Notary bond glossary
Written and reviewed by C. Constantin Poindexter, MA, JD, CPCU, AFSB, ASLI, ARe, AINS, AIS, CPLP
Surety and fidelity underwriter, attorney and author of The Contractor's Guide to Surety Bonds. Updated September 2026.
Surety and fidelity underwriter, attorney and author of The Contractor's Guide to Surety Bonds. Updated September 2026.
- Acknowledgment
- A notarial act in which the signer declares to the notary that the signature on the instrument is the signer's own and was made voluntarily. The notary certifies the declaration; the notary does not certify the truth of the document.
- Bond amount (penalty)
- The maximum sum the surety will pay under the bond, set by statute. Notary bond penalties range from $500 to $50,000.
- Commission
- The authority granted by the state to act as a notary public for a fixed term. The bond must run for the commission term.
- Commissioning authority
- The office that grants the commission: usually the Secretary of State, but in some states the Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Department of Licensing, Department of Financial Institutions, probate judge or county clerk.
- eNotary / electronic notary
- A notary authorized to perform notarial acts on electronic records with an electronic signature and seal, with the signer physically present. Distinct from remote online notarization.
- Errors and omissions insurance (E&O)
- Liability insurance that pays claims against the notary for honest errors in official notarial acts, with defense costs, and with nothing to repay. Protects the notary, unlike the bond.
- Faithful performance bond
- A surety bond conditioned on the principal's honest and lawful discharge of the duties of an office. The notary bond is a faithful performance bond.
- Indemnity
- The notary's obligation, given when the bond is purchased, to reimburse the surety for any claim the surety pays and its costs.
- Journal
- A chronological record of notarial acts. Required by statute in some states and for remote acts in most; advisable everywhere.
- Jurat
- A notarial act in which the signer swears or affirms to the notary that the contents of the document are true, and signs in the notary's presence. The certificate states that the document was subscribed and sworn to.
- Obligee
- The party protected by a surety bond. On a notary bond, the state and, through the state, every member of the public injured by the notary's acts.
- Power of attorney (surety)
- The document by which a surety company authorizes its attorney-in-fact to execute bonds on its behalf. Attached to the bond where the obligee requires it.
- Premium
- The price of the bond, paid once for the full commission term. A small fraction of the penalty.
- Principal
- The party whose performance is guaranteed by the bond. On a notary bond, the notary.
- Remote online notarization (RON)
- A notarial act performed by audio-video communication with a signer who is not physically present, using identity proofing and credential analysis. Some states require a separate or larger bond for it.
- Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA)
- The uniform statute adopted by many states since 2010 governing notarial acts; several RULONA states require an "assurance" in the form of a surety bond.
- Satisfactory evidence of identity
- The statutory standard for identifying a signer: personal knowledge, a specified government identification document, or the oath of a credible witness, as the state's statute provides.
- Surety
- The company that issues the bond and guarantees the principal's performance to the obligee.
- Term
- The period the bond is in force, matching the commission: four years in most states, five in D.C., six in Idaho and Michigan, eight in Indiana, ten in Arkansas.
Standard notary bonds issue the same business day. Apply online in about four minutes, or download the paper application.
Apply for your notary bond Paper application (PDF)