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eNotary 2.0 Web Service

Say goodbye to individual submissions and hello to faster, more convenient processing!

Surety bonding companies can now submit applications in bulk—securely and efficiently—using our streamlined application programming interface (API).

Save time, boost efficiency, and simplify your workflow!

The eNotary 2.0 Web Service is a JSON RESTful API designed to allow surety bond companies to submit traditional notary applications electronically to SOS on behalf of individuals seeking to become commissioned notaries in the State of Texas. This service is specifically tailored for bonding companies that are authorized by the Texas Secretary of State to submit traditional notary commission applications (2301 and 2301-E) on behalf of individuals.

eNotary Agreement

A Bonding Company must agree to and sign the Texas Secretary of State's eNotary 2.0 Agreement before being authorized to access and use the eNotary Web Service. This Agreement applies to the submission of traditional notary public applications as defined by Section 406 of the Texas Government Code. The Agreement does not apply to the submission of online notary public applications or notary public applications without a bond.

Technical Specification

The technical details for configuring and using our eNotary Web Service can be found in our eNotary 2.0 Consumer Guide. If you are a surety bonding company interested in using our eNotary 2.0 web service, contact us at notary_modernization@sos.texas.gov to learn more.

Notary Portal Bonding Company How-To-Guides

eNotary Frequently Asked Questions

+ Can we send updates to a commission/application through this API?

Any changes needed to an application that has been submitted but not yet processed must be made by surety bonding company users through the new SOS Notary Portal.

+ What do the fields AddressType (Home or Public) indicate?

AddressType indicates whether the applicant wants their address displayed publicly. “Home” indicates the address is private; “Public” indicates the address is publicly visible through the Open Data Portal (ODP) and on the Notary Search site. Note: A recent statutory update in the Public Information Act requires that the TX SOS cannot display notary addresses on any system screens. However, this may change in the future. The SOS will still collect the notary’s choice on whether they wish their information to be displayed publicly or not.

+ The data includes an indicator “hasNamechanged”. Is this something that must be transmitted?

Yes. This value indicates whether the applicant’s name is intentionally different than a name submitted on a previous notary application with Texas SOS. The application will be accepted with whatever name is on the application, but if they have applied with us before and their name is now different, we will process the application in our system under the new name and not use the previous name we had on file.

+ How many applications can we submit at one time?

You can submit anywhere from 1 to 100 applications in a single submission. The current batch size is limited to 100 applications.

+ How quick is the response for submission of a single application?

The system is expected to respond within a few seconds. If a connection issue occurs, the request will time out after 120 seconds.

+ Does the web service allow for several values in the name suffix field?

The web service will accept the suffixes Jr., Sr., III, IV, and V. For any additional suffixes beyond V, please contact the SOS for assistance.

+ If validation fails for one record in a batch during submission through the API, will all records fail to be updated?

No. An individual record in a batch may fail, but if the remaining records are successful, they will be accepted and assigned SOS Application IDs. The failed record will need to be resubmitted after fixing any issues.

+ How are payments processed after a batch is uploaded to the SOS? If the batch uploads overnight, could a user log in to the site the next day to make a payment and complete the process?

Yes. A surety bond company can upload a batch of application data overnight and then make payment the next morning. This will prompt the next step in the process of requesting the applicants to e-sign the submitted applications.

+ How do we know when each application in a batch is approved?

While applications can be sent to SOS in batches, we process each application individually. This will allow bonding companies to withdraw individual applications, if needed, before they are paid for. You can view a submitted application’s status at any time from the SOS Portal bonding company dashboard. There are various filters available on the dashboard that will allow you to filter the applications by applicable criteria.

+ Will bonding companies have the ability to download the commissioned notary’s information?

Yes, bonding companies can download the notary’s information from their SOS Portal bonding company dashboard.

+ Once the application data is transmitted to the SOS, do you notify the applicant to create an account and sign the application?

Yes. The SOS contacts the applicant using the email address provided in the application. Applicants receive only one notification from our system. However, the SOS makes additional attempts through multiple methods to contact applicants who have not completed the process. The application expires after 90 days if we have not received a response from the applicant, after which an application would need to be resubmitted. A refund will be issued to the surety bonding company for expired applications in the original form of payment.

The surety bonding company is invited to correct the applicant’s email address in the SOS Notary Portal. We will only send a letter if the applicant does not have an email address to provide in the original submitted application. However, please note the applicant must have an email address to set up a user account in the new SOS Notary Portal.

+ Does the email address on the application and the email address the applicant uses to create their account on the SOS Notary Portal need to be the same?

No. The email addresses can be different. However, the email address should be a reliable way to contact the applicant because the application email address is used to contact the applicant to collect their signature and continue the application process.