Notary Commission Registration

​​​​To become a notary, you must contact the Minnesota Secretary of State.

Register in county of residence

You must register your commission​ with your county of residence. You must be a Dakota County resident unless you are a resident of Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota or Wisconsin and list Dakota County for registering your commission.

Failure to register with your resident county could result in a civil penalty fee (usually larger than the county recording fee) imposed by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, who is responsible for enforcing notary misconduct.

Locations (see business hours)

• Administration Center – Hastings         
• Northern Service Center – West St. Paul
• Western Service Center – Apple Valley

Make an appointment

​Reserve your appointment 

Drop box available

Paper work can be submitted via drop boxes at each location.

Walk-ins available

Service and license centers are open for walk-ins. However, making an appointment is encouraged.

​View walk-in wait times ​

​​​​Fees

$20

Payment options

Cash, check, money orders, and credit or debit cards (Discover, Visa or MasterCard) are accepted​. A 2.49-percent convenience fee is charged for credit and debit cards.​

Register in person

To register in person, go to any of the three locations. Bring the necessary fees, a current driver’s license and the Notary Commission certificate.

Register by mail

You must send:

• Your signed and notarized commission. You have to sign it twice in front of a notary — that notary has to notarize your signatures. Your first signature must match your name on Notary Commission Certificate and the second one will be something you will use to sign all notarial acts.​
  
• A check or money order payable to Dakota County for $20 to record your notary commission.

Send these items to: