New Law & Educational Requirements for Notaries Public Takes Effect July

The New Jersey Department of the Treasury has announced that beginning July 1, notaries public in New Jersey will be required to complete new educational and testing requirements during the notary commissioning process.

As part of the new requirements, applicants for initial notary commissions who are not attorneys must complete a six-hour course and pass an examination approved by the State Treasurer.

Additionally, commissioned notaries who have already completed the six-hour course and exam, or who were commissioned for the first time before Oct. 22, 2022, must complete a three-hour continuing education course to renew their commission.

The changes are part of a comprehensive new State law enacted last year to help modernize the notary commissioning process and notarization practices.

Many provisions of the new law were born out of the COVID-19 pandemic and are designed to make the notarization process easier for both the public and notaries by allowing for things such as electronic and remote notarization and the electronic filing of commission applications.

The notary program is administered by the Treasury’s Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (DORES), which is in the process of finalizing the course and the examination.

Once finalized, the procedures will be available on DORES’ website. Notaries are encouraged to check back periodically for updates.

“New Jersey’s updated notary public program is modernizing the commissioning process and the way notaries across our state serve the public,” said James Fruscione, Director of DORES. “We have updated our systems and processes to allow for electronic and remote notarizations, to better accommodate the way residents prefer to do business these days, and the new education and testing requirements will ensure that current and future notaries receive valuable training to help them carry out their notary duties.”

The New Notary Public Provisions: Taking effect July 2022

Pursuant to P.L. 2021, c. 179, New Jersey implemented an updated notary public program. The new law institutes a number of important changes that collectively help to modernize the notary commissioning process and general notarial practices in this State, including provisions that:

• Allow for remote and electronic notarizations;
• Mandate electronic filing of commission applications;
• Institute-specific identification standards;
• Set forth specific requirements for notary journals;
• Establish requirements for notary certificates and stamps;
• Specify expanded effectiveness of notarial acts performed outside of this State; and
• Require education for and testing of non-attorney notaries public (these provisions will become effective in July of 2022).

Please direct any questions regarding the new law, rules, and manual to NJ Treasury’s email gateway.

File a new Notary Registration application, renewal, address change, and electronic notarization here.

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