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Become an Arkansas notary public

General requirements
An Arkansas notary public must have a $7500 surety bond. The length of an
Arkansas notary commission is ten years. An Arkansas notary must have a
notary seal and record book ( journal ). To become a notary you must either
be a United States citizen or permanent resident. Permanent residents must
file a declaration of domicile document with their notary public application.
You must be eighteen years of age and be able to read and write English. 
You must not have had an Arkansas notary commission revoked in the last ten years.

State residency
You must be a legal resident of the State of Arkansas, or a legal resident of
an adjoining state, who is employed in Arkansas such as Missouri, Tennessee,
Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, or Oklahoma. You must use a business address in
Arkansas or neighboring state on your commission.

Testing and education
There is no required test or training to become an Arkansas notary public.
However, it is a requirement to swear under oath to having carefully read
all of the state notary laws.

General information
An Arkansas notary public may notarize documents anywhere within the
boundaries of Arkansas. If a notary moves, they must notify the Secretary
of State in writing of the change, and your notary commission will be
transferred to the new county of residence. If a notary's name changes due
to marriage, the notary must notify the secretary of state by submitting
a certified copy of the marriage license.

The notary seal
An Arkansas notary seal must have the notary's name, commission number, the
name of the county where the bond is filed, the words notary public, and Arkansas.

Keeping a notary journal
It is optional but advised to keep a notary journal or record of all of your
notarial acts. The Arkansas notary division suggests that the following
information be recorded: the date of the notarial act; the type of notary act
performed; the type of document; the name and address of each person whose
signature was notarized; the signature of each person whose signature was
notarized; and any special notes or comments about the notarization. Your
record book is evidence should you ever appear in court regarding any
notarization you did. Keeping notes of anything unusual that occurred during the
notarization could help refresh your memory at a later date. Keeping thumbprints
of all signers is one way of proving their identity beyond a reasonable doubt.

Related Links
Become an Arkansas notary public
Arkansas Notary General Information