Arkansas notaries must complete the following steps to ensure they have the necessary training, tools, and credentials before performing notarizations on the Proof platform.
All Notaries
Obtain a Traditional Notarial Commission
Your traditional commission allows you to perform in-person notarizations. To obtain your traditional commission, follow these instructions from the Secretary of State. After obtaining your commission, you must provide information about and upload a copy of your certificate of commission or notary public identification card to your profile.
Obtain E&O Insurance Policy
While E&O insurance is highly recommended, it is only required for notaries working in an on-demand capacity. Notaries serving their own customers or in-house notaries may optionally upload their E&O insurance.
Generate a Digital Certificate in the Proof Platform
A digital certificate is an electronic credential that is used to digitally tamper seal notarized documents. Do not purchase it from another vendor as it will be provisioned after you verify your identity through an IAL2-Compliant Identity Verification on the Proof platform.
Proof Certificate pricing varies, but special promotional discounts are available into 2025.
Important: Make sure the name in your notary profile is identical to the name on your commission documentation. Differences between your profile name and the one in your documentation could delay issuance of your digital certificate.
Please note: Be prepared to provide a government-issued primary ID, a supplemental (secondary) ID, and a selfie to complete the IAL2-Compliant Identity Verification to obtain your digital certificate.
Generate an Electronic Signature and Notarial Seal in the Proof Platform
Your electronic signature and seal are used to sign and seal notarized documents. Do not purchase them from other vendors as they will both be freely provided to you by the Proof platform.
The information that you provide during onboarding will be used to automatically generate a seal that complies with the particular legal requirements of your state.
You will also create your signature during onboarding and are responsible to make sure that it matches your signature on file with the Secretary of State.
Obtain Authorization to Perform Online Notarizations
To obtain authorization to perform online notarizations, log in here and submit your Online Application for Electronic Notary Commission along with a $25 fee to the Secretary of State.
Complete State-Required Education
After your Application for Electronic Notary Commission is accepted and every 2 years for the duration of your commission, you must complete a course and exam from the Secretary of State (course details available here). After you complete the course and exam, you must note the date of its expiration and upload proof of its completion to your profile.
If you have any questions, reach out to the Secretary of State's office at this email: notary@sos.arkansas.gov.
Complete Proof Platform Certification
After you complete the steps outlined above, you will be sent a link to a course and assessment of your understanding of the Proof platform. You must complete the course and score 80% or higher on the assessment.