Title 26, Chapter 1 of S.C. Code of Laws defines the duties and acts performed by notaries public in the state of South Carolina. The Secretary of State commissions notaries public for South Carolina and keeps their oaths of office on file. Notaries public are public officers whose main purpose is to prevent fraud in the execution of documents. The South Carolina Notary Public Reference Manual (PDF) describes the duties of this office in detail and serves as a reference if you are a notary public.

• To apply to become a South Carolina Notary Public or renew your notary commission, you must complete the paper application Notary Public Application and Renewal Application (PDF) to mail to your county delegation office or the House of Representatives if you do not have a delegation office in your county. You must be a registered voter to become a notary public. If you do not know your voter registration number, call your County Board of Elections and Voter Registration or you may visit the South Carolina Election Commission website.
   
• You now have the option to pay your application fee by credit card or debit card by selecting the credit/debit card option when completing your application. If you choose to pay by credit card, a link for payment will be emailed to you when the application is received by the Secretary of State’s Office from the Legislative Delegation.
   
• If you are a current South Carolina Notary and you have changed your name or address since the issuance of your commission, you must inform the Secretary of State's Office by filing a Change of Status Request within 45 days of the change. You may file a Change in Status Request online on our Online Notary Portal.
   
• You may also request a duplicate notary commission by filing the Duplicate Request form on our Online Notary Portal. 
   
• If you are resigning or are no longer qualified as a notary, then you may complete the Change in Status Resignation Form on our Online Notary Portal.

A Change in Status/Duplicate Commission Request Form (PDF) or Change in Status Resignation Form (PDF) may be mailed to our office if you choose to not file online. 

Electronic Notarization

The Electronic Notary Portal is now available.

On May 18, 2021, Governor Henry McMaster signed the South Carolina Electronic Notary Public Act into law. The Act allows a notary public to register as an electronic notary and sets forth the requirements for electronic notaries public and electronic notarial acts. Online registration as an electronic notary public is now open to commissioned notaries.

Applications for registration as an electronic notary public are now available through the Online Notary Portal. 

The Secretary of State’s electronic notary public portal will allow notaries to complete the registration process and receive the electronic notary certificate online.  The online application provides a seamless process for the applicant. The portal allows a commissioned notary public to watch an educational video, and complete online testing. After the successful completion of the electronic notary test, the notary public will then select the approved vendor that will provide the technology to perform an electronic notarization. The final step will allow the notary to receive and print their electronic notarial certificate.

Electronic notarization, also known as IPEN, requires that the notary public and the signer must be in the presence of one another when the notarization takes place. The documents are reviewed on an electronic device, such as a tablet or computer, and electronic signatures are used in place of ink signatures. This type of notarization is beneficial in many transactions. These electronically notarized documents may include various documents used in some lending and real estate transactions, and for electronic recording in counties.

Title 26, Chapter 2 of the S.C. Code of Laws and Chapter 113, Article 4 of the S.C. Code of Regulations set forth procedures for registration as an electronic notary public, registration of electronic notarization technology vendors, and requirements for execution of electronic notarizations. We encourage all prospective South Carolina electronic notaries public to carefully review these provisions. 

Electronic notarization technology vendors may register with the Secretary of State's Office to provide services to South Carolina electronic notaries public pursuant to S.C. Code of Laws Title 26, Chapter 2 and S.C. Code of Regulations Chapter 113, Article 4. If you are an electronic notary solution provider and would like to register with the Secretary of State's Office, please contact us at it@sos.sc.gov.

For more information, please see the Press Release Here and Here.