North Carolina Form N-01, formally titled the Application for Commission as a Notary Public, is the form every adult North Carolina resident (or non-resident who works in the state) must file with the North Carolina Secretary of State Notary Public Division to be appointed as a notary public under Chapter 10B of the North Carolina General Statutes. The form is downloaded from the Secretary of State forms library, completed in ink or typed, signed in front of a current notary, and mailed with a non-refundable $50 fee to the Notary Public Division in Raleigh.
The Notary Public Division receives over 30,000 commission applications a year, and the agency rejects any Form N-01 that has three or more blank spaces, an unnotarized signature, or a course-completion date older than three months. A small mistake on a single line can cost you the $50 fee and force you to re-take the six-hour notary class before you can re-apply.
- 📝 How to fill out every box on Form N-01 line by line, in plain English.
- 🧾 What documents, dates, and identification numbers to gather before you start.
- 👩⚖️ Three full walkthrough scenarios for a first-time notary, a re-commissioning notary, and an attorney-notary.
- 💸 Where to mail the form, what the $50 fee covers, and how to pay it correctly.
- ⚠️ The ten most common rejection-causing mistakes and how to avoid each one.
What Form N-01 Is and Who Must File It
Form N-01 is the official Application for Commission as a Notary Public used by the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State to vet, approve, and commission new and re-applying notaries. The form is authorized by G.S. 10B-5, which sets the qualifications, and by G.S. 10B-6, which lists every required field on the application itself. The current revision is dated Rev. 2024 and is the only version the Notary Public Division will accept.
Three groups must file Form N-01. First, any North Carolina resident (age 18 or older) who wants to perform notarial acts for the first time files it as an initial application. Second, a notary whose commission expired more than 12 months ago must file it again as a re-application, which is treated like a new commission. Third, a non-resident who is regularly employed in North Carolina and meets the G.S. 10B-5(b)(3) work-based residency rule files Form N-01 with the county of employment listed instead of a county of residence.
Notaries who are still inside their five-year commission and are simply renewing on time file the shorter reappointment application instead, not Form N-01. Licensed members of the North Carolina State Bar follow the same Form N-01 process but check the attorney box and attach proof of bar membership in lieu of the six-hour course requirement, under the carve-out in G.S. 10B-8(c).
Before You Start: Documents and Information You Need
Pull every item below into one folder before opening the form. Form N-01 cannot have three or more blank spaces, so missing a single number means you stop, find it, and start over.
- Notary course completion certificate. You must have finished a six-hour, in-person course at an eligible community college within the last three months, scoring at least 80% on the final exam, as required by G.S. 10B-8. Without the certificate, your application is denied automatically.
- The 2024 edition of the North Carolina Notary Public Manual. G.S. 10B-8(b) requires every applicant to read the current manual; the instructor confirms this on the form.
- Government-issued photo ID. A valid North Carolina driver license, state ID, or U.S. passport is needed to swear the oath at the Register of Deeds within 45 days of approval.
- Social Security number. The Secretary of State cross-checks SSNs against the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation criminal database.
- Residential address with county. Your home county determines which Register of Deeds will administer your oath of office.
- Employer name, address, and county of employment. Required by 18 NCAC 07B .0407, even if you only plan to notarize at home.
- Prior commission number. If you ever held an NC notary commission, the eight-digit number must appear in Box 5 so the agency can pull your old file.
- Proof of legal residence (non-citizens only). A permanent resident card, work visa, or USCIS employment authorization document is required under G.S. 10B-5(b)(1).
- Court records for any criminal history. Certified dispositions for any conviction (felony or misdemeanor involving dishonesty) must be attached, as required by G.S. 10B-5(b)(5).
- A $50 check or money order payable to the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State. Cash is rejected and the fee is non-refundable.
Where to Get the Form and How to Access It
The official Form N-01 is hosted on the Secretary of State forms portal under the heading Notary. The PDF is fillable on a computer, but most applicants print it because the instructor and the witnessing notary must sign in ink. Always download a fresh copy the day you fill it out, because the agency rejects superseded revisions.
You can also pick up a paper copy from your county Register of Deeds, and most community-college notary instructors hand the form out on the last day of class. The form itself is identical in every channel, but the version handed out in class sometimes has the instructor’s name and institution pre-printed in Section C, which is permitted under 18 NCAC 07B .0407(3).
If you lose the form mid-process, you must restart with a fresh PDF — the Notary Public Division does not accept photocopies of partially completed applications. Filers using assistive technology can request an accessible version by emailing the Notary Public Division contact page at least 10 business days in advance.
Step-by-Step: How to Fill Out Form N-01 Line by Line
The form is divided into three sections — A (applicant information), B (declaration and notarized signature), and C (instructor certification) — plus a payment block at the top. Use black ink, print clearly in capital letters where requested, and leave nothing blank. The Notary Public Division uses G.S. 10B-7 authority to deny any application with three or more blank fields without refund.
Box 1 — Full Legal Name
This is the name that will appear on your commission certificate and your notary seal forever, so accuracy matters more here than anywhere else on the form.
Print your first name, full middle name, and last name exactly as they appear on your government photo ID. Use all capital letters and do not use nicknames, initials, or married/maiden hyphenations the ID does not show. Maria Elena Lopez writes MARIA ELENA LOPEZ, not Maria E. Lopez and not Mary Lopez.
If your ID shows a suffix like Jr. or III, include it after the last name with a comma. The most common mistake is dropping a middle name because the applicant “never uses it,” and the consequence is a name mismatch with the SSA database, which triggers a 30-day investigatory hold under G.S. 10B-7(b). A widely held misconception is that you can choose how your name appears on the seal — you cannot; the commission name is the legal name on file.
Box 2 — Name to Appear on Notary Seal
Box 2 lets you tell the agency exactly how the engraver should cut your name into your rubber seal. The name you choose must be a logical subset of Box 1 — you can drop a middle name, but you cannot add anything new.
Write the seal name in capital letters. Maria Elena Lopez may write MARIA E. LOPEZ or MARIA LOPEZ, but she may not write MARIA E. LOPEZ-SMITH if her ID does not show Smith.
A common edge case is the recently married applicant whose ID still shows the maiden name; the seal name in Box 2 must match the ID name in Box 1, even if the marriage license is already issued. The most common mistake here is requesting a seal name that contains a nickname like MARIE instead of MARIA, which voids every notarization performed with the resulting seal under G.S. 10B-37. The misconception that you can change the seal name later by writing the agency a letter is false — a seal-name change requires a new $50 commission.
Box 3 — Residential Address
This is your home address, not a P.O. box and not your work address. The county listed here decides which Register of Deeds will swear you in.
Enter the street number, street name, apartment or unit number, city, North Carolina county, and ZIP+4 on separate lines. Marcus Lee enters 418 Hillsborough St., Apt. 2B, Raleigh, Wake County, 27603-1740.
If you live in a rural area with only a 911 address, use that 911 address rather than a route-and-box number; rural-route addresses are no longer accepted under 18 NCAC 07B .0407(2)(b). The most common mistake is entering a P.O. box, which forces the agency to send a deficiency letter and delays the commission by three to four weeks. The misconception that the residential address is private is wrong — every notary’s commission address becomes part of the public notary registry.
Box 4 — Residential Telephone Number
Provide a number where the Notary Public Division can reach you between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. A cell phone number is fully acceptable under 18 NCAC 07B .0407(2)(b).
Write the number in (919) 555-0177 format with the area code in parentheses. Do not write N/A — leaving it blank counts toward the three-blank-fields rejection rule.
A common edge case is the applicant who only has a work phone; in that case, list the work phone and add the extension. The mistake people make most is using a landline that is shared with a family member who screens calls, and the consequence is a missed oath-notification call that can shrink your 45-day oath window. The misconception that this number is shared with the public is wrong — it is internal-use only and is not published in the public notary registry.
Box 5 — Prior North Carolina Commission Number
If you have ever been a North Carolina notary, list the eight-digit commission number from your old certificate.
Print the number with no dashes or letters, even though older commissions used a letter prefix. Janet Carter, who was commissioned in 2014, writes 20141234567 exactly as it appears on her old certificate.
If more than 12 months have passed since your last commission expired, you also re-take the six-hour course; the agency uses Box 5 to confirm whether the course is required under G.S. 10B-8. The most common mistake is leaving Box 5 blank when you have held a prior commission, which is treated as a false statement under G.S. 10B-12 and triggers automatic denial. The misconception that the agency will “look up” your old number for you is incorrect — the burden is on the applicant.
Box 6 — Date of Birth and Social Security Number
Box 6 has two sub-fields. Write your date of birth as MM/DD/YYYY and your full nine-digit SSN in 123-45-6789 format.
Both fields are mandatory under G.S. 10B-6(2), and both are used to run the SBI background check. Aisha Brown writes 07/12/1989 and 123-45-6789.
A common edge case is the applicant without an SSN; non-citizens may substitute an ITIN and attach proof of legal residence. The most common mistake is transposing two digits of the SSN, which produces a “no record” hit at the SBI and triggers a manual hold of three weeks or more. The misconception that SSN is optional because it is “personal” is wrong; an application without an SSN (and no ITIN substitute) is rejected on receipt.
Box 7 — Occupation and Employer
State your current occupation and the legal name and address of your employer.
If you are self-employed, unemployed, retired, or a student, check the matching box rather than writing a sentence. David Nguyen, a paralegal at Smith & Hall, PLLC, writes Paralegal in the occupation line and Smith & Hall, PLLC, 200 Fayetteville St., Raleigh, NC 27601 under employer.
A common edge case is the applicant with two jobs; list the employer where you will most often notarize, since G.S. 10B-5(b)(3) bases non-resident eligibility on this employer. The most common mistake is leaving the line blank because the applicant “doesn’t notarize at work,” which produces a deficiency letter; every applicant must list a status. The misconception that listing your employer signs them up for any liability is incorrect — the employer has no notary-act liability under G.S. 10B-69 unless they direct an improper notarization.
Box 8 — North Carolina County of Employment
This box matters mostly for non-residents who qualify under the work-based rule.
Write the single county where you spend most of your work hours; do not list multiple counties. Carlos Rivera, who lives in Virginia and works in Charlotte, writes Mecklenburg.
If you work fully remotely from home, this box is the same as your county of residence. The mistake of listing a county where you only occasionally visit clients leads to denial under G.S. 10B-5(b)(3). The misconception that you can pick any county to make oath-taking convenient is wrong — your oath county is fixed by Boxes 3 or 8.
Box 9 — Attorney Status
Check Yes if you are a licensed, active member of the North Carolina State Bar; otherwise check No.
Attorneys who check Yes are exempt from the six-hour course under G.S. 10B-8(c), and they leave Section C blank but attach a current bar card photocopy. Janet Carter, Esq. writes her bar number 34987 on the Section C line provided.
A common edge case is the inactive-status attorney; inactive attorneys are not exempt and must take the course. The most common mistake is checking Yes without attaching the bar card, which triggers a denial. The misconception that paralegals or law students can claim the attorney exemption is incorrect — only licensed, active members qualify.
Box 10 — Notary Course Information
This box ties your application to a specific community-college course.
Write the name of the eligible institution, the number of course hours (always 6), the printed name of the instructor, and the date you passed the final exam in MM/DD/YYYY format. Marcus Lee writes Wake Technical Community College, 6, Patricia Hall, 02/14/2026.
The course-completion date controls a hard three-month clock; under G.S. 10B-8(a), Form N-01 must reach the agency within three months of that date. The most common mistake is writing the class start date instead of the exam pass date, which costs applicants weeks off their three-month window. The misconception that an online or out-of-state notary class qualifies is wrong — only in-person NC community-college courses count.
Box 11 — Description of Attachments
List every document you are mailing in addition to the form itself.
Use a short list: Course completion certificate; copy of NC driver license; $50 money order. Carlos, the non-citizen applicant, adds Permanent Resident Card (front and back).
If you have no attachments other than the fee, write None — never leave the line blank. The most common mistake is forgetting to list the certificate even though it is in the envelope, which causes confusion if the envelope arrives damaged. The misconception that the agency will infer attachments from the envelope is wrong — Box 11 is the official inventory.
Box 12 — Declaration Under G.S. 10B-12
This is a sworn declaration that everything on the form is true.
Read it carefully. By signing, you affirm that you meet every qualification in G.S. 10B-5 and that any false statement is a Class 1 misdemeanor under G.S. 10B-12(b).
Do not sign yet — Box 13 has to be witnessed by a notary. The mistake of signing in class or at home before reaching a notary voids the application and forces a re-do with a new $50 fee. The misconception that the declaration only applies to “big” facts is wrong — even a wrong middle initial counts as a misstatement under G.S. 10B-12.
Box 13 — Applicant Signature and Notarial Acknowledgment
Sign Box 13 in front of a currently commissioned North Carolina notary public — never alone, never in class, and never in front of a notary from another state.
The witnessing notary then completes the acknowledgment block: venue (county), date, principal’s name, notary signature, notary seal, and commission expiration. Maria Elena Lopez signs Maria Elena Lopez (cursive) on the signature line, and the notary stamps the seal in the box to the right.
A common edge case is the applicant whose only available notary is a co-worker; this is allowed as long as the notary is not an immediate family member, per G.S. 10B-20(c)(2). The most common mistake is having the course instructor also notarize the signature, which is permitted only if that instructor is a separately commissioned NC notary. The misconception that you can notarize your own application is wrong — that is automatic disqualification under G.S. 10B-20(c)(1).
Box 14 — Instructor Certification (Section C)
The course instructor signs Section C to certify that you completed the six-hour course and scored at least 80% on the exam.
The instructor prints the institution name, the course date, the instructor’s name, and signs and dates the form. Patricia Hall signs Patricia Hall and writes 02/14/2026.
A common edge case is the attorney exemption: attorneys leave Section C blank and instead attach a bar-card photocopy. The most common mistake is the instructor signing on the wrong line (the applicant signature line in Box 13), which voids both signatures. The misconception that the instructor’s signature can be electronic is wrong — the agency requires a wet-ink signature under 18 NCAC 07B .0407(3)(b).
Three Filled-Out Examples Using Real Scenarios
The following walkthroughs follow three named applicants from Box 1 through the mailing label, illustrating how the same form looks for very different filers.
Scenario 1 — Maria Elena Lopez, First-Time Notary in Wake County
Maria is a 24-year-old bank teller in Raleigh who finished her notary class at Wake Tech on February 14, 2026.
| Form Section | What Maria Enters |
|---|---|
| Box 1 — Full Legal Name | MARIA ELENA LOPEZ |
| Box 2 — Seal Name | MARIA E. LOPEZ |
| Box 3 — Residential Address | 418 Hillsborough St., Apt. 2B, Raleigh, Wake County, 27603 |
| Box 4 — Phone | (919) 555-0177 |
| Box 5 — Prior Commission | None |
| Box 6 — DOB / SSN | 07/12/2001 / 123-45-6789 |
| Box 7 — Occupation / Employer | Bank Teller / First Citizens Bank, 4300 Six Forks Rd., Raleigh |
| Box 9 — Attorney | No |
| Box 10 — Course Info | Wake Tech, 6 hours, Patricia Hall, 02/14/2026 |
| Box 13 — Signed Before Notary | Maria Elena Lopez (signed in front of branch notary) |
Scenario 2 — Janet Carter, Re-Commissioning Attorney-Notary
Janet is a 52-year-old attorney in Charlotte whose 2014 commission expired in 2019; she is re-applying after a six-year gap.
| Form Section | What Janet Enters |
|---|---|
| Box 1 — Full Legal Name | JANET MARIE CARTER |
| Box 2 — Seal Name | JANET M. CARTER |
| Box 3 — Residential Address | 1812 Queens Rd. W., Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, 28207 |
| Box 5 — Prior Commission | 20141234567 |
| Box 6 — DOB / SSN | 03/03/1973 / 987-65-4321 |
| Box 7 — Occupation / Employer | Attorney / Carter Law PLLC, 525 N. Tryon St., Charlotte |
| Box 9 — Attorney | Yes — NC Bar # 34987 |
| Box 10 — Course Info | Exempt — bar card attached |
| Box 11 — Attachments | Bar card copy; $50 money order |
| Box 13 — Signed Before Notary | Janet M. Carter (signed before a partner notary) |
Scenario 3 — Carlos Rivera, Non-Resident Worker in Mecklenburg County
Carlos is a 38-year-old logistics manager who lives in Virginia but works full-time at a warehouse in Charlotte and qualifies under the work-based rule.
| Form Section | What Carlos Enters |
|---|---|
| Box 1 — Full Legal Name | CARLOS ANDRES RIVERA |
| Box 2 — Seal Name | CARLOS A. RIVERA |
| Box 3 — Residential Address | 211 Maple Dr., South Hill, VA 23970 |
| Box 6 — DOB / SSN | 05/22/1987 / 555-12-3344 |
| Box 7 — Occupation / Employer | Logistics Manager / Carolina Freight LLC, 9000 Statesville Rd., Charlotte |
| Box 8 — NC County of Employment | Mecklenburg |
| Box 9 — Attorney | No |
| Box 10 — Course Info | Central Piedmont Community College, 6 hours, Robert Kim, 01/30/2026 |
| Box 11 — Attachments | Permanent Resident Card copy; course certificate; $50 check |
| Box 13 — Signed Before Notary | Carlos A. Rivera (signed before HR notary) |
David Nguyen, a paralegal first-time applicant in Wake County, and Aisha Brown, a self-employed real-estate agent in Durham, also appear in worked field examples above to show how Box 7 looks for very different employment situations.
How to File the Completed Form N-01
Form N-01 is a paper-only filing. The Notary Public Division does not accept email, fax, or online submission of the initial commission application, so plan for postal mail under 18 NCAC 07B .0407.
Mail the signed original (not a photocopy), the $50 application fee in the form of a check or money order payable to the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, and every attachment listed in Box 11 to the Notary Public Division mailing address:
Notary Public Division Department of the Secretary of State P.O. Box 29622 Raleigh, NC 27626-0622
For physical/courier delivery (FedEx, UPS), use 2 South Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27601. The agency does not accept cash and will return the application without processing if a personal check bounces. Processing time is typically 10 to 15 business days from receipt; you will receive an Oath Notification Letter by mail or email when approved.
Keep a complete photocopy of the signed Form N-01 and a copy of the front of your check or money order as your proof-of-filing. Once approved, you have 45 days under G.S. 10B-10 to take the oath at your county Register of Deeds, pay the $10 oath fee, and pick up your commission certificate.
What Happens After You File
After Form N-01 reaches Raleigh, the Notary Public Division logs it, runs an SBI criminal-background check, and verifies your course-completion date against the community-college roster. Clean applications with no flags are approved in 10 to 15 business days; applications with criminal-history disclosures take 30 to 60 days because they are routed to a senior reviewer under G.S. 10B-5(d).
Approval triggers an Oath Notification Letter sent to the address in Box 3. The letter names your county Register of Deeds, the 45-day oath deadline, and the $10 oath fee. Miss the 45 days and your approval voids; you must file a new Form N-01 with a new $50 fee under G.S. 10B-10(b).
If the agency denies the application, you receive a written denial citing the statute violated. You may request reconsideration within 30 days under G.S. 10B-5(c), but the $50 fee is not refunded; if you re-apply later, a fresh $50 must accompany the new form.
Mistakes to Avoid When Filling Out Form N-01
These are the ten errors the Notary Public Division reports most often, each followed by the direct consequence.
- Leaving three or more boxes blank — automatic rejection without refund under G.S. 10B-7.
- Signing Box 13 before reaching a notary — the form is voided and you must restart with a new $50 fee.
- Listing a P.O. box in Box 3 — deficiency letter and a 30-day delay.
- Using a name in Box 2 that does not match Box 1 — every notarization performed with the resulting seal is voidable.
- Mailing more than three months after the course-completion date — application denied under G.S. 10B-8.
- Forgetting Box 5 when you have a prior commission — treated as a false statement under G.S. 10B-12.
- Sending cash or a personal check that bounces — the application is returned and your three-month course window keeps ticking.
- Having the same person serve as instructor (Section C) and notarizing notary (Box 13) without a separate NC commission — both signatures are voided.
- Failing to disclose a misdemeanor involving dishonesty — automatic denial and possible criminal referral under G.S. 10B-12(b).
- Submitting a photocopy instead of the wet-ink original — rejected on receipt.
Do’s and Don’ts
The list below sums up the habits that keep applications moving and the ones that stall them.
- Do download a fresh PDF from the Secretary of State forms portal the day you fill it out, because outdated revisions are rejected.
- Do print in black ink and capital letters, because that is what the data-entry team is trained to read.
- Do keep a full photocopy of the signed form and the money order, because the agency will not send a copy back if it is lost.
- Do mail by tracked, return-receipt mail, because the three-month course window does not pause for postal delays.
- Do confirm with your Register of Deeds in advance that they have oath-taking hours within your 45-day window.
- Do double-check the spelling of your name in Box 2 — the seal engraver copies it letter for letter.
- Don’t sign Box 13 outside the presence of a current NC notary, because the application becomes void.
- Don’t notarize your own application even if you are already a notary in another state — that is automatic disqualification under G.S. 10B-20.
- Don’t use white-out or correction tape; cross out an error with a single line and initial it.
- Don’t mail cash; the agency returns the entire envelope unprocessed.
- Don’t assume an out-of-state or online notary course counts; only in-person NC community-college courses qualify.
- Don’t delay reading the North Carolina Notary Public Manual, because exam questions and the form’s declaration both rely on it.
Pros and Cons of Filing Form N-01 on Your Own vs. With Help
Most applicants file Form N-01 themselves because the form is short, but help can be valuable in edge cases like criminal-history disclosure or non-resident applications.
- Pro — Cost savings. Filing yourself costs only the $50 application fee plus $10 for the oath, while a paid filing service can add $75 to $150.
- Pro — Direct contact with the agency. When the Notary Public Division calls about a deficiency, you hear the issue first and can fix it immediately.
- Pro — Faster turnaround. A clean self-filed application is typically approved in 10 to 15 business days; routed third-party packages can add a week.
- Pro — Educational value. Reading Chapter 10B yourself helps you avoid future seal and journal mistakes.
- Pro — Privacy. You alone handle your SSN and date of birth, with no third party in the chain.
- Con — Rejection risk for first-timers. A first-time filer is more likely to leave a box blank or mismatch Boxes 1 and 2.
- Con — No background-check guidance. Applicants with prior misdemeanors may not know which dispositions to attach.
- Con — No deadline reminders. A service tracks your three-month course window and your 45-day oath window for you.
- Con — No re-do support. If your form is rejected, you handle the re-filing alone, including a new $50 fee.
- Con — Limited form-field interpretation. Edge cases like non-resident eligibility or attorney exemption require reading the statute, which can be intimidating.
Form N-01 vs. Reappointment Application — Which Do You File?
Many applicants confuse the initial commission Form N-01 with the shorter on-time reappointment form. The table below clarifies which one applies to your situation.
| Filing Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Have you ever held a commission? | If never, file Form N-01. |
| Did your last commission expire less than 12 months ago? | File the reappointment application instead. |
| Did your last commission expire more than 12 months ago? | File Form N-01 and re-take the course. |
| Are you a non-resident working in NC? | File Form N-01 with Box 8 completed. |
| Are you an active NC attorney? | File Form N-01 and check the attorney box. |
FAQs
Is Form N-01 filed online?
No. Initial Form N-01 commission applications are paper-only and must arrive by mail at the Notary Public Division in Raleigh under 18 NCAC 07B .0407.
Can I write my nickname in Box 2 (Seal Name)?
No. Box 2 must be a subset of the legal name in Box 1; nicknames void the seal under G.S. 10B-37.
Do I write my maiden or married name in Box 1?
Yes — write whichever name appears on your current government-issued photo ID, even if a marriage license has issued.
Is the $50 application fee refundable if I am denied?
No. The $50 fee is non-refundable under agency rule, even if your application is rejected for blank fields or background-check issues.
Can my course instructor also notarize my signature in Box 13?
Yes — but only if that instructor is separately a currently commissioned NC notary public, and never if they are an immediate family member.
Can I leave Box 4 (phone) blank if I do not want calls?
No. A blank Box 4 counts toward the three-blank-fields rejection under G.S. 10B-7; list a number, even a cell.
Do I list a P.O. box in Box 3 if I have one?
No. Box 3 must be a residential street address; P.O. boxes are rejected and produce a deficiency letter.
Are NC attorneys exempt from the notary course?
Yes. Active NC State Bar members are exempt under G.S. 10B-8(c) and attach a bar-card copy in lieu of Section C.
How long do I have to mail Form N-01 after the notary class?
Yes, there is a hard deadline — three months from the exam-pass date, per G.S. 10B-8.
Can I take the oath of office in any county?
No. The oath must be taken at the Register of Deeds in your county of residence (or county of employment for non-residents) within 45 days of approval.
Does a misdemeanor automatically disqualify me?
No. Only crimes involving dishonesty automatically disqualify; other misdemeanors are reviewed case by case under G.S. 10B-5(b)(5).
Can I submit a photocopied or scanned Form N-01?
No. The Notary Public Division requires the original wet-ink form with original instructor and notary signatures.
Is the residential phone number in Box 4 made public?
No. It is for internal agency use only and is not published in the public notary registry.
Can a non-citizen apply with Form N-01?
Yes — lawful permanent residents and certain visa holders may apply, attaching proof of legal residence under G.S. 10B-5(b)(1).
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