If you've started researching notary work, you've probably run into both "notary public" and "notary signing agent" — and it's easy to assume they mean the same thing. They don't.
Notary public: the legal role
A notary public is a state-commissioned official authorized to perform notarial acts — witnessing signatures, administering oaths, certifying copies, and similar duties, depending on what your state's law allows. Becoming a notary public is a legal credential: you apply through your state, meet its requirements (which may include an exam, a course, a bond, and a background check), and receive a commission with a defined term.
Being a notary public alone doesn't specify what kind of documents you notarize or who hires you. A notary public might work inside a bank, a law office, a shipping/UPS-style store, or independently as a mobile notary.
Related: What to Expect on Your State’s Notary Public Exam
Notary signing agent: a specialization
A notary signing agent (sometimes called a loan signing agent) is a notary public who has specialized specifically in handling mortgage and real estate loan document signings. This isn't a separate government commission — it's an additional, optional specialization built on top of an existing notary public commission.
Signing agents typically complete additional training focused specifically on loan document packages (the types of forms involved, the order signers typically go through them, and common borrower questions), and many pursue a certification from a private signing-agent certification body and background-screening service, since title companies and signing services generally require it before assigning work.
Why the distinction matters
If your goal is simply to notarize documents occasionally as part of another job (say, at a bank or law firm), you likely only need the base notary public commission. If your goal is to build income specifically around mortgage loan signings, you'll need the notary public commission first, and then pursue signing-agent-specific training and certification as a second step — they're sequential, not either/or.
Bottom line
Every notary signing agent is a notary public, but not every notary public is a signing agent. Get the base commission right first — that's the exam and application process this site's practice questions are built around — before layering a specialization on top. Try our notary exam practice questions.