- Quick-Reference Snapshot
- The Two-Step Process: Commission Course + Commission Exam
- Fees at a Glance
- Eligibility Checklist
- The 90-Day Rule and Saving Your Evidence
- Bond, Oath, and County Filing
- Commission Term and Renewal
- Electronic Notary: A Separate Add-On
- Your Final Review Week, Mapped to the Portal
- FAQ
- Total state charges before bond and county fees are $80: $45 for training/exam plus $35 for the commission application.
- NRS 240.018 requires at least 3 hours of instruction plus an exam - hours are instruction, not a countdown clock on the test.
- Training, exams, and payments must all be completed within 90 days on the Inquisiq portal or the attempt is void.
- A $10,000 surety bond and oath must be filed with your county clerk, with proof sent to the Secretary of State.
Quick-Reference Snapshot
This cheat sheet is a one-page-style review of the Nevada Notary Public Training Course Examination (NV-NOTARY) as administered by the Nevada Secretary of State through the Inquisiq-based training portal. It is built specifically around the traditional notary Commission Exam - not the separate electronic-notary registration exam that comes later. If you want the full walkthrough behind any line item here, the NV-NOTARY Study Guide 2026 and the NV-NOTARY Requirements 2026 guide go deeper on preparation and eligibility respectively.
The Two-Step Process: Commission Course + Commission Exam
The training portal treats the Commission Course and Commission Exam as two distinct enrollments. You do not simply click "start test" - you must separately enroll in and complete the course, then separately enroll in and complete the exam. Missing this structure is one of the most common early mistakes candidates make when they assume it's a single continuous module.
- Commission Course: Satisfies the NRS 240.018 instructional requirement (minimum 3 hours of instruction).
- Commission Exam: The graded assessment that follows the course and confirms readiness for commissioning.
Because the two pieces are enrolled separately inside the same portal, it's easy to complete the course and forget to formally enroll in the exam step - which then eats into your 90-day window unnecessarily. For a breakdown of how the content itself is organized once you're inside the exam, see the NV-NOTARY Exam Domains 2026 guide.
NRS 240.018 Instructional Minimum
Nevada law sets a floor of at least 3 hours of instruction plus an examination. Candidates sometimes mistake this "3 hours" as a maximum time limit for the exam itself - it is not. It's the minimum instructional time required before you're eligible to sit for the exam.
- 3 hours is an instructional requirement, not an exam clock
- Instruction and examination are both required - one does not substitute for the other
- This requirement applies equally to first-time applicants and renewals
Fees at a Glance
All state-level charges route through SilverFlume, Nevada's business portal, except the direct commission application fee. Here's the breakdown of what you'll pay to the state before you factor in bond premiums, county filing charges, and supplies - a topic covered fully in the NV-NOTARY Certification Cost 2026 breakdown.
| Charge | Amount | Paid Through |
|---|---|---|
| Combined training-and-exam fee | $45 | SilverFlume |
| Commission application fee | $35 | Secretary of State |
| Total state charges (before bond/county/supplies) | $80 | - |
Key Takeaway
Budget $80 for the state-side charges alone, then add your $10,000 surety bond premium and your county clerk's filing fee on top - those are separate line items, not included in the $80.
Eligibility Checklist
Before you even open the training portal, confirm you meet Nevada's baseline suitability requirements. These are non-negotiable prerequisites, not exam content:
- At least 18 years old
- Possess your civil rights (no disqualifying loss of rights)
- Satisfy statutory suitability requirements under NRS Chapter 240
- Be a Nevada resident, or a qualifying adjoining-state resident with Nevada employment or a Nevada business
If you're unsure whether your residency or employment situation qualifies, the NV-NOTARY Requirements 2026 article walks through the adjoining-state provision in more detail.
The 90-Day Rule and Saving Your Evidence
The Inquisiq training portal enforces a strict window: training, examinations, and payments must all be completed within 90 days for the attempt to remain valid. Let that window lapse partway through, and you'll need to restart - including re-paying where applicable.
Because the clock runs from your first enrollment, it pays to plan your review schedule before you start the course, not after. The NV-NOTARY Exam Dates 2026 guide covers how to think about scheduling around the 90-day boundary if you have a tight personal timeline.
Bond, Oath, and County Filing
Passing the exam and paying the state fees is not the finish line. Nevada also requires a $10,000 surety bond and an oath of office, both filed with the appropriate county clerk - and you must then supply filing evidence back to the Secretary of State.
- $10,000 is the coverage amount of the bond, not what you pay to purchase it
- The bond and oath are filed at the county level, not directly with the state
- Proof of that county filing must be forwarded to the Secretary of State to complete commissioning
This step trips up candidates who assume the process ends once the exam is passed. In reality, the exam is a gateway requirement inside a larger commissioning workflow described in NRS Chapter 240.
Commission Term and Renewal
A Nevada notary commission runs for 4 years. When that term ends, renewal is not a formality - renewing applicants complete the same training and examination as first-time applicants. There's no "grandfathered" shortcut for experienced notaries; the state treats every commissioning cycle as a fresh training-and-testing event.
What to Expect at Renewal
Renewal candidates go through the identical portal sequence: enroll in the Commission Course, complete it, enroll in the Commission Exam, complete it within the 90-day window, and reattach fresh completion evidence to the renewal application.
- No exemption for prior commission holders
- Same $45 training-and-exam fee and $35 application fee structure applies again
- Same bond and county-filing steps repeat each 4-year cycle
Electronic Notary: A Separate Add-On
If you plan to perform remote or electronic notarizations, know that electronic-notary registration is a distinct track that follows traditional commissioning. It requires its own separate registration course and examination - it is not bundled into the Commission Course or Commission Exam covered on this page. This cheat sheet, and the companion pieces linked throughout, focus on the traditional Commission Exam pathway that every Nevada notary must complete first.
Your Final Review Week, Mapped to the Portal
Because the exam sits inside a 90-day portal window and follows a strict "instruction, then exam" sequence, your final review should mirror that structure rather than a generic study calendar. Here's a compressed, NV-NOTARY-specific way to spend the days before your exam attempt:
Confirm Enrollment Mechanics
- Verify separate enrollment in both the Commission Course and Commission Exam
- Note your 90-day deadline on a calendar the moment you enroll
Work Through NRS Chapter 240
- Review suitability, bond, and oath requirements so exam scenarios feel familiar rather than abstract
- Cross-check anything unclear against the official NRS text
Complete the Live State Course
- Finish the required instructional hours in one sitting if possible to avoid portal-timeout confusion
- Take notes on any procedural detail (bond amount, county filing) that felt new
Sit the Commission Exam
- Enroll in the exam step specifically - don't assume it launches automatically after the course
- Immediately save your completion evidence once you pass
Assemble Your Application Packet
- Attach exam-completion evidence to your commission application
- Line up your $10,000 bond and county clerk oath filing next
For a more detailed look at exactly what's tested and how questions are framed, pair this timeline with the NV-NOTARY Exam Domains 2026 guide, and if you want a realistic sense of difficulty before you commit to a week-long sprint, read How Hard Is the NV-NOTARY Exam?. You can also run through timed practice questions on the main practice test site to get comfortable with the pacing before your actual attempt.
If you're weighing whether the entire process - training, exam, bond, county filing - is worth the time investment relative to what notary work can offer, the Is the NV-NOTARY Certification Worth It? analysis and the NV-NOTARY Salary Guide 2026 are useful companion reads. And if you're simply looking for a broader library of practice questions while you finish your review, the practice test homepage is the fastest place to start.
FAQ
No. The Commission Exam covers traditional notary commissioning. Electronic-notary registration is a separate track with its own course and examination that you complete only after traditional commissioning.
The combined training-and-exam fee is $45, and the commission application fee is $35, totaling $80 in state charges before your $10,000 surety bond premium, county filing fee, and supplies.
No. NRS 240.018 sets a 3-hour minimum for instruction, separate from the examination. It is not an exam time limit.
The training portal requires training, examinations, and payments to all be completed within 90 days for the attempt to remain valid. Missing that window generally means starting the process over.
No. Both first-time and renewing applicants must complete the training and examination again, even though commissions run for a 4-year term.