Thinking about becoming a Notary Signing Agent in Virginia? Or maybe you're already commissioned and want to turn it into a real, income-producing business. There's no shortage of online courses and national training platforms that will sell you a certificate — what's harder to find is someone who's actually built the business you're trying to build, sitting across from you (or on the phone) to answer your specific questions. That's what a strategy session with The Traveling Notary-VA, LLC is: one-on-one time with a Virginia-based, NNA-Certified Notary Signing Agent, so you get real answers about licensing, loan signings, marketing, and what it actually takes to build a sustainable notary business in Hampton Roads and beyond — not just a course to click through.

What Is a Notary Signing Agent?

A Notary Signing Agent (NSA) is a commissioned notary public who has additional training and certification to handle loan document signings — closings, refinances, and other real estate transactions. NSAs work with title companies, signing services, escrow officers, and lenders across Virginia to make sure loan packages are signed, dated, and notarized correctly. It's one of the most in-demand ways to build income as a notary, but it comes with specific licensing rules, background screening requirements, and business-building steps that most people never get walked through — which is exactly where a strategy session helps.

Who This Is For

  • New notaries exploring whether becoming a Notary Signing Agent is the right next step

  • Newly commissioned NSAs who are certified but don't have a signing yet

  • Working Notary Signing Agents who want to grow their client base, raise their rates, or add services like apostilles or estate planning signings

  • Aspiring notary business owners who want a realistic look at startup costs, tools, and time commitment before they invest

What We'll Cover in Your Session

Bring your own list, — sessions are built around whatever's actually holding you up, not a fixed script. Not sure what to ask? Here are real questions notaries bring to these sessions:

  • Choosing (and vetting) an NSA training program

  • Virginia notary commissioning and NSA certification requirements

  • Errors & omissions insurance, background screening, and bonding

  • Getting your first signings through title companies and signing services

  • Setting your fees and avoiding common new-NSA pricing mistakes

  • Marketing your notary business locally (Hampton Roads / Williamsburg market insights included)

  • Avoiding Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL) pitfalls

  • What settlement agent licensing rules mean for handling funds

Why Work With The Traveling Notary-VA (Instead of a Generic Online Course)

Most "become a notary signing agent" results are national training platforms — self-paced videos, group community calls, or a course with consulting tacked on as an upsell. None of them are built around one dedicated person who's actually run a Virginia notary business day to day. Here's what you get instead:

  • A real track record, not a syllabus — SWaM-Certified, A+ BBB-rated Virginia notary business with 5000+ completed signings since 2017

  • NNA-Certified Notary Signing Agent — trained and background-screened to the industry's recognized standard

  • Licensed Virginia Title Agent/Producer — insight into the settlement and title side most NSA courses never touch

  • Actual local market knowledge — based in Toano/Williamsburg, serving all of Hampton Roads, with firsthand understanding of the signing services and title companies operating in this specific market

  • Recognized in the community — 2022 Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce Homebased Business of the Year

  • Your time, your questions — a live 1-on-1 session built around what you actually need answered, not a fixed curriculum

Frequently Asked Questions

  • You'll need an active Virginia notary commission, NSA certification and background screening through an approved provider (such as the NNA), and E&O insurance before taking on loan signing/real estate closings.

  • Startup costs typically include your notary commission/bond, NSA certification course, background screening, E&O insurance, a notary stamp and journal, and basic marketing — most new NSAs budget a few hundred to just over a thousand dollars to get fully set up.


  • No — under Virginia's settlement agent rules, an NSA who is not a licensed settlement agent cannot handle funds in connection with a loan signing or real estate closing.

  • It varies, but most new NSAs land their first assignment within a few weeks to a couple of months of completing certification, background screening, and registering with signing services — faster with a clear outreach strategy.

  • Sessions are available as one-time consultations or booked again as you hit new milestones in your notary business — many clients return for follow-up sessions as specific questions come up.

  • Most NSA certification courses (NNA, Notary Public 101, national platforms) teach the general rules and get you certified — and that certification is still required. A strategy session is different: it's live, one-on-one time with a working Virginia Notary Signing Agent who can answer your specific questions about your situation, your market, and your business, based on real signings rather than a fixed curriculum.

  • Everything from "what's the real order of steps to get commissioned and certified" to "how do I actually get on a signing service's roster" to "am I underpricing my signings." Sessions cover certification and compliance, getting your first assignments, pricing, and long-term business building — whatever's specifically holding you up.

  • Yes. A lot of working NSAs book sessions to troubleshoot a specific problem — no signings coming in, unsure how to price a HELOC vs. a purchase, or deciding whether to add apostille or estate planning services. The session is built around your situation, not a beginner-only curriculum.

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Choose Your Session

Quick Chat (15 min) — A short call to answer a specific question or help you decide if becoming an NSA is right for you.

Strategy Session (30 min) — A focused session covering your top 1-2 priorities: certification, first signings, or business setup. Enough time to work through 1-3 questions on your list, more if time permits.

Deep Dive Session (60 min) — A full consultation to cover one specific topic in depth, or work through several questions from your list — certification, compliance, getting signings, pricing, and business building, in whatever mix fits where you are right now.