABOUT THE NOTARY EXAMINATION

The examination is administered in one five-hour sitting. Applicants will read scenarios that are typical of notarial practice in Louisiana. Each scenario is accompanied by a library of documents referenced in the scenario. Applicants respond to multiple-choice items drawn from the content of the scenarios and based on information in the official study guide for the Louisiana Notary Public Examination—Fundamentals of Louisiana Notarial Law and Practice—published by the Secretary of State. The examination measures an applicant’s critical and practical understanding of Louisiana notarial law and practice, including specific notarial acts and related instruments. In brief, it measures the applicant’s ability to comprehend and apply the information in the study guide.

Applicants are permitted to bring the 2023 edition of Fundamentals of Louisiana Notarial Law and Practice into the testing room and reference it during the examination. Note the substantive information in earlier editions are no longer applicable to informed and accurate practice. Using any reference materials other than the 2023 edition of the study guide is considered an act of cheating and constitutes grounds for dismissal from the test.

To pass the examination, the applicant must correctly answer at least 75% of the items. Post-test statistical analysis of exam items, however, may provide a basis for adjusting the passing score.

REGISTRATION AND EXAM FEES

The Secretary of State’s Office must receive the Notary Examination Registration and the $100 examination fee 30 days prior to the date of the examination. Registration for the Notary Exam Pre-Assessment will be closed 37 days prior to the date of the examination.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO CANCEL OR RESCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO TAKE THE EXAM?

Yes, but you lose your fees and your test date. You must wait until the test is given again.

WHAT SCORE IS NEEDED TO PASS THE EXAM?

To pass the examination, the applicant must correctly answer at least 75% of the items. Post-test statistical analysis of exam items, however, may provide a basis for adjusting the passing score.