What a bond is
A surety company’s promise, in an amount the state names, to pay someone who loses money through a notary’s mistake or misconduct. Texas’s Secretary of State puts it in a line: the bond “is a promise to pay for any financial loss due to the actions of a notary.”
It is not cover for the notary. California’s handbook says so in as many words: the bond “is not an insurance policy for the notary public”; it “is designed only to provide a limited source of funds for paying claims against the notary public”; and the notary “remains personally liable to the full extent of any damages sustained and may be required to reimburse the bonding company for sums paid by the company because of misconduct or negligence of the notary public.”
A claim on your bond can come back to you
The surety pays the person who was harmed, up to the bond’s amount. Then, as California’s handbook says, it may come to you for what it paid.
What E&O insurance is
Insurance you buy for yourself. Texas’s Secretary of State again: “Errors and Omission policies are additional insurance purchased by the notary to protect the notary, and not the public.” The Signing Professionals Workgroup, which sets standards for notaries who do loan signings, describes what it answers for: it “covers negligent acts, errors or omissions in an insured’s capacity as a duly commissioned Notary.”
Read those last words before you buy. A policy covers you as a notary, up to its limit and on its terms. Whether it reaches the rest of a signing agent’s work — a signature missed on a page that is not notarized, a package returned late — depends on the policy. Ask the agent, and get the answer in writing.
Which one your state asks for
The bond is the state’s to require, and the amount is the state’s to set. Three states, side by side:
| State | Bond | A commission runs |
|---|---|---|
| California | $15,000 | four years |
| Texas | $10,000 | four years |
| Florida | $7,500 | four years |
From Hand & Seal’s rule sets, drafted from the statutes listed under Sources: checked against the statute’s text on October 4, 2026; not yet reviewed by an attorney. Your state’s handbook and commissioning office have the last word.
Not every state asks for a bond: by the Signing Professionals Workgroup’s count one “is required in 31 states”. Among the rule sets here that give a figure, it runs from $500 to $50,000. Your commissioning office’s application says what yours wants. As for the insurance: of the rule sets here, 14 say whether the state requires it, and in none of them does it.
Which one the companies ask for
The insurance. A title company or signing service is trusting you with a closing, and wants to know a mistake can be paid for. The Signing Professionals Workgroup’s Insurance Standard “specifies that a Notary Public who performs signing services will show proof that he or she maintains a $25,000 Notary errors and omissions (E&O) policy.” A company may ask for more; its own vendor agreement says how much.
Keeping both current
- Know both dates. The bond and the policy each carry a date of their own, and neither has to match the commission’s. One can run out while the others are good.
- Keep the certificates where you can send them the same day. Companies ask for them before a first order, and again when one is about to lapse.
- Renew early. A new commission takes time, and so does a new bond or policy.
How Hand & Seal keeps it
Your commission, bond and E&O dates sit together on your account, with a reminder ahead of each. If you choose, the companies you work with see those dates on their own desks, so a coordinator can check them without writing to you. How to get loan signing work has what else they look for.
This guide quotes two state offices and an industry standard; your own state’s law and each policy’s terms decide. It is not legal or insurance advice.