Not in North Dakota? Browse bonds by state

North Dakota notary bonds, bond only.
$50 flat. Four years.

North Dakota will not commission a notary until a $7,500 assurance — in practice a surety bond on form SFN 19355 — is on file with the Secretary of State. This is the plain bond, without errors & omissions coverage: $50 flat for the entire four-year commission, and the price you see is the checkout price.

✓
Required before the Secretary of State issues your commission under N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-20(4)
✓
Fixed price, fixed amount — $7,500 assurance, $50, no quote process
✓
Bond only — errors & omissions coverage is optional and is a separate product
A-ratedA.M. Best carriersInstantissued the moment you pay4-yearcommission term
Trusted by industry leaders
New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)
Blumenfeld Development Group (BDG)
Capital Development Partners
McKinney Properties
Terra Capital
JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle)
Triple Five Group
The Georgetown Company
New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)
Blumenfeld Development Group (BDG)
Capital Development Partners
McKinney Properties
Terra Capital
JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle)
Triple Five Group
The Georgetown Company
Price

How much does a North Dakota notary bond cost?

$50 at the $7,500 amount, the same for every applicant.

How it works

Three steps. One sitting.

The notary assurance is about the simplest thing in surety — one fixed amount, one fixed price, one four-year term. Here is the entire process:

NOW · ONLINE

Apply online

Apply in the name of the individual being appointed — not the employer, even when the bank or title company is paying. Name, address, contact details and an effective date, and that is the application.

MINUTES, USUALLY

Pay & e-sign

Notary bonds are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase.

SAME DAY

File with the Secretary of State

Your executed SFN 19355 arrives by email with the surety signature and the attorney-in-fact authority already on it. Sign it in front of another notary, then submit it through FirstStop with your oath of office and the $36 application fee. Wet-ink original mailed on request.

About this bond

What it is and who needs it.

What the notary assurance actually guarantees

North Dakota does not call this a bond in the statute — N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-20(4) calls it an assurance, and it lets you satisfy it with a surety bond or its functional equivalent in the amount of seven thousand five hundred dollars. A surety bond is what essentially everyone files, because it costs a one-time premium instead of tying up $7,500. The Secretary of State approves the assurance, and it has to be written by a surety licensed or authorized to do business in North Dakota.

On the state's own form, SFN 19355, you bind yourself unto the people of the state of North Dakota in that penal sum, and the surety binds itself to the same. The condition is simple: if you perform the duties of a notary public according to the law, the obligation is void; if you do not, it stays in force. When a notary violates North Dakota notary law and someone is harmed, the surety is liable up to $7,500 — and if the surety pays, you repay the surety. That is the line that surprises first-time notaries: the assurance protects the public, not you.

It also gates your authority. The statute says a notary public may perform notarial acts in this state only during the period that a valid assurance is on file with the Secretary of State, and the surety has to give the Secretary thirty days' notice before cancelling — which is the state's way of making sure a lapse is visible before it happens. The bond runs with the commission, so a four-year term is the normal purchase, and we track yours and notify you before it expires.

N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-20(4) · SFN 19355Under N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-20(4), an applicant for a North Dakota notary commission must submit to the Secretary of State an assurance in the form of a surety bond or its functional equivalent in the amount of $7,500, subject to the Secretary's approval, covering acts performed during the term of the commission and written on the form the Secretary prescribes — form SFN 19355. The surety must give the Secretary thirty days' notice before cancelling and must notify the Secretary within thirty days of paying a claimant, and a notary may perform notarial acts only while a valid assurance is on file. The commission itself runs four years under subsection 5 and may be renewed up to sixty days before it expires; the $36 application fee, the oath of office and the bond are submitted together through the FirstStop portal, after which the Secretary issues the certificate of authorization used to buy the stamping device (N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-16). On SFN 19355 both you and a representative of the surety sign in the presence of a notary other than yourself, and disclosure of the Social Security number printed on that form is voluntary under the Federal Privacy Act of 1974 — it is not disclosed to the public and is used only to keep the Secretary's notary files accurate. A notary who legally changes name files a rider to this bond showing both names and the effective date, with a $10 fee, within sixty days (N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-27). Errors & omissions coverage is optional, is not required by law, and is not filed with the Secretary of State.

You need this bond if you're

✓
Applying for a first commission as a North Dakota notary public
✓
Renewing your commission — the renewal package needs a fresh bond, oath and stamping device
✓
An employer commissioning staff — banks, title companies, clinics and law offices buying in bulk
✓
Filing a name-change rider and replacing an assurance that no longer matches your legal name
After you buy

Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.

If a claim is made

A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.

The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the $7,500 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.

Renewal and term

The carrier issues this bond for a single 4-year term; the term cannot be changed at checkout.

Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.

How to file it

File with the Secretary of State. Your executed SFN 19355 arrives by email with the surety signature and the attorney-in-fact authority already on it. Sign it in front of another notary, then submit it through FirstStop with your oath of office and the $36 application fee. Wet-ink original mailed on request.

What sets the price

The premium is fixed at $50 at the $7,500 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.

The application asks for a Social Security number; the form does not say whether a credit check follows.

One application, issued instantly.

These are the actual issuing fields. The application asks for a Social Security number; the form does not say whether a credit check follows.

Start the application →
FAQ

Common questions.

How much is the North Dakota notary bond without E&O?The premium is $50 flat, set by our carrier's rate book for this bond and identical for every applicant. It covers the whole four-year commission, not one year at a time. The $7,500 assurance amount is fixed by N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-20(4), so there is nothing to quote.
Do I pay the $7,500?No. You pay $50. The $7,500 is the surety's maximum liability if a valid claim is made against the assurance — it is not a deposit, and nobody holds your money.
How fast will I have the bond?Notary bonds are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase — most applicants finish the application and have the executed SFN 19355 in the same sitting. Budget a little extra time for the state side: the form has to be signed in front of a notary other than you before it goes to the Secretary of State.
Is there a credit check?The application asks for a Social Security number. Whether a credit check follows is not stated on the form. Most applications like this approve instantly.
Should I buy the version with E&O instead?That depends on who you want protected. This bond protects the public and leaves you owing the surety after a claim. Errors & omissions coverage protects you — it pays for your own honest mistakes, which are the ones notaries actually make. North Dakota does not require it and the Secretary of State does not want it filed, but many working notaries carry both; we sell the $7,500 bond bundled with $10,000 of E&O as a separate product.
Which A-rated carriers underwrite these bonds?Typically Arch Insurance Company (A.M. Best A+) or Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company (A.M. Best A). Which one writes your bond depends on the bond type and your state. The carrier's name and official signature are printed on the bond you receive.
How do I contact Light RFP about this bond?Email insurance@lightrfp.com. It reaches the bond team at Light RFP Risk Management Services LLC (NY DFS License # PC-1978982). Write to us about quotes, applications, bond forms or certificates. We will respond within 24 hours.
Same family

Other North Dakota notary bonds.

Not sure this is the one your license calls for? These are the other notary bonds we write in North Dakota. Each has its own statute and bond amount.

Related bonds

Other North Dakota bonds.

Been told you need a different amount?

Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .

Get commissioned this week.

$50 flat for the full four-year commission, and the bond usually issues in the same sitting. Free until issued.

Your price$50
Apply now →