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Notary Commissions
Processing of notary applications takes approximately 17-25 days from the date it is received by our office.
The National Notary Association and the Notary Law Institute are not associated with the South Dakota Secretary of State's office.
The notary public is a position of great importance with origins that trace back to the days of the Republic of Rome. Today, it remains a position of importance in our republic.
We are excited to provide this resource guide to you as a reference. Within these pages you will find the State's notary statutes, definitions of terms commonly used in performing notarial acts, and the procedures for becoming a notary public in South Dakota. Referencing this booklet will help the notary have a greater understanding of the decisions, responsibilities and obligations entrusted to this office.
The oath of notary public carries with it a serious obligation. Once appointed and commissioned, a notary public becomes a public officer charged with "special trust and confidence in integrity and ability." To faithfully serve the public, the notary public must be knowledgeable about his or her responsibilities.
It is our hope that these pages will be a valuable resource for notaries public in South Dakota. If you have any questions or if we can be of any further service to you, feel free to contact our office at (605)773-3537 or email us at Notary@state.sd.us.
Notary Application and Forms
The following forms are available in Adobe Acrobat fill-able format.
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- Notary Application (Effective 10/8/2018) Use this form for new and renewal applications
- Notary Change Form(Effective 12/6/2017) Use this form to change name, address, and/or seal
South Dakota Notary Database
The link below provides real-time access to the notary public database. The information system can query for a notary by name for a specific city or county.
Names are search by "last name, first name." All or part of a name may be entered. You may also search by county or by city. Be sure to click "Go" for these searches.
Notary Public Information for Other States
Notary Public Information can be found at the link for the National Association for Secretaries of State (NASS) or the Notary Public Administrators (NPA).