Georgia mobile notary guide
How to Become a Notary in Georgia and Work as a Mobile Notary
How to become a notary in Georgia: the short answer
Georgia notaries are appointed for four years by the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where they live. You must be 18, read and write English, and finish the free GSCCCA training course. The county appointment fee is $40 to $55, no bond is required, and you may charge at most $2 per notarial act.
Georgia mobile notary rules at a glance
| Rule | Georgia |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgment fee cap | $2 for each notarial act[1] |
| Jurat fee cap | $2. Georgia sets one fee for every notarial act, and a jurat is a notarial act[1] |
| Travel fee | No Georgia statute summary or GSCCCA page we read mentions a travel fee. The $2 cap covers the notarial act only. If you charge for travel, agree it with the signer before you go and keep it separate from the notarial fee. |
| Commission term | 4 years[2] |
| Bond | None required[2] |
| Training | Required: free GSCCCA course before the first appointment and within 30 days before each renewal[2] |
| Exam | No state exam. The training course issues a certificate of completion[2] |
| Journal required | Yes, for every act performed at the request of a self-filer (since January 1, 2025) |
| Remote online notarization | Not authorized[1] |
How to become a mobile notary in Georgia
First, check you qualify. Georgia requires that you are:
- Be at least 18 years old[3]
- Be a US citizen or a legal resident of the United States[3]
- Live in the county where you apply, or live in a state bordering Georgia and work or do business in the Georgia county where you apply[3]
- Have an operating telephone number and give it on the application[3]
- Be able to read and write English[3]
- Complete the GSCCCA notary training course (required since January 1, 2025)[2]
- Get endorsers if your county asks for them: people who live in your county, have known you over 30 days and are not related to you[2]
Then follow these steps.
- Take the free training courseRegister at elearn.gsccca.org and complete the Notary Public Training course. Print the certificate of completion, because you hand it in with your application. Renewing notaries must retake it within 30 days before reappointment.[4]
Free - Fill in the applicationUse the GSCCCA web application if your county takes part, or the county's own form. Print the packet and have endorsers sign if your county requires them.[2]
- File with the Clerk of Superior CourtTake the signed application and training certificate to the Clerk of Superior Court in your county. Pay the appointment fee and take the oath of office there.[2]
$40 to $55, set by county - Buy a sealBuy an embosser or rubber stamp showing your name, the words Notary Public, your county and the state. Georgia does not issue commission numbers, so none goes on the seal.[2]
- Set up a journalSince January 1, 2025, you must keep a written or electronic journal entry for each act done for a self-filer. Mobile notaries should set this up before the first appointment.[1]
The authorized fee is $2.00 for each notarial act.
What it costs to get commissioned in Georgia
These are the amounts the state sets. Bond, training and supply prices vary by vendor, so we list the legal requirement rather than a price.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Appointment or reappointment fee (paid to the county clerk) | $40 to $55, varies by county[2] |
| Required notary training course | Free[4] |
| Surety bond | Not required[3] |
| Apostille (GSCCCA) | $3 per document[5] |
| Certification of notary public (GSCCCA) | $2 per document[5] |
How much can a mobile notary charge in Georgia?
The notarial fee in Georgia is capped at $2 per act, plus $2 for a clerk's certificate of your commission if the signer asks for one. Travel fees are not set by Georgia law, so the travel charge is whatever you and the signer agree before the appointment.
| Notarial act | Maximum fee |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgment | $2 for each notarial act[1] |
| Jurat | $2. Georgia sets one fee for every notarial act, and a jurat is a notarial act[1] |
| Oath or affirmation | $2 to administer an oath or affirmation[1] |
| Copy certification | $2. Georgia notaries may certify a copy only if the document is an original, is not a public record, and was photocopied under the notary's supervision[1] |
| Clerk of Superior Court certificate of the notary's commission (on request) | $2 extra |
Travel fees in Georgia
Georgia law, as summarized by GSCCCA, sets a $2 cap per notarial act and says nothing about travel fees. Treat any travel charge as a separate service fee, agree it with the signer before you travel, and never fold it into the $2 notarial fee. You must also tell the signer before the act if you will charge and the legal amount.
Price a signing in Georgia with the fee calculator, which uses these caps.
No bond is required of Georgia notaries.
Journal, ID and seal rules for mobile work
Journal
Each entry must include the self-filer's name, address and phone number; the date, time and location; the type of photo ID (unless you know the person); the ID details including its number; the self-filer's signature; and the type of document. The GSCCCA page does not state a retention period.[1]
Need one? Our free printable notary journal has a column for every field most states ask for.
Identifying the signer
You may not notarize without confirming the identity of the signer, oath taker or affirmant by personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence. Journal entries for self-filers record the type of government issued photo ID.[2]
Seal or stamp
Your seal must show your name, the words Notary Public, your county of appointment and the state. An embosser or a rubber stamp is fine, and every notarial act must carry the seal.
it is the unauthorized practice of law for someone other than a duly-licensed Georgia attorney to close a real estate transaction
Working as a loan signing agent in Georgia
Georgia is an attorney closing state. The Supreme Court of Georgia held that only a licensed Georgia attorney may close a real estate transaction or facilitate the execution of a deed, so a notary cannot run a closing alone. Signing agents work under a closing attorney, and the State Bar allows that attorney to take part by video as long as the lawyer controls the closing from start to finish. No separate state license for signing agents appears on the GSCCCA notary pages.[6][7][3]
Remote online notarization in Georgia
No Georgia statute or GSCCCA page we read authorizes remote online notarization, so Georgia notaries should notarize in person only. A RON bill (HB 289) was filed, but legislative trackers show it was not enacted as of mid 2026; we could not confirm its final status on legis.ga.gov.[1]
Apostilles and authentications
Clients often ask a mobile notary about apostilles. A notary does not issue them. In Georgia, the office that does is the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA), Notary Division, and the fee is $3 per document.[5] GSCCCA is the only Georgia agency that issues apostilles. Send original documents by mail with a prepaid return envelope or airbill, or walk in at 1875 Century Blvd., Ste. 100, Atlanta, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, no appointment needed. Processing is normally one to two business days.
Mistakes that get Georgia notaries in trouble
- Charging more than $2 for a notarial act. The authorized fee is $2.00 for each notarial act, and travel must be a separate agreed charge.
- Not telling the signer about the fee in advance. Georgia requires you to say before the act whether you will charge and the amount the law allows.
- Skipping the journal entry for a self-filer. Since January 1, 2025, each such act needs an entry with ID details, signature and document type.
- Running a real estate closing without a Georgia attorney. Under UPL Advisory Opinion 2003-2, only a licensed Georgia attorney may close the transaction.
- Certifying a copy of a public record. Georgia notaries may certify copies only of original documents that are not public records, photocopied under their supervision.
Watch: Georgia notary basics
How to Become a Notary in Georgia | NNA, from National Notary Association. Short walkthrough of the Georgia application steps; check numbers against the GSCCCA pages cited here
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to get a notary license in Georgia?
The main cost is the appointment fee paid to the Clerk of Superior Court, which is $40 to $55 depending on your county. The required GSCCCA training course is free, and Georgia does not require a bond. You also need a seal or stamp, which you buy from an office supply store or a notary trade association; the state does not set that price.
What are the pros and cons of becoming a notary?
In Georgia the upside is low entry cost: free training, a $40 to $55 county fee, no bond, no state exam and a four-year term that works anywhere in the state. The limits are real too. The notarial fee is capped at $2 per act, you must keep a journal for self-filers, and real estate closings must be run by a Georgia attorney.
Can notary be a side hustle?
It can, but the notarial fee alone is small because Georgia caps it at $2 per act. Mobile notaries add a travel charge, which Georgia law does not set, so agree it with the signer before you go. Loan signing work is possible only under a Georgia closing attorney, who must stay in control of the closing even when attending by video.
How much do Notaries make in Georgia?
There is no official earnings data for Georgia notaries. What the law sets is the fee: $2 for each notarial act, plus $2 for a clerk's certificate of your commission when the signer asks for it. Any travel charge is agreed between you and the signer, so income depends on how many appointments you take and the travel fees you agree.
What type of notary makes the most money?
No official source ranks notary types by income. In Georgia every notary works under the same $2 per act cap, so differences come from services outside the notarial fee, such as agreed travel charges or signing work done for closing attorneys. Georgia does not allow remote online notarization today, so in person mobile work is the main way to add value.
What is the most common mistake made by a notary?
There is no official count of notary mistakes in Georgia, but the rules point to the risky ones: notarizing without confirming identity by personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence, not telling the signer about the fee in advance, missing a journal entry for a self-filer, using a seal without your county and state, and certifying copies of public records.
Sources
Every number on this page comes from one of these official pages. We read them on October 1, 2026.
- GSCCCA, Georgia Notary Law (summary of O.C.G.A. 45-17). gsccca.org
- Fill in the application. gsccca.org
- GSCCCA, General Notary Information. gsccca.org
- Take the free training course. gsccca.org
- General Apostille Information. gsccca.org
- In re UPL Advisory Opinion 2003-2, 277 Ga. 472 (2003). gabar.org
- State Bar of Georgia, Formal Advisory Opinion 23-1. gabar.org
- Notary Public Education Rules. gsccca.org
Junaid runs Ertiqah LLC and edits this site. He is not a notary or a lawyer. His job here is narrow: read the statute and the Secretary of State page for each rule, quote it, and link it, so you can check every number yourself. How we check facts.
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