No Journal Requirement in New York
New York Executive Law §130–135 governs notary publics. Nothing in the statute requires a notary to maintain a journal or log of notarial acts for traditional in-person notarizations. New York has historically had one of the most permissive notary regimes in the country, with no exam requirement and minimal ongoing obligations.
Despite this, professional New York signing agents who work in the loan signing sector universally maintain journals. Signing services operating in New York — particularly those placing agents with large title companies doing Manhattan closings and outer-borough real estate transactions — expect journal-keeping as a professional standard even without a legal mandate.
The 2023 New York Notary Law Changes
New York modernized its notary law significantly with legislation that took effect in 2023. The key changes relevant to signing agents:
- New York now explicitly authorizes Remote Online Notarization (RON) for the first time in the state's history
- RON in New York requires use of an approved platform and identity verification through knowledge-based authentication (KBA) or credential analysis
- Electronic notarizations under the new law require a journal — the first time any journal requirement has appeared in New York notary law
- The electronic journal must be retained for 10 years
- An audio-visual recording of each RON session must also be retained for 10 years
This means that while traditional paper notarizations in New York still require no journal, New York notaries performing RON are now subject to a statutory journal requirement for the first time.
New York Notary Commission Quick Facts
| Element | New York Requirement |
|---|---|
| Governing authority | NY Secretary of State |
| Commission term | 4 years |
| Exam required | Written exam (open book) |
| Bond required | No bond required |
| Journal required (paper) | No |
| Journal required (RON) | Yes — 10-year retention |
| Fee cap per act | $2 per signature (traditional) |
New York's $2 per-signature fee cap for traditional notarizations is one of the lowest in the country. This cap applies to the notarial act itself — it does not limit travel fees or signing agent appointment fees, which are separate commercial arrangements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — New York requires passing a written examination as part of the notary application process. The exam is administered by the New York Secretary of State's Division of Licensing Services. It covers basic notary law and procedures and is open-book, meaning you may use the notary study guide during the test. The exam is not highly difficult, but applicants who don't study the guide's content on acknowledgments, jurats, and prohibited acts do fail it.
Yes. A New York notary commission is valid statewide — you can perform notarial acts anywhere within New York State regardless of which county you live or work in. However, New York notaries cannot perform notarial acts outside New York unless the other state has laws recognizing out-of-state notarial acts for that document type, which varies.
New York law does not specify an exhaustive list of acceptable IDs the way California does. The general standard is that the notary must be reasonably certain of the signer's identity through personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence. In practice, most New York signing agents accept the same government-issued photo ID that other states accept: driver's licenses, passports, military IDs, and permanent resident cards. If you have any doubt, err on the side of requiring documentary ID rather than relying on personal knowledge.