(512) 806-0045Get My Bond
Most carriers sell you a bare bond, then charge extra the moment you ask what happens if you make a mistake. Your $20 covers the 4-year, $1,000 Kentucky notary bond plus $5,000 of Errors & Omissions coverage included at no extra cost, with step-by-step guidance through the state application, your county clerk filing, and renewal reminders so you never lapse.
Kentucky has no course and no exam, but it does have a county clerk step that trips people up. Here's the whole path, in order.
Print the Kentucky notary application and sign it by hand (electronic and stylus signatures are not accepted), then submit it to the Secretary of State with the $10 fee, online or by mail. One trap to avoid: the county of commission on your application must match your residential or business address, or the state rejects it. Approval usually comes by email within 10 business days.
Once approved, buy your $20 bond. American Surety Company underwrites your $1,000, 4-year Kentucky bond, and your package includes $5,000 of Errors & Omissions (E&O) coverage at no additional cost. Your bond documents are emailed right away, and you'll bring them to the county clerk in step 3.
Within 30 days of receiving the Secretary of State's approval notice, visit the county clerk in your county of commission to take the oath of office, post your bond, and file your commission. Clerk fees are typically $19. Then order your seal if you want one (a seal is optional in Kentucky) and start notarizing statewide.
Kentucky skips the classroom and sends you to the county clerk's office instead. It's easy when you know the rules, and most people don't until something gets rejected. Here's what actually matters.
You apply in the county where you live or work, and the state rejects applications where the county of commission doesn't match either address. Commission is "State at Large". Once filed, you can notarize in all 120 Kentucky counties.
When you receive the Secretary of State's approval notice, you have 30 days to appear at your county clerk's office, take the oath, post your bond, and file your commission. Have your bond in hand before you go. That's why step 2 is us.
The $10 application fee goes to the Secretary of State, and typically $19 goes to your county clerk: $10 to record the bond, $4 to take and prepare it, and $5 for the oath. Those clerk fees are set by KRS 64.012, though some counties add a surcharge for card payments. What you pay us is $20, once, for the bond with E&O included.
Official state resources: KY SOS Online Application · Paper Application (PDF)
After. Kentucky's order is: apply to the state ($10), get your approval email (usually within 10 business days), then buy your bond and take it to the county clerk within 30 days of receiving that approval notice. We'll be ready the moment your approval lands.
Your bond documents (emailed to you right after purchase), your approval, and a valid ID. You'll take the oath of office, post the bond, and pay the clerk's filing fees, typically $19.
Your appointment can lapse and you may have to reapply, including the fees. Put the clerk visit on your calendar the day your approval notice arrives, and buy your bond the same day so nothing is waiting on paperwork.
Really. Kentucky requires no education course and no exam, just the application, the bond, and the county filing. It's one of the fastest states in the country to become a notary.
The application takes minutes, state approval usually lands within 10 business days, your bond purchase takes about 10 minutes, and the clerk visit is same-day. Most people are commissioned notaries in under three weeks.
Most sellers show only the bond price. We show the true cost of a commission: what you pay us, and every dollar the state and county charge.
Then you're one step from the clerk's office. Your bond purchase takes about 10 minutes, documents are emailed immediately, and we walk you through the county filing, plus renewal reminders before your 4-year mark.
Get My Bond NowA seal is optional in Kentucky. If you use one, it must show your full name, county, commission number, and expiration date, so seals are made after you're commissioned. The journal is optional in Kentucky, but every good notary keeps one.
Most notaries we serve haven't reviewed their other coverage in years. Check any box below and a licensed Kentucky agent will reach out with a no-obligation quote review. Your call.
By submitting, you authorize a licensed Kentucky agent from our partner agency Stockton-Hill Insurance LLC to contact you. No purchase required, no obligation.
Those are bare bonds, with no E&O. The bond only protects the public; if you make a notarization mistake, the surety pays the claim and then collects it back from you. Our $20 includes $5,000 of Errors & Omissions coverage that protects you. Add E&O to a bare bond elsewhere and you'll spend more than $20 every time.
All in, typically $49, plus an optional seal: $10 application to the state, $20 to us for the bond with E&O included, and typically $19 at your county clerk for the oath, bond posting, and filing. We publish the whole number because most sellers only show the bond price.
Kentucky charges a state-required surcharge on bond premiums, but at our base premium it rounds off to zero, so the base package is exactly $20 at checkout, not a penny more. If you raise your E&O limit, the surcharge is already included in the totals in the next question.
Yes. Every bond includes $5,000 of E&O, and you can raise that limit during checkout. Each total below already includes the Kentucky surcharge and replaces the $20 base price rather than adding to it: $10,000 of E&O is $51, $15,000 is $71, and $30,000 is $97. All four options cover the same 4-year, $1,000 bond for the same four years. Which limit fits depends on the documents you notarize and the risk you carry, so the choice is yours. We publish the prices, we don't pick the number for you.
Yes. If your bond came from somewhere else, you can add Errors & Omissions coverage on its own: $5,000 of E&O is $31, $10,000 is $51, $25,000 is $76, and $50,000 is $112. E&O doesn't get filed with the county clerk or the Secretary of State, so there's nothing else to do after you buy. Get E&O only →
Kentucky doesn't work that way. You post your bond in person at your county clerk's office when you take the oath. What we do: email your bond documents the moment you purchase, and walk you through exactly what to bring and where to go.
Four years, matching your commission. One bond, one price, no annual renewals. We'll send you a renewal notice 90 days before your commission expires so you never lapse.
You must be at least 18, a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident, able to read and write English, and live or work in the Kentucky county where you apply. Applicants can be denied for acts of fraud or dishonesty.
A seal is optional in Kentucky. If you use a stamp: your full name and title, your county of commission, your commission number, and your expiration date. Circular (about 2 inches) or rectangular (about 1 by 2.5 inches), black or blue ink. Rubber stamps are most practical; embossers are optional. It's made after your commission is filed.
Click the chat in the bottom right corner anytime. Our AI assistant, Cardinal, handles application questions, the county rule, the 30-day window, and timelines 24/7. For complex situations, a real person follows up the next business day.
Bonding several employees? See notary bonds for employers and teams.
Kentucky notary bond. $20, including $5,000 E&O. No course, no exam, and we guide the county filing. The bond takes about 10 minutes.
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