New York · Surety Bond Resource Center

New York surety bonds

New York’s published statewide license bonds concentrate at the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Financial Services. Motor vehicle dealers file Form VS-3 under Vehicle and Traffic Law § 415(6-b) using DMV’s $20,000, $50,000, or $100,000 amounts. Mortgage brokers and mortgage bankers keep separate DFS sureties sized from annual Volume of Operations Report data. Money transmitters post a half-million-dollar New York instruments bond under Banking Law Article 13-B, with a higher traveler’s-check amount when that product is sold. Public adjusters file a one-thousand-dollar Insurance Law § 2108 bond. New York does not require a notary surety, and this hub does not treat city collection licenses or local contractor registrations as statewide instruments.

Browse New York bonds

Surety bond certificate and license approval illustration

New York at a glance

Motor vehicle dealer: $20,000 / $50,000 / $100,000
Mortgage broker: $10,000–$100,000
Mortgage banker: $50,000–$500,000
Money transmitter: $500,000+
Public adjuster: $1,000

How it works in this state

How New York bonding is organized

How New York organizes these bonds

Dealer registration is a DMV Vehicle Safety program: the sealed VS-3 bond must match the facility application name and address before Albany forwards the file for inspection. Residential mortgage companies answer to DFS on NMLS, with broker amounts tied to application counts and banker amounts tied to New York loans closed. Money-transmission licenses under Banking Law Article 13-B require a surety bond in the superintendent’s form, starting at five hundred thousand dollars for New York instruments. Public adjusters upload a one-thousand-dollar bond with Acknowledgements and power of attorney when applying through DFS.

What this hub does not treat as statewide license bonds

Notaries public are commissioned by the Department of State without a statutory surety. Credit services businesses under General Business Law Article 28-BB are regulated on contracts and advance fees, but no statewide CSO surety was verified for publication. Debt-collection bonding that exists today is municipal (for example New York City’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection license), not a single statewide collection-license amount. There is no statewide general-contractor license surety; local registration and project contract bonds stay outside this Resource Center. Individual mortgage loan originator bonds under 3 NYCRR Part 420 are separate person-level instruments and are not published as company guides here.

New York bond directory

Find your bond requirement

These guides cover license and permit bonds with verified educational content. Your agency notice or application checklist is always the final authority.

BondAgencyCommon amountHow you file

Who sets the requirement?

New York licensing agencies

Each agency below sets its own bond requirement. Open the related guide for amounts and filing steps.

New York State DMV — Vehicle Safety / Dealers

Registers motor vehicle dealers and receives Form VS-3 sureties under VTL § 415(6-b).

Open related guide →

DFS — Mortgage broker registration

Registers mortgage brokers under Banking Law Article 12-D and receives § 410.14 sureties.

Open related guide →

DFS — Mortgage banker licensing

Licenses mortgage bankers under Banking Law Article 12-B and receives § 410.8 sureties.

Open related guide →

DFS — Money transmitters

Licenses money transmitters under Banking Law Article 13-B and receives Part 406 sureties.

Open related guide →

DFS — Public insurance adjusters

Licenses public adjusters and receives the $1,000 Insurance Law § 2108 bond.

Open related guide →

Before you apply

Confirm these details from the agency notice

Bring these five items when you request a bond. For the full checklist, see how to read a bond requirement.

1
Match the licensed name exactly
DMV rejects dealer bonds when the business name or mailing address differs from the VS-1 facility application. DFS mortgage and money-transmitter filings must match NMLS legal and DBA names.
2
Confirm the activity-based amount
Dealer, mortgage broker, and mortgage banker amounts move with prior-year sales, applications, or New York loans closed. Order the amount that matches the current DMV or VOOR tier—not a guess.
3
Use the agency bond form
Dealers need DMV Form VS-3 with power of attorney. Mortgage companies and money transmitters use DFS/NMLS bond forms. Public adjusters upload bond, Acknowledgements, and power of attorney with the license packet.

Learn more about surety bonds

Universal surety concepts explained once—linked here instead of repeated on every state or bond page.

Frequently asked questions

Does New York require a notary public surety bond?

No. Executive Law notary commissioning through the Department of State does not include a statutory surety. Some employers still ask for errors-and-omissions insurance, which is separate from a license bond.

Is there a statewide New York contractor license bond?

No statewide general-contractor or trade-board license surety was verified for this hub. Cities and counties may require their own registration bonds, and public projects can still need separate payment or performance bonds.

Do mortgage brokers and mortgage bankers use the same bond?

No. Brokers follow the application-count schedule in 3 NYCRR § 410.14 (up to $100,000). Bankers follow the New York loans-closed dollar schedule in § 410.8 (up to $500,000). Dual authority needs both instruments.

Start your New York bond application

New York will be preselected in the application. Choose the bond type on the next step—we verify the current agency form before anything is issued.

Start a bond application

Last verified 2026-08-11. Official sources are retained with this guide and checked before publication.

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Need help matching a New York agency notice to the correct bond form? Our surety team can review the requirement with you.

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