Types of Notary Commissions Protect yourself and your employer by being aware of your duties, responsibilities and liability as a Notary Public. All notaries are personally liable for every notarial act that they perform. If someone suffers damages as a result of your improper or illegal notarization, whether the act was intentional or unintentional, you face unlimited liability for those damages. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with Alaska’s notary law (see sidebar) and common law notarial practices and procedures. If you need assistance with any notarization or have questions about notarial practices and procedures, contact the Lieutenant Governor’s office for assistance. Regular Commission If you have held a prior commission or your current commission is about to expire: There is not a special process for renewing a notary commission. Each commission is for a four-year period and when one commission expires, or is about to expire, you must apply for a new commission if you wish to continue functioning as a notary public. Commissions cannot be backdated. If you have a current commission that is about to expire and wish for your next commission to expire on the same month and day as your current commission you will need to submit your application about one month before your current commission expires. If you submit an application and your current commission will not expire for a month or longer afterwards, your application will be held until 30 days prior to the expiration of your current commission before it is issued. Overview of the application process To apply for a regular notary commission, please acquire and submit the following materials: 1. A new notary bond using either a commercial notary bond or State of Alaska notary bond form. (See Notary Bond Page for more information) 2. A completed application form. 3. $40.00 application fee (checks payable to “State of Alaska,” we also accept Visa and Mastercard). The State of Alaska’s EIN number is 92-6001185. These materials should be submitted together to avoid any delay in processing your application. Limited Governmental Commission Limited Governmental Notary commissions are only available to Federal, State and Municipal employees. Notarial activity under a Limited Governmental Notary commission is limited to the official business of your employer. Applications for Limited Governmental commissions must include a Notary Commission Application form and Employer Approval form. Limited Governmental commissions are open ended and are active as long as the Notary remains employed by the governmental entity they were working for when they obtained the commission. Limited Governmental notaries will indicate that their notary commission expires “with office” on the completed notarial certificates. Overview of the application process To apply for a limited governmental notary commission, please acquire and submit the following materials: 1. Complete the Employer Approval Form 2. A completed application form. 3. $40.00 application fee (checks payable to “State of Alaska,” we also accept Visa and Mastercard). The State of Alaska’s EIN number is 92-6001185. These materials should be submitted together to avoid any delay in processing your application. See step-by-step Alaska Notary Public Application Process on our home page for detailed instructions on applying.