NOTARY ACADEMY
Alaska Notary Education & Professional Development
Alaska allows qualified applicants to become commissioned without a mandatory traditional notary course or state examination. But receiving a commission is only the beginning of understanding how to perform notarial acts responsibly.
Whether you're applying for your first commission, preparing for a new four-year term, or developing a notary business, Notary Academy provides ongoing education, practical learning, and professional development to help strengthen your skills, judgment, and business practices.
Where Are You in Your Alaska Notary Career?
Preparing to Become a Notary
You're learning Alaska's eligibility requirements, arranging your surety bond, completing the application and notarized oath, and understanding the commissioning process administered by the Lieutenant Governor.
Commissioned, But Still Finding Your Footing
You've received your commission, but now you're navigating signer identification, unfamiliar documents, notarial certificates, official seal requirements, and situations requiring professional judgment.
Ready to Build a Stronger Business
You want to become more visible in your community, build professional relationships, establish reliable client procedures, and make informed decisions about pricing, travel, and additional authorized notarial services.
Wherever you are today, your next step should support what you're actually trying to accomplish.
Understanding Alaska Notary Requirements
Alaska notaries public are commissioned through the Office of the Lieutenant Governor under Alaska Statutes Chapter 44.50.
The state establishes qualifications for regular and limited governmental commissions, applications, surety bonds, oaths, official seals, personal appearance, identification, notarial procedures, and remote notarization.
Unlike states requiring a traditional commissioning course or examination, Alaska places responsibility on commissioned notaries to learn and correctly apply the law governing their official duties.
Becoming an Alaska Notary Public
Applicants for a regular Alaska notary commission must be at least 18 years old, reside in Alaska, and be lawfully present in the United States.
Applicants are also subject to statutory eligibility restrictions, including restrictions involving felony convictions and incarceration for felony convictions during the ten years before the commission takes effect.
Prior notarial misconduct, commission denial, suspension, or revocation may also affect eligibility and must be addressed through the application process.
The Office of the Lieutenant Governor accepts regular notary applications online or by mail.
For a regular commission, applicants must obtain the required $2,500 surety bond before applying.
Applicants may purchase a commercial surety bond or use the state's private-surety process. An applicant cannot serve as their own surety.
The application includes the required personal and contact information, bond documentation, oath of office, and $40 nonrefundable application fee.
The oath must be signed before another authorized notarial officer.
Applying Online
Applicants use the state's Online Notary Database through a myAlaska account.
The applicant submits the application and uploads the required bond documentation.
After submission, the system provides a personalized oath-of-office page. The applicant prints and signs the oath before a notarial officer, then uploads the completed document and pays the application fee through the state's process.
Applying by Mail
Applicants may also use the official paper application.
The mailed application must include the original wet-signature notarized oath, required bond documentation, and payment.
The Lieutenant Governor's office does not accept a scanned, emailed, or photocopied oath in place of the original oath required for a mailed application.
Applicants must provide a physical Alaska residential address. A post office box may be used as a mailing address but does not substitute for the required physical residence information.
Commission Approval
Once the application is approved, the state issues the commission certificate.
The applicant receives an electronic copy and the state mails the physical certificate to the designated public mailing address.
A notary may begin performing authorized notarial acts after the commission is approved and the required official supplies are obtained.
Regular Alaska commissions last four years.
Alaska Notary Education and Examination
Alaska does not currently require an applicant for a regular traditional notary commission to complete a state-mandated notary education course or pass a commissioning examination.
However, every commissioned notary remains responsible for understanding Alaska's notary laws and performing official duties correctly.
The Office of the Lieutenant Governor publishes statutory materials, frequently asked questions, commissioning guidance, and other resources to support notaries in understanding their responsibilities.
Those responsibilities include personal appearance, identification, appropriate notarial certificates, administering oaths when required, safeguarding the official seal, and maintaining impartiality.
Alaska's absence of a traditional commissioning examination should not be confused with an absence of legal requirements.
Voluntary education, deliberate practice, and continued professional development can help notaries strengthen their understanding and prepare for real situations beyond the commissioning application.
Alaska Notary Renewal
A regular Alaska notary commission lasts four years.
Alaska does not maintain a separate abbreviated renewal procedure.
A commissioned notary whose term is ending must apply for a new commission through the same general process required for an initial regular commission.
The applicant must submit an updated application, a new $2,500 surety bond for the new term, a properly completed and notarized oath of office, and the $40 application fee.
The Lieutenant Governor's approval of a subsequent regular commission terminates the previous regular commission.
Notaries should plan their applications carefully to avoid a gap in authority and ensure that their official seals and certificates accurately reflect their current commissions.
A notary may not continue performing acts under an expired commission.
Alaska Regular and Limited Governmental Commissions
Alaska authorizes two different types of notary commissions.
Regular Notary Commission
A regular commission is issued for four years and permits the holder to perform authorized notarial acts for the public, subject to Alaska law.
The applicant must submit the required $2,500 surety bond and pay the $40 application fee.
A regular notary may charge for authorized services when the statutory fee-disclosure requirement is satisfied.
Limited Governmental Notary Commission
A limited governmental commission is available to qualifying federal, state, and municipal employees for official government business.
The application requires the appropriate government-employer approval.
The employer approval replaces the surety-bond requirement associated with a regular commission.
A limited governmental commission is tied to the qualifying government employment and remains active while the notary holds that employment, unless otherwise terminated.
These notaries indicate that their commissions expire "with office" when completing notarial certificates.
A limited governmental notary may perform notarial acts only in connection with official government business and may not charge or receive compensation for those acts.
The $40 application fee is waived for employees of the State of Alaska applying for limited governmental commissions. Other qualifying government employees should follow the current application-fee instructions.
An eligible government employee may hold both a regular commission and a limited governmental commission, but the authority and limitations of each must be respected.
Alaska Surety Bond and Official Seal Requirements
Alaska requires a $2,500 surety bond for a regular notary commission.
The bond must cover the four-year commission period.
A surety bond protects eligible persons who suffer covered losses caused by notarial misconduct. It is not insurance that protects the notary personally.
A notary may obtain a commercial bond or use the state's private-surety procedure. The notary cannot act as their own surety.
Errors and omissions insurance is separate from the required surety bond and is not a mandatory condition of a regular Alaska notary commission.
Official Notary Seal
Alaska requires commissioned notaries to use an official seal.
Under AS 44.50.064, the seal must display the notary's name exactly as shown on the commission certificate and include the words "Notary Public" and "State of Alaska."
A physical seal may be circular, no more than two inches in diameter, or rectangular, no more than one inch wide and two and one-half inches long.
The seal may also be electronic when authorized under the applicable regulations.
A regular notary's commission expiration date must appear as part of the completed notarial certificate, but it is not required to appear inside the official seal.
The official seal belongs exclusively to the notary, even when an employer purchases it.
The notary must maintain secure, exclusive control of the seal and prevent unauthorized use.
A notary must notify the Lieutenant Governor in writing within ten days after discovering that the seal has been lost or stolen, or that the security of the official electronic seal has been compromised.
Alaska Notary Journals and Recordkeeping
Alaska distinguishes traditional in-person notarial acts from notarial acts performed for remotely located individuals.
For ordinary traditional in-person notarizations, Alaska does not impose a general statutory journal requirement.
However, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor strongly recommends that notaries maintain a journal for all in-person acts.
A journal can help document the circumstances of a notarial appointment, the individual's identity, the act performed, and other relevant information.
Remote Notarization Journals Are Mandatory
Under AS 44.50.078, notaries must maintain a journal documenting notarial acts performed for remotely located individuals under AS 44.50.075.
Alaska requires at least one journal maintained in a tangible format for these remote acts.
Notaries may also maintain one or more additional electronic journals, provided those records satisfy the state's permanent, tamper-evident format requirements.
Remote journal entries must be completed at the time of the notarial act and include the required information concerning the date and time, record, type of act, individual, identity-verification method, identification credentials when applicable, and fees charged.
The journal must be retained for ten years after the last notarial act entered in it.
If a required journal is lost or stolen, the notary must promptly notify the Lieutenant Governor after discovering the loss or theft.
Upon resignation, revocation, or suspension, the notary must retain the journal for the required period and inform the Lieutenant Governor where it is located.
Remote notarial acts also require audiovisual recordings, subject to separate ten-year retention obligations.
These requirements should not be confused with voluntary journalkeeping for traditional notarizations.
Electronic and Remote Online Notarization in Alaska
Alaska authorizes qualifying remote online notarization under AS 44.50.075 and regulations in 6 AAC Chapter 88.
The statutory framework took effect January 1, 2021.
Remote Online Notarization (RON)
Remote online notarization allows an authorized Alaska notary to perform a qualifying notarial act for a remotely located individual using compliant audiovisual communication technology.
The notary must be physically located within Alaska when performing the remote notarial act.
The remotely located signer may be elsewhere, subject to the statutory conditions, including additional requirements when the individual is outside the United States.
Before offering remote notarial services, the notary must already hold an active commission and complete the additional process administered by the Lieutenant Governor.
Requesting Remote Notary Authorization
A commissioned notary must submit a written request to the Notary Administrator identifying the technology provider the notary intends to use.
The request must include information about the notary's commission and the electronic signature and seal to be used through the selected technology.
The technology must satisfy Alaska's requirements for audiovisual communication, identity proofing, credential analysis, security, and recording.
The Lieutenant Governor's published guidance states that an additional fee of $100 applies to an initial remote-notary request associated with a new four-year commission, or $25 for each remaining year of an existing commission.
The notary must receive the required state authorization before performing remote online notarizations.
A traditional commission alone does not authorize the notary to begin performing remote acts.
Remote Identity Verification
Alaska law permits legally qualifying identity verification through personal knowledge, a credible witness, or approved verification procedures involving a government-issued identification card, credential analysis, and identity proofing.
When the technology-based method is used, the provider must meet the state's applicable multifactor-authentication and identity-verification standards.
The communication technology must allow the notary and signer to see and hear one another in real time and reasonably confirm that the record before the notary is the same record involved in the remotely performed act.
The notary must be able to determine that the act satisfies the applicable legal requirements before completing the certificate.
Remote Certificates and Recordings
The notarial certificate must state that communication technology was used.
Alaska requires an audiovisual recording of the remote notarial act.
The recording must generally be retained for at least ten years after it is made.
The required remote notary journal must also be retained for ten years after the last recorded act.
Electronic signatures, seals, secure technology, recordkeeping, and the required state authorization are separate responsibilities that must be satisfied before a notary offers remote services.
Electronic Records and Tangible Copies
Alaska law also authorizes a notary to issue a qualifying notarial certificate stating that a tangible copy of an electronic record is an accurate copy of the electronic record.
This authority is established under AS 44.50.060 and must be exercised consistently with the governing law.
It should not be interpreted as unrestricted authority to certify copies of every type of public or private document.
Notaries considering electronic services should distinguish between a notarial act involving an electronic record, remote online notarization, and authorized certification of tangible copies of electronic records.
Alaska Identification and Notarial Certificates
Alaska law requires the notary to properly identify an individual requesting an in-person notarial act.
Under AS 44.50.062, identity may be established through the notary's personal knowledge or through government-issued identification containing both a photograph and signature.
The law also permits an alternative involving government-issued identification bearing the individual's signature but no photograph, together with another valid identification document containing the individual's photograph and signature.
Remote notarization is subject to separate identity-verification requirements under AS 44.50.075.
The notary must also ensure that the individual personally appears as required by law, signs or acknowledges the signature as appropriate, and takes an oath or affirmation whenever required.
An appropriate notarial certificate must identify the act performed and be completed according to applicable law.
Alaska requires the notary to sign the certificate using the name indicated on the commission certificate.
The official signature and seal may be affixed only in connection with a properly performed notarial act.
A notary must not sign or seal an incomplete notarial certificate.
If a document does not contain a notarial certificate, the signer or appropriate document authority must determine which act is needed. A non-attorney notary may not select the certificate as legal advice.
Alaska Notary Fees and Professional Boundaries
Alaska does not establish a statewide maximum dollar fee for ordinary notarial acts performed by regular notaries public.
However, AS 44.50.062(4) prohibits a notary from charging for a notarial act unless a fee schedule has been provided to the signer before the notarial act is performed.
Notaries should communicate their charges clearly and ensure that prospective clients understand the applicable notarial fee before agreeing to the service.
Alaska does not prescribe a separate statewide maximum mileage rate or travel-charge schedule for ordinary mobile notary appointments.
Mobile notaries should establish clear travel-pricing policies and disclose charges before accepting an assignment.
Limited Governmental Notaries
A notary commissioned only for limited governmental service may not charge or receive fees or other consideration for notarial acts performed under that commission.
Unauthorized Practice of Law and Conflicts of Interest
Under AS 44.50.061, a non-attorney notary may complete an appropriate notarial certificate but may not select the certificate for a client or assist in drafting, selecting, completing, or understanding a legal document or transaction in a manner prohibited by law.
Alaska also prohibits a notary from performing an act when the notary is a signer or is named in the document.
A notary may not receive a prohibited direct financial benefit from the transaction beyond the normal fee charged for the notarial act.
A notary must remain impartial, avoid giving unauthorized legal advice, and recognize when a request cannot lawfully be performed.
Official Alaska Notary Resources
The Office of the Lieutenant Governor administers Alaska's notary commissioning process, application requirements, surety-bond documentation, limited governmental commissions, official seals, and remote-notarization authorization.
Alaska Statutes Chapter 44.50 and 6 AAC Chapter 88 establish important legal requirements for traditional and remote notarial practice.
Applicants and commissioned notaries should consult the current official materials when preparing for commissioning, renewal, recordkeeping, remote notarization, and professional services.
(Click the links below)Â
Alaska Lieutenant Governor: Notaries Public
Commissioning and applicationsÂ
Alaska Notary Overview and Qualifications
Qualifications and commission typesÂ
Alaska Regular and Limited Governmental Commissions
Alaska Notary Forms and Publications
Applications, bonds and changesÂ
Alaska Notary Supplies, Seals and Journals
Seal and recordkeeping guidanceÂ
Alaska Notary Frequently Asked Questions
Alaska Notary Statutes
Alaska Remote Online Notarization Guidance
Alaska Notarial Resources
Statutes and additional resourcesÂ
Alaska Administrative Code, 6 AAC Chapter 88
Your Commission Is Only the Beginning
Alaska does not require a traditional commissioning course or examination. But receiving a commission doesn't mean you'll automatically know how to handle every document or situation.
What happens when someone presents identification that doesn't follow the usual pattern? When a document is missing its notarial certificate? When a client asks you to notarize remotely, but you haven't completed the state's additional authorization requirements?
And if you're building a mobile notary business, how do you explain your services, establish professional relationships, and become known by the people in your community who may need a notary?
These situations require more than a commission certificate. They require current knowledge, reliable procedures, practical skills, and sound professional judgment.
Continued professional development helps you strengthen those capabilities while building the business practices and local presence that support your goals.
Your commission authorizes the work. What you learn and implement afterward shapes how you perform it.
Professional Development That Continues Beyond the Classroom
Notary Academy is a national notary education and professional development institution founded by Kimberly Sennett in 2020.
Our educational approach connects notarial knowledge, professional judgment, practical application, and business development.
Education Grounded in the Profession
Learn from experienced notary professionals who understand the responsibilities of the commission and the realities of serving clients.
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Learning That Connects to Practice
Develop your understanding through education, real-world examples, practical resources, and opportunities to apply what you've learned.
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A Path for Continued Business Growth
Whether you're strengthening foundations, establishing business, becoming visible, or refining skills, there is a structured pathway to help identify what deserves your attention next.
"Because being commissioned is only the beginning."
What Happens After You Learn the Information?Â
Knowing the rules is one part of professional development. Knowing how to apply what you've learned, make decisions, communicate with clients, and operate your business takes continued practice.
The Notary Academy Inner Circle brings education, practical resources, live learning, and professional guidance together in one ongoing membership.
It's an environment where you can continue building your skills and business without having to piece together every next step on your own.
Build the Skills and Business That Fit Your Goals
Alaska notaries serve in different professional environments. Some perform notarizations as part of their employment or government responsibilities, while others want to develop independent mobile notary businesses, strengthen relationships with local professionals, or expand into authorized remote notarial services.
Alaska's commissioning, bonding, recordkeeping, fee-disclosure, and remote-notarization requirements influence the way notaries must operate.
Your business goals should reflect your legal authority, your preparation, the people you want to serve, and the services you're equipped to provide.
Building a sustainable practice also involves reliable client communication, organized business procedures, professional relationships, and consistent visibility within the communities you serve.
Inside the Inner Circle, The Implementation Path helps members identify their current stage and focus on the work that matters most.
Strengthen Your Foundations
Develop your understanding of notarial responsibilities, procedures, compliance, and professional judgment.
Become Known in Your Community
Learn how to develop your professional presence, build local relationships, communicate your value, and become easier to find & hire.
Build With IntentionÂ
Develop business systems, evaluate your progress, practice unfamiliar situations, and make informed decisions about the future.Â
How do I become a Notary Public in Alaska?
Does Alaska require a notary course or examination?
Does Alaska require a notary surety bond?
How do I renew an Alaska notary commission?
Does Alaska require a notary journal?
Can Alaska notaries perform remote online notarizations?
Can limited governmental notaries in Alaska serve private clients?
What fees may Alaska notaries charge?
Does Inner Circle membership replace Alaska's commissioning requirements?
Ready to Build More With Your Alaska Notary Commission?
Alaska allows qualified applicants to obtain a regular commission without mandatory classroom education or a statewide examination. Developing the knowledge, judgment, professional relationships, and business practices to serve the public responsibly takes continued learning and intentional action.
If you're ready to strengthen your notarial skills, practice unfamiliar situations, become more visible in your community, and build a business that fits your goals, explore the ongoing professional development available through Notary Academy.
"Because being commissioned is only the beginning."
