Kentucky Notary Renewal

When you can renew

You can apply no earlier than 60 days before your commission expires. Kentucky has no grace period. Between your expiration date and your renewal, you have no authority to notarize.

Renewal steps

Renewing works the same way as a new commission:

1. Print and sign a new application by hand and submit it to the Secretary of State with the $10 fee, online or by mail.
2. Get a new 4-year, $1,000 bond. Your old bond does not carry over to the new term. Through Bluegrass Notary Bond it is $20 with $5,000 of E&O included.
3. Watch for the approval notice from the Secretary of State by email.
4. Take a new oath at your county clerk within 30 days of receiving the approval notice, file the new bond, and pay the clerk fees (typically $19). The county clerk filing guide walks through the visit.

What a renewal costs

Some counties add a surcharge when you pay by card.

What stays the same and what changes

• Your commission number stays the same through renewals.
• Your bond is new. Each commission needs a bond that covers the whole four-year term.
• Your oath is new. You take it again at the county clerk.
• Your seal, if you use one. A seal shows your commission expiration date, so a seal from your last term shows the old date. Seals are optional in Kentucky.
• Your journal. If you are registered as an online notary, keep your journal for 10 years.

If your commission already expired

Stop notarizing. An expired commission is treated as a new appointment, so you apply the same way a first-time notary does: new application and $10 fee, new bond, and a new oath at the county clerk. See how to get a Kentucky notary bond for the full order of steps.