Kentucky requires every notary public to file a $1,000 surety bond with the Secretary of State — this is the plain bond, without E&O coverage. Ours is $275 flat, our minimum premium. The application is five minutes, with no credit check on this bond.
















Notary bonds are the simplest thing in surety. Here's the entire process:
The bond in the name of the individual notary, your county of residence and the county of appointment, and an effective date. No financials, no credit check section.
Notary bonds are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase. At most, 1–2 business days.
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with your notary commission. Kentucky notaries record the bond with their county clerk when taking the oath of office; wet-ink original mailed on request.
$1,000 bond × 3% = $30, far below our $275 minimum — so the price is $275 for the commission term.
Since January 1, 2020, every Kentucky notary public must obtain and maintain a $1,000 surety bond to receive a commission. The bond is a public-protection guarantee — it stands behind your faithful performance of notarial acts and gives anyone harmed by a notarial error or misconduct a way to recover.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the public the bond protects. This is the plain notary bond, without E&O (errors and omissions) coverage — so it protects the public, not you. If a claim is paid, you repay the surety. If you want coverage that protects you from out-of-pocket loss on an honest mistake, that's separate E&O insurance, which this bond does not include.
The bond filed within 30 days of your commission and recorded with your county clerk runs with your commission term. We track it and notify you ahead of expiration so your commission never lapses over a missed renewal.
These are the actual issuing fields — no credit check section. Request the bond in the name of the individual applying to be a notary.
Start the application →If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.
$275 flat for the term, five-minute application, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.