The State processing time, once submitted, is 4-6 weeks. Once your application has been approved, you will receive your notary public certificate from the State, and stamp(s) and supplies from us. Once you have your certificate in hand, you may use your new notary stamp and the process is complete.
Starting August 1, 2024, Illinois residents applying to be Notary Public or Electronic Notary Public must use our online application. Those who qualify for a hardship exemption can choose to use a paper application. For questions about this policy, please call 217-782-7017 or email enotary@ilsos.
Processing time to receive a notary commission is 4-6 weeks. This does not include shipping times. Processing time is considered the time from when documents are received in our office until they are completed and submitted to be returned by mail.
To become a non-resident notary public, you must be a resident of a qualifying bordering state, which includes Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana, and Wisconsin. You must also have worked or maintained a business in Illinois for 30 days before this application.
92.4(b) provides that these services may be performed for any person regardless of nationality so long as the document in connection with which the notarial/authentication service is required is for use within the jurisdiction of the United States.
Do I have to be a United States Citizen to become a notary? The United States Supreme Court, in the case of Bernal v Fainter, decided in 1984, that a notary applicant does not have to be a United States citizen. The resident alien notary applicant must be in the country legally, however.
To become a Notary Public, you must: be a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted for permanent residence. be a resident of Illinois for at least 30 days or be a qualifying Non-Resident. be at least 18 years of age.
Illinoisans who need a notary public can now access those services online through a new “E-Notary” portal launched by the secretary of state's office. This process is one of the latest initiatives of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias' ongoing effort to modernize the office and its services.
One of the most common mistakes that notaries make is not printing or signing their name exactly as it appears on their notary commission.