A notary public is someone who acts as a witness to the identity of a person who needs to get an official document signed. Notary publics must be commissioned or licensed in their county of residence, but they have statewide jurisdiction so they can notarize within any county in their state.
If you wish to become an Alaska Notary Public, you must submit the following to the State of Alaska:
1. An Alaska Notary Bond (issued by a surety bond company)
2. A completed Alaska Notary Commission Application
3. A $40 application fee
More detailed steps are listed below.
**Update-Applying for Alaska Notary Commission Online: If you have internet access, an active myAlaska account, the ability to receive email messages and scan documents, you can become an Alaska notary online. To become an Alaska notary online, use the state’s online notary database. **
How to Become an Alaska Notary Public
Step #1: Meet Requirements
To be eligible to become an Alaska Notary Public, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Legally reside in the U.S.
- Not have been convicted of a felony within the last 10 years
- Not have had an Alaska Notary Public Commission revoked
- Be an Alaska residence by maintaing a home in Alaska
Step #2: Purchase a $1,000 Alaska Notary Bond
You can get an Alaska Notary Bond from an insurance agent. The good news is that Notary Bonds are very inexpensive. The actual price you’ll pay for your bond is a small percentage of the bond amount.
You can purchase a Notary Bond from a licensed surety bond provider.
What is an Alaska Notary Bond?
An Alaska Notary Bond is kind of like insurance. It serves to protect those affected by the wrongdoing of you, the notary public. If you fail to perform your lawful duties as an Alaska Notary Public, then your customers are protected by your bond. (Sample Notary Bond Form).
An Alaska Notary Bond does not protect the notary by any means. Each notary is liable for each act they carry out.
Step #3: Complete the Alaska Notary Commission Application
The Alaska Notary Commission Application can be found on the State of Alaska government website. Some of the required information for the Alaska Notary Public Application is personal contact information, current addresses, basic business information, and an oath.
Step #4: Mail
Mail the completed application, required documents, the $40 application fee (payable to the “State of Alaska”), and the original Alaska Notary Bond to the following address:
Office of Lt. Governor
Notary Office
240 Main Street, Room 301
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Step #5: Wait for the Decision
Your Alaska Notary Public Application may take up to a month to be processed. If it has been longer than a month, you can contact the notary office at 907-465-3509 to troubleshoot the problem.
If you need help with your application, you can call the notary office at 907-465-3509 or email notary@alaska.gov with any questions.
Alaska Notary Public Commission Renewal
There is no special process for renewing an Alaska Notary Public Commission. Your commission lasts for 4 years. Upon (or before) expiration, you must apply for a new commission. If you have a current commission that is about to expire and wish for your next commission to expire on the same month and day as your current commission you will need to submit your application about one month before your current commission expires.
If you submit an application and your current commission will not expire for a month or longer afterwards, your application will be held until 30 days prior to the expiration of your current commission before it is issued.
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