Maine Notary BondNot required — but Chapter 39 rewrote almost everything around it
If you searched for a Maine notary bond, the short version is: there isn't one to buy. 4 M.R.S. chapter 39 — the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA), effective July 1, 2023 — has no bond section anywhere in it. But if your commission predates 2023, or you're renewing for the first time since the switch, that's the least important thing that changed. The exam, the journal rules, and even who can solemnize a marriage all shifted.
Renewing on autopilot? Under the old process, renewal was mostly paperwork. Under the Secretary of State's implementing rule (29-250 C.M.R. ch. 700, §3(4)), renewal applicants now sit the same online exam as first-timers. Skip that step and your renewal stalls.
- Who requires it: Maine Secretary of State (4 M.R.S. chapter 39, RULONA, effective July 1, 2023).
- Amount: No notary surety bond is required. Maine dropped the bond and added a first-time and renewal exam.
- Timing: Same-day submission; most quotes within one business day.
What Chapter 39 Changed From the Old Law
Maine repealed the old notary statute (4 M.R.S.A. chapter 19) outright and replaced it with chapter 39. This isn't a bond-amount tweak like you'll see on other state pages — it's a full rewrite. Here's what a Maine notary commissioned before mid-2023 needs to know changed.
Pre-RULONA Practice vs. Chapter 39 (Effective July 1, 2023)
4 M.R.S.A. ch. 19 (repealed) compared to 4 M.R.S. ch. 39, §§1901–1933
| Requirement | Before RULONA | Under Chapter 39 (current) |
|---|---|---|
| Surety bond | Not documented in any surviving source as a requirement | No bond section exists — confirmed absent from every section, §1901–§1933 |
| Applicant exam | Not required for renewal; treated as a paperwork refresh | Required for first-time applicants (§1923) AND renewal applicants (SOS rule, 29-250 C.M.R. ch. 700, §3(4)) — same online course of study |
| Journal | No statutory journal mandate | Mandatory for every electronic and remote notarization (§1920); optional but recommended for paper acts |
| Remote / electronic notarization | Not authorized by statute | Authorized with SOS approval, an approved technology provider, and a separate notice filing (§§1915, 1921) |
| Marriage solemnization | Notaries could solemnize marriages | Repealed for notaries — moved to a separate "marriage officiant" license |
| Conflict-of-interest rules | Handled case-by-case, not centrally codified | Codified in one section — no acts for spouses, parents, siblings, children, in-laws, or where the notary has a direct beneficial interest (§1904(3)) |
| Foreign notarial acts | No uniform recognition standard | Apostilles and consular authentication conclusively establish a foreign notary's authority (§1914) |
Bond row reflects the absence of any bond provision in the current 33-section chapter (§1901–§1933) and the documented working-group recommendation against adding one — not a claim that ch. 19 affirmatively required a bond.
Sources: Maine Legislature, Title 4 Chapter 39 (mainelegislature.org); LD 1503 legislative record; SOS testimony, Feb. 10, 2022 (legislature.maine.gov/doc/8131)
Getting Commissioned (or Renewed) Under Chapter 39
Since there's no bond step, the process is shorter than most states' — but the exam requirement means it's not shorter than it used to be. Use the notary bond calculator to compare Maine against a bond state if you split time across state lines.
Confirm you qualify (§1922)
At least 18 years old, English literate, and either a Maine resident or have a business/place of employment with a Maine location. No disqualifying criminal convictions, fraud findings, or prior commission revocations.
Complete the SOS course of study and pass the exam
Required for first-time applicants under 4 M.R.S. §1923 and, since RULONA, for renewal applicants too under the SOS's implementing rule (29-250 C.M.R. ch. 700, §3(4)). The course covers notarial laws, rules, procedures, and ethics; the exam is administered online.
Submit the Application for a Notary Public Commission
Deliver in person to the Secretary of State along with the $50 fee. New applicants: online submission is not available — this is a walk-in or mail process, unlike the online Total Notary Solution portal used for renewals.
Take your oath before a Dedimus Justice
You cannot self-administer this. State law requires the oath within 30 days of your commission being approved.
Order your stamp (optional for paper acts)
A stamp is not mandatory for tangible notarizations under §1918, but is required for electronic or remote acts. If you get one, it must show your name, jurisdiction, and commission expiration date.
Register separately for remote/electronic authority if you want it (§1921)
File the "Notice to Perform Electronic and/or Remote Notarizations," get SOS approval, select an approved technology provider, and submit a sample of your electronic signature and stamp.
Processing typically runs 15–20 business days after a complete application is received. Renewals are managed through the online Total Notary Solution portal rather than the in-person process new applicants use.
Official Maine Requirements
"An applicant for a notary public commission who at the time of application does not hold a commission in this State must pass an examination administered by the Secretary of State or an entity approved by the Secretary of State. The examination must be based on the course of study described in subsection 2."Maine Secretary of State — Title 4 M.R.S. §1923(1) • 4 M.R.S. §1923
§1923 is the statute — but the requirement that renewal applicants also sit the exam comes from the Secretary of State's implementing rule, not from §1923's text directly: "An applicant for renewal must pass an examination administered by the Secretary of State to demonstrate an understanding of the laws, rules, procedures and ethics relevant to performing notarial acts." 29-250 C.M.R. ch. 700, §3(4), adopted under §1923's rulemaking authority.
No Bond to Shop For — But E&O Is Worth Pricing
See what Maine notaries doing loan signings and closings typically carry instead.
Get Your E&O QuoteNotarial Certificate, Stamp & Journal Rules
These sections govern what your finished notarization has to look like — and they differ sharply depending on whether the act is on paper or electronic.
Certificate (§§1916–1917)
A certificate of notarial act is required on every act. Maine accepts the statutory short-form certificates in §1917 for acknowledgments, oaths, affirmations, signature witnessing, and copy certifications — you don't need to draft custom language for standard acts.
Official Stamp (§1918)
Optional for paper notarizations, required for electronic/remote ones. Must show your name, jurisdiction, and commission expiration date, and — critically — must be capable of being copied together with the record it's attached to.
Journal (§1920)
Mandatory only for electronic and remote acts — optional (but recommended) for in-person paper notarizations. Where required, retain entries for 10 years and report a lost or stolen journal to the Secretary of State immediately.
Should a Maine Notary Carry E&O Insurance?
No Maine statute requires it, and nothing in RULONA created one. But the reasoning that makes E&O worth buying in bond states applies just as much here — arguably more, since Maine notaries have no bond at all standing between them and a claim. If a signer alleges you notarized something incorrectly, defending yourself comes entirely out of pocket without E&O. Read the full breakdown in our notary bond vs. E&O insurance guide.
Notary E&O Coverage Tiers — Typical Term Pricing
Paid once for the commission term, not billed annually
$10,000
$20–$34
Entry tier — thin protection for general public notarizations only
Most signing services won't roster you at this level
$25,000
$51–$98
The de facto minimum most title companies and signing services require
Best cost-per-dollar of protection
$50,000
$100–$160
Priced on request from most carriers
Common ask from larger mortgage signing rosters
$100,000
$204–$240
For notaries handling high-value real estate closings
Rarely required outside commercial transactions
Rate anchors match the carrier table cited on /learn/notary-eo-insurance-cost/ (checked 2026-08-04); Maine has no bond premium to add to these figures since no bond is required.
Curious what the same coverage costs in a state that also requires a bond? Compare against the full notary E&O cost breakdown, or check whether your work crosses into a bond state via the 51-state notary requirements finder.
Two Sections Worth Knowing: Conflicts of Interest and Foreign Acts
Conflict of Interest — §1904(3)
Chapter 39 centralizes what used to be handled ad hoc. A notarial officer may not perform a notarial act for a spouse, domestic partner, parent, sibling, child, or their in-law/step/half relations, or on a record in which the officer (or one of those relatives) is a party or has a "direct beneficial interest" — defined as a fee beyond the customary charge, or any advantage, right, title, or property received in connection with the record.
Acts performed in violation are voidable under §1904(6) — a real practical risk if you notarize for family without realizing the rule now applies squarely to you.
Foreign Notarial Acts — §1914
If you receive a document notarized abroad, §1914 tells you how to trust it: an apostille from a Hague Convention country, or consular authentication by a U.S. State Department-designated officer, conclusively establishes that the foreign notary's signature and authority are genuine — no further verification needed.
Absent one of those, the officer's title and authority can still be established by reference to a foreign law digest or customary reference source, and the stamped signature counts as prima facie evidence.
Maine Notary Bond & RULONA — Frequently Asked Questions
Did Maine used to require a notary bond before RULONA?
The old law, 4 M.R.S.A. chapter 19, is fully repealed and replaced by chapter 39 — but nothing in the public legislative record for LD 1503 (the RULONA bill) shows a bond requirement in that repealed chapter either. What is documented is that the working group that drafted Maine's RULONA bill explicitly considered a bond mandate and unanimously recommended against adding one (Secretary of State report to the Legislature's Judiciary Committee, Feb. 10, 2022 — "The working group unanimously agreed that surety bonds should not be required for notaries public."). So the honest answer is: bonds were on the table during the redesign and were deliberately rejected, not quietly dropped from a law that already required one.
Is there really no notary bond section anywhere in Chapter 39?
Correct — we checked every section. Chapter 39 runs from §1901 (short title) through §1933 (effective date), covering authority, identification, certificates, stamps, journals, commissioning, examination, discipline, and the federal ESIGN Act relationship. No section imposes, references, or exempts a surety bond. If a page or vendor tells you Maine notaries need a bond, that claim doesn't trace to any current statute.
What is the single biggest change RULONA made for someone renewing their commission?
The examination requirement. Before RULONA, renewal in Maine was largely a paperwork refresh. Now both audiences take an online exam based on the Secretary of State's official course of study — first-time applicants under 4 M.R.S. §1923, and renewal applicants under the Secretary of State's implementing rule (29-250 C.M.R. ch. 700, §3(4)) — covering the laws, rules, procedures and ethics of notarial acts. A notary who commissioned in 2019 and is renewing in 2026 is facing a real, graded test for the first time.
Do I need a bond if I want to notarize remotely (RON) in Maine?
No — the bond-free rule applies to every commission type, including remote and electronic notaries. What you do need is a separate filing: the "Notice to Perform Electronic and/or Remote Notarizations" under 4 M.R.S. §1921, Secretary of State approval, an approved technology provider, and — unlike paper notarizations, where a journal is optional — a mandatory journal for every remote or electronic act under §1920.
Why would I pay for E&O insurance if Maine doesn't make me?
Because the bond question and the liability question are different questions. A bond (where one exists) protects the public and lets the surety come after you personally for anything it pays out — it was never your protection. E&O insurance protects you: it pays your defense costs and covers judgments if a signer claims you made a notarial error. Maine's repeal of the bond requirement changed nothing about your personal exposure to a negligence claim — if anything, it removed the one financial backstop (however indirect) that used to sit between you and a lawsuit.
Does losing my notary bond requirement mean title companies will accept me without E&O?
Usually not. Title companies and signing services set their own roster requirements independent of state law — most ask for at least $25,000 in E&O coverage before assigning loan-signing work, regardless of whether your state ever had a bond. If you do closings or loan signings in Maine, expect the same E&O ask you'd get in a bond state.
Need the bigger picture across all 50 states? Start at the notary bonds hub or the 51-state requirements finder. Renewing soon? See notary bond renewal for the general renewal playbook, or remote online notary requirements if you're registering for RON specifically.
Official Maine Notary Sources
Further reading: BuySuretyBonds.com • all state notary bonds • notary bond vs. E&O insurance • notary E&O cost guide • notary bond cost by state • surety bond learning center
Maine SOS — Notaries Public FAQ
Official application process, fees, exam
Title 4, Chapter 39 — Full Text
Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, §1901–§1933
4 M.R.S. §1904 — Authority to Perform Notarial Act
Conflict-of-interest and authority provisions
4 M.R.S. §1914 — Foreign Notarial Act
Recognition of out-of-country notarizations
Apply for Remote/Electronic Notary
RON/e-notary registration process
U.S. Treasury Surety Bonds
Certified surety companies list (for other bond types)
Estimate Your Maine Notary Bond Premium
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Other Maine Bonds
Additional surety bonds available in Maine
All content is researched from official state and federal sources (.gov). BuySuretyBonds.com works with Treasury-listed surety carriers.
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