Public reference
Wisconsin notary rules, in plain language
A short guide for anyone who needs a document notarized, drawn from the Wisconsin Notary Public Handbook and Chapter 140 of the Wisconsin Statutes.
Key numbers
Maximum fee
$5
Per most in-person notarial acts, under §140.02(9), Wis. Stats.
Commission term
4 years
Unless revoked sooner. Renewal is not automatic, you must reapply.
Surety bond
$500
Required for every four-year commission. Damages above $500 are personal.
Jurisdiction
Wisconsin only
Valid in all 72 counties, but you must be physically inside the state.
Change notice
10 days
Written notice to WDFI for any change of name, address, or email.
Journal
Encouraged
Not required in Wisconsin, but recommended for recall and defense.
Always
- Require the signer to personally appear before you, in person, or remotely through an approved technology provider.
- Verify identity with a current government photo ID showing name, address, picture, and signature, unless you personally know the signer.
- Use the correct ceremony and certificate wording for the act you are performing.
- Witness the actual signing whenever the certificate says "signed before me" or "subscribed and sworn to before me."
- Affix a legible impression of your seal or stamp on every tangible record you notarize.
- Sign exactly as your name appears on your seal or stamp, and state your commission expiration date.
- Check the document for blank spaces; cross out and initial unused signature lines.
- State the correct venue, the county where you are physically located when the act is performed.
- Keep a journal entry for each act: date, time, type of act, names, ID presented, and case reference.
- Report a name, address, email, or seal change to WDFI within 10 days, and before using a new seal.
Never
- Never notarize without the signer present, no exceptions.
- Never notarize a document in which you, your spouse, or your domestic partner is a party or has a direct beneficial interest.
- Never notarize your own signature or your spouse's.
- Never prepare legal documents or give legal advice unless you are a licensed Wisconsin attorney.
- Never copy or certify vital records, birth, death, marriage, divorce, or annulment certificates. Penalties reach $10,000 and 3 years imprisonment.
- Never perform a notarial act while physically outside Wisconsin.
- Never charge more than $5 for most in-person notarial acts.
- Never use a name, seal, or stamp that is not on file with WDFI.
- Never notarize before receiving notice that your commission has been issued.
- Never leave blanks in a certificate or backdate a notarial act.
Before your appointment
- Bring current photo identification, a driver's license, state ID, or passport that is unexpired and shows your signature.
- Do not sign in advance unless the act is an acknowledgment. For a jurat or oath, the signature must be made in the notary's presence.
- Bring the whole document. A notary must see the pages and the notarial certificate wording that goes with them.
- Fill in every blank. A notary cannot notarize a document with incomplete spaces.
- Bring any required witnesses. Some documents need additional witnesses beyond the notary.
This page is general information, not legal advice. A notary public may not give legal advice or prepare legal documents. For questions about a specific document, consult a licensed Wisconsin attorney.