How Do You Become An Online Notary In Minnesota?

Starting from January 1, 2019, Minnesota has allowed Notaries to register for remote online notarizations (RONs). To become a remote Notary in the state of Minnesota, follow these steps:

1. Maintain your current commission as a traditional Notary Public.
2. Sign up or contract with a RON technology provider.
3. Complete the Remote Online Notarization Authorization form.
4. Submit your application to the Minnesota Secretary of State via mail.
5. Receive an email from the Secretary of State authorizing you to perform remote online notarizations.

From here, you can upload a screenshot of this email as your RON Approval Document and begin performing Online Notarization!

How to Become a Traditional Notary in Minnesota (Get your Notary Commission)

To become a Notary Public in Minnesota, follow these essential steps:

1. Ensure Eligibility: Verify that you meet all the qualifications specified in Minnesota state law (see below for details).
2. Complete Application: Fill out the Notary Commission Application.
3. Submission: Mail the completed application along with a check or money order for the $120 application fee to the Secretary of State.
4. Register Commission: Once you receive your commission certificate by mail, it’s crucial to register it with your county of residence and pay the $20 recording fee. Failure to do so may result in civil penalty fees.
5. Obtain Notary Supplies: Acquire the necessary Notary stamp and other essential supplies.
6. Consider E&O Insurance: While optional, obtaining errors and omissions (E&O) insurance is strongly recommended. This can provide valuable financial protection.
7. Ongoing Education: Optional but highly recommended; consider pursuing continuing education or seek guidance from experienced Notary experts to enhance your skills and knowledge in the field.

Once you have your bond, seal, journal, and commission, you are ready to start performing notarial acts as a commissioned notary in Minnesota.

What are the requirements to become a Notary in Minnesota?

To be eligible for a Notary position in Minnesota, applicants must satisfy the following criteria:

1. Minimum Age: Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
2. Residency: You gotta reside pretty much in Minnesota or some hitherto obscure county in Iowa or North Dakota or South Dakota or Wisconsin, naturally. You must specify Minnesota County upon receiving the Notary commission in which you will file.

For further details, consult the Minnesota Notary Public Commission Guide or the Minnesota SoS Website.

Are Online Notaries Legal in Minnesota?

Indeed, Senate File 893 was enacted and became effective on January 1, 2019. This move positioned Minnesota as the seventh state in the nation to embrace remote online notarizations. Under this new legislation, remote Notaries are empowered to execute notarial acts for individuals located anywhere, provided that the notary is physically present within the state at the moment of notarization.

Why Should You Think about Becoming An Online Notary In Minnesota?

Becoming an Online Notary in Minnesota is a simple way to offer convenient services and secure services to clients from wherever you are. Online Notaries offer faster booking and easier document completion turnaround times! Save clients and yourself time by working from home. What are you waiting for?

Minnesota Online Notary FAQ’s

Are Training or Exams Mandatory for Becoming a Remote Notary in Minnesota?

Senate File 893 became effective on January 1, 2019, after being enacted rather quickly last year. Minnesota became the seventh state nationwide to embrace online notarizations remotely. Remote Notaries are now empowered under new legislation to execute notarial acts for individuals situated virtually anywhere, provided they are physically present within state borders at the time of notarization.

What Technology and Supplies Are Necessary for Conducting Remote Online Notarizations?

Minnesota remote Notaries must possess a computer webcam and microphone alongside a pretty secure internet connection, apparently nowadays. MN Secretary of State doesn’t explicitly back certain RON providers but lists options like BlueNotary as end-to-end remote notarization solutions anyway.

Obtain an electronic seal and electronic journal and acquire a digital certificate containing your electronic signature quite readily online nowadays. Crucially ensuring components align with the chosen RON provider’s system requirements proves vital for overall functionality and subsequent operational success. All services are provided gratis by BlueNotary.

Is a Surety Bond Required for Remote Notaries?

Notaries in Minnesota who notarize remotely don’t need surety bonds for online notarizations, apparently, under state rules.

Is Errors and Omissions (E&O) Insurance Mandatory in Minnesota?

E&O insurance policy isn’t obligatory but highly recommended anyway, mostly for safeguarding financial security in litigious situations very effectively. Mistakes can occur, and having an E&O policy provides considerable financial protection in pretty tricky situations, apparently. Policies like these drastically curtail financial liability stemming from egregious errors or glaring omissions on documents that have been notarized improperly.

What to Expect as a Notary?

The amount of work an online notary receives varies pretty widely across different areas and jurisdictions, somehow or another, every day. Tax season is usually the busiest time when swamped officials frantically need signatures on documents like tax returns and other paperwork notarized quickly. Businesses and individuals needing authentication services fuel steady demand all year round, pretty much everywhere, obviously. Many businesses require frequent notarizations nowadays for various official purposes. Over 1.25 billion notarizations are performed each year worldwide.

Working as an online notary requires remembering you’re responsible for adhering strictly to regulations set forth by state authorities. Proper notarization and witnessing of documents must be ensured meticulously. Documents should consistently contain necessary information thoroughly. Successful online notaries often shell out considerable time on self-promotion and curating lucrative sales channels, especially when operating virtually nowadays.

How Much Can You Expect To Make as a Notary in Minnesota?

As you gain more experience and have notarized more documents, you will be able to earn even more by taking on loan signings (where the industry standard is $150 per session) and other creative packages and invoicing clients outside of BlueNotary. You will be able to earn a very decent income – all from the comfort of your home office.

BlueNotary lets you bill your clients at your own rates. This makes your earnings very flexible, depending on your ability to build a network.

How do I Start Notarizing Online in Minnesota?

BlueNotary Free Training Group serves as pretty much a great starting point for many people, obviously. You’ll find heaps of advice from seasoned Minnesota notaries who have navigated that whole process and can field your queries.

Becoming an online notary can be a lucrative side hustle and make a profoundly positive impact on community lives simultaneously every day. You decide which platform serves clients best as an online notary operating freely nowadays in various digital capacities.

BlueNotary is the best option for super simple onboarding and for independent notary looking to grow their own business. We even have training videos and a signing simulator to get you comfortable with the process.