Washington notary public bonds.
$50 flat.
Washington requires every notary public to file a fixed $10,000 bond with the Department of Licensing — required by RCW 42.45.200 and set at $10,000 by Department of Licensing rule, WAC 308-30-030 — for the four-year commission term. Ours is $50 flat, set by our carrier's rate book for this bond. Optional E&O insurance is a separate product, not required by the state.
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How much does a Washington notary public bond cost?
$50 at the $10,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
Notary bonds are about the simplest thing in surety. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Your details and an effective date. That is the application. No credit check.
Pay & e-sign
Notary bonds are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase.
File with your commission application
Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file with the Department of Licensing for your new or renewing notary commission. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the notary bond actually guarantees
Washington appoints notaries through the Department of Licensing, and RCW 42.45.200 conditions a commission on a surety bond in an amount the director establishes by rule — $10,000 under WAC 308-30-030 — filed for the four-year commission term. The bond is a public-protection guarantee: it protects people who are harmed by a notary's improper act.
It is a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the State of Washington (the obligee), with the public as the protected parties. If a notary fails to follow notary law — notarizing without the signer present, or for someone committing fraud — a harmed person can recover against the bond.
The bond is not the same as errors-and-omissions insurance. The state requires the bond; E&O is optional coverage that protects you from liability for honest mistakes. This product is the required $10,000 bond — if the surety pays a claim against it, you repay the surety.
You need this bond if you're
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 $10,000 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 your commission application. Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file with the Department of Licensing for your new or renewing notary commission. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $50 at the $10,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
No credit check.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields. No credit check.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Washington notary bonds.
Not sure this is the one your license calls for? These are the other notary bonds we write in Washington. Each has its own statute and bond amount.
Other Washington bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Finish your notary application today.
$50 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.