If you’re becoming a notary public in Florida — or renewing your commission for another four-year term — a $7,500 surety bond is one of the items the state requires. The bond requirement catches a lot of new notaries off-guard because it’s called "insurance" by some sources and "a bond" by others, and the difference matters. Here’s a plain-English guide to what the bond actually is, what it costs, and how to handle it.
What is a Florida notary bond, exactly?
A Florida notary bond is a $7,500 surety bond required by the Florida Department of State for every notary public commission. The bond is a financial guarantee, not insurance for you — if you commit notary errors that cause financial harm to a member of the public, the public can file a claim against your bond, and the surety company will pay valid claims up to the $7,500 limit. The surety then comes after you to recover what they paid out. So the bond protects the public from notary errors; it does NOT protect you.
What protects YOU — E&O insurance
To protect yourself from notary mistakes, you need separate Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance, which most notary associations and bond providers sell alongside the bond. E&O coverage is genuinely insurance — it pays for your legal defense and any covered settlements without subrogating against you afterward. Most Florida notaries we work with buy both: the bond (state-required) and E&O coverage of $10,000–100,000 (for personal protection).
What the bond and E&O actually cost
Pricing is reasonable:
• $7,500 Florida notary surety bond for the 4-year commission: typically $40–80 total for the entire commission term (not per year).
• $10,000 E&O insurance for 4 years: typically an additional $30–60 for the term.
• $25,000 E&O insurance for 4 years: roughly $80–140.
• $100,000 E&O insurance for 4 years: roughly $200–350.
For a 4-year commission, total bond + E&O cost typically runs $80–300 depending on the E&O limit you select. That’s for the entire commission term, not annually.
How to get the bond
The state of Florida doesn’t issue the bond directly — you buy it from a surety company or insurance agency licensed to write surety bonds in Florida. Propeller Bonds, our primary surety partner, can issue Florida notary bonds online in minutes through our portal. The application takes the bond information (your name, address, commission start date), processes the small premium payment, and produces a bond certificate you submit to the state as part of your notary application package.
Renewing your bond
Florida notary commissions run 4 years and don’t auto-renew. Roughly 60–90 days before expiration, you submit a renewal application to the Florida Department of State, including a new $7,500 bond for the next 4-year term. Don’t let your existing commission lapse — if you do, you have to start the entire commissioning process over, including taking the notary education course again. Most bond providers will email reminders 90 days before the expiration if your contact info is current.
Common Florida notary errors that trigger bond claims
The most common claims we see: notarizing a signature without the signer being physically present, failing to verify the signer’s identity properly, completing a notarial certificate incorrectly, and misunderstanding the scope of an online (remote) notarization vs. an in-person notarization. E&O coverage protects you when these mistakes happen — the bond doesn’t.
Get a Florida notary bond quote in a couple minutes through our Propeller portal, or call us if you want to bundle bond + E&O coverage in one transaction.