Louisiana Notary

A Civil Law Tradition

Become A Louisiana Notary

Become A Louisiana Notary

Becoming a Civil Law Notary is no easy task. If you want to become a notary in Louisiana, you have two options:

1. Go to law school and pass the Louisiana Bar exam, or
2. Sign up for and pass the Louisiana Notary exam.

Neither option is easy. If you are not an attorney, you must follow these steps:

HOW TO BECOME A LOUISIANA NOTARY

  1. Meet the qualification requirements
  2. Become an applicant
  3. Complete Exam Pre-Assessment
  4. Register for and Pass exam
  5. Secure bond
  6. Take oath

Qualifications

In order to be an applicant to take the Notary Exam, you must:

  • be registered to vote in the parish in which you seek commission;
  • be a resident citizen or alien of the State of Louisiana;
  • not have been convicted of a felony and not been pardoned;
  • be able to read, write, speak and be sufficiently knowledgeable of the English language;
  • be 18 years of age or older; and
  • hold a high school diploma, a diploma for completion of a home study program approved by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education or a high school equivalency diploma issued after successfully completing the test of General Educational Development.

Become an Applicant

You will need to sign up with the Louisiana Secretary of State.

Register and Pre-Exam Assessment

When Application to Qualify is approved, you will receive an email containing your applicant ID and an access code to enable you to register online to take the mandatory Notary Exam Pre-Assessment. (If you have taken the pre-assessment, you proceed to register for the state notary exam.) When registration for the pre-assessment is complete, the LSU Center for Assessment and Evaluation will email you login instructions to complete the pre-assessment. Once this office receives your score from LSU OAE, you will be able to register for the state notary exam. This test is an evaluation and does not require a passing score for you to register for the state notary exam.

How to Register to Take the Exam

Once you have received a score on the Notary Exam Pre-Assessment, you can register online to take the state notary exam. The deadline to get your Application to Qualify, Notary Exam Pre-Assessment and Examination Registration completed is 30 days prior to the exam. Please take note that the Application to Qualify must be approved by the Secretary of State’s Office and the Notary Exam Pre-Assessment registration and scoring process take approximately one week. It is, therefore, beneficial to the applicant to submit these well in advance of the deadline. Deadline to complete the Pre-Assessment is 37 days prior to the exam.

Pass the Notary Exam

Passing the Louisiana Notary Exam is no easy task, nor should it be. You must not only master all of the material in the official study guide published by the Secretary of State, but you must have strong test taking time management skills and advanced reading comprehension skills. While you do not need a college degree to become a notary, you likely will not pass the Louisiana notary exam unless you can read and retain information at a college level.

If you intend on passing the exam, expect to spend over 150 hours studying. Using the help of a trained teacher is critical. A good teacher will not only help you focus your efforts but will also give you good test taking tips.

We hope our listing of registered test providers provides you will provide you with helpful information as you work to pass your notary exam.

Notary Exam Test Preparation Provider

 

Rules applicable to Notaries in Louisiana