AnalysisSenate Bill 294 updates Connecticut’s apostille process. New Section 11 is the centerpiece: it formally defines “apostille,” “authentication,” and “Hague Convention,” and authorizes the Secretary of the State to issue apostilles and authentications in electronic format unless prohibited by the Hague Convention or federal law. The Act expressly provides that an electronic apostille or authentication carries the same legal force and effect as its paper counterpart and that the $40 fee (or $15 for child-adoption-related documents) applies regardless of format. The Secretary is also empowered to adopt regulations governing electronic issuance procedures.
Senate Bill 294 makes two notable changes to Notary law. First, Section § 3-94m has been amended to grant the Secretary of the State explicit rulemaking authority to adopt regulations specifying the processes and procedures for warning, reprimanding, suspending, or revoking a Notary’s commission, a provision that formalizes and adds due-process structure to the disciplinary framework. Second, the maximum Notary fee has been doubled from $5 to $10 per notarial act and the former flat 35-cents-per-mile travel fee has been replaced with a variable rate tied to the IRS business standard mileage rate, ensuring the travel fee keeps pace with actual costs without requiring future legislative action and providing meaningful economic relief to Notaries Public whose fees had not been updated in years.
The bill takes effect on various dates: The rulemaking authority for administrative action against a Notary commission and apostille provisions take effect immediately. The Notary fee increase takes effect July 1, 2026.
Read Senate Bill 294.