FAQ

After successfully passing the exam, receiving your commission can take up to eight weeks, depending on the volume of applications currently being processed.

The Proof of Completion certificate for our 6-hour notary education course is valid for two years from the date of issuance. If the certificate expires before a person seeking appointment can pass the notary public examination, that person will have to satisfactorily complete another 6-hour course.

A Proof of Completion certificate for a 3-hour refresher course is also valid for two years from the date of issuance. However, a person seeking reappointment must apply and take the notary public examination before the certificate or their notary public commission expires.

California notaries are authorized to notarize documents anywhere within the borders of the state.

If you want to insure yourself against possible legal costs or damages, you may consider purchasing a separate Errors and Omissions insurance policy. An E&O policy will cover you for legal fees and damages up to the amount of the policy. E&O policies generally also cover attorney costs, in the event you are required to defend yourself in court against a lawsuit.

California law requires you to get a $15,000 bond from a surety company authorized to do business in the state. A surety bond is a promise to pay anyone harmed if you fail to honestly, diligently, and faithfully discharge your responsibilities as a notary. Any damages paid from the bond go to cover a signer's losses, and you must pay back the surety company. The surety company may also require you to repay any costs the company incurs in defending the bond. A surety bond does not provide insurance coverage for you, but protects the public.

Once commissioned, you will need to purchase an ink stamp and a notary journal.The Secretary of State will issue a certificate authorizing you to buy your seal from a state-approved vendor like Notary Course Online.

You aren't allowed to use a seal purchased from an unauthorized source.

Every notarization you perform must be recorded in a journal. This record not only provides important information if there's any question about a notarization you performed but also provides important proof that you performed your duties properly if you are ever named in a lawsuit or accused of negligence.

Yes, all new and renewing applicants have to pass a written proctored exam. Registration details and other testing information are available on the CPS website. You can also contact them at 916-263-3520 to request more information.

The term of a notary public commission in California is four years, after which you will need to renew your commission.

The steps required to become a California notary public are listed on our website. In general, you must: 

• Complete an approved 6-hour notary public course
• Take and pass the California state notary public exam
• Complete and submit a background check
• After receiving your commission packet, order your notary stamp and supplies
• Purchase and file your oath and bond

Our 6-hour New Notary course is competitively priced at $39.99. Our 3-hour Refresher Notary course is only $29.99.

Yes, but within limits. The written request shall include the name of the parties, the type of document, and the month and year in which the document was notarized. The cost to provide the requested information must not exceed thirty cents ($0.30) per page. (Government Code, Sections 8206(c) and 8206.5) 

A notary public must respond within 15 business days of receiving a written request from any member of the public for a copy of a transaction in the notary public journal. The notary can supply either a photostatic copy of a line item from the journal or an acknowledgment that no such line item exists. 

Other requests may come not from the public but form the notary’s employer or by way of subpoena.. A notary public who is an employee shall permit inspection and copying of journal transactions by a duly designated auditor or agent of the notary public’s employer, provided that the inspection and copying is done in the presence of the notary public and the transactions are directly associated with the business purposes of the employer. The notary public, upon the request of the employer, shall regularly provide copies of all transactions that are directly associated with the business purposes of the employer, but shall not be required to provide copies of any transaction that is unrelated to the employer’s business. Confidentiality and safekeeping of any copies of the journal provided to the employer shall be the responsibility of that employer. 

The notary public shall provide the journal for examination and copying in the presence of the notary public upon receipt of a subpoena duces tecum or a court order, and shall certify those copies if requested. (Government Code, Section 8206(d).

There is no fee to request a Certificate of Authorization, and a duplicate can be obtained by written request to the Secretary of State. (California Government Code, Section 8207.3(e).) The mailing address is:

Notary Public Section
P.O. Box 942877
Sacramento, CA 94277–0001

Notary materials must be kept in a locked and secured area and are under the direct and exclusive control of the notary public: they must not be surrendered to an employer upon termination of employment, whether or not the employer paid for the seal, etc., or to any other person. Similarly, the Secretary of State issues a commission to the individual notary public for a 4-year term, without regard to who paid the application or bond fees. As a result, an employer may not retain the commission of an employee, nor the employee’s journal or seal.

If you want to resign your commission, send a letter to the Secretary of State and deliver all of your notarial records and papers to the county in which your current oath of office is on file within 30 days as well as destroy your seal. (California Government Code, Section 8209.) The mailing address is:

Notary Public Section
P.O. Box 942877
Sacramento, CA 94277–0001

If you did not file your oath and bond on time, you must reapply to become a notary public. If you are a new notary public applicant, your new notary public application must be accompanied by a current Proof of Completion certificate from an approved 6-hour notary public education course, a 2" x 2" color passport photo of yourself, and a check for $20. You also will need to submit new fingerprints via Live Scan. 

If you are a notary public seeking reappointment and took an approved 3-hour notary public refresher education course, you will now need to take an approved 6-hour course. The 3-hour course does not meet the education requirements once your current commission has expired. After doing so, you will need to send in a new application, including a current Proof of Completion certificate for an approved 6-hour notary public education course, a 2" x 2" color passport photo of yourself, and a check for $20. You also will need to submit new fingerprints via Live Scan. 

The mailing address is:

Notary Public Section
P.O. Box 942877
Sacramento, CA 94277–0001

California notaries public are authorized under current law to perform notarizations on documents electronically as long as all the requirements for a traditional, paper-based notarial act are met, including the use of a seal (an electronic software device such as Ipen), for all but two specific documents used in real estate transactions. California law requires a person to appear personally before a notary public to obtain notarial acts like acknowledgments or jurats. This means the party must be physically present before the notary public. A video image or other form of non-physical representation is not a personal appearance in front of a notary public under California State law. Further legislation regarding remote or online notarization is forthcoming, and the most current information should be obtained directly from the California Secretary of State.

If the location of your business has changed, you are required to send the Secretary of State a change of address form by certified mail, or any other means of physical delivery providing a receipt, within 30 days of the change. Please refer to the Secretary of State’s Contact Information for the proper mailing address. If the address change is for your business, please include the business name in your notification. 

If the address change includes a change of county, you may choose to file a new oath of office and bond in the county to which your business has moved. This will also require you take additional steps regarding your stamp. However, your commission allows you to notarize throughout California, regardless of where your oath and bond are on file, so a county transfer is not required. 

To file a county change, you must request an oath of office form from the Secretary of State. The form will have the name of your original county on it. However, you will take and file your oath of office in the new county, checking the county transfer box at the bottom of the oath form. You also must take a new bond or a duplicate of the original bond and file it together with your oath of office in the new county. A Certificate of Authorization to Manufacture a notary public seal will be sent to you once the Secretary of State has received and processed your oath of office filed in the new county. Your stamp must reflect the county where your most recent oath and bond are filed. (California Government Code sections 8213 and 8213.5.)

Yes, but several steps are required to do so. 

First, you will need to complete a Name Change Application through the Secretary of State. Once approved, you will be issued an amended commission that reflects your new name.

Second, for the name change to take effect, you will need to file a new oath of office and an amendment to your bond with the county clerk within 30 days from the date the amended commission was issued. 

Third, you must obtain a new seal that reflects the new name within 30 days of the filing. Once the amended oath and bond are filed, you may no longer use the commission, including the stamp, that was issued in your previous name. If you fail to file your amended oath and bond within the 30-day time limit, the name change will become void. Your commission will revert back to the previous name, and you will be required to submit another name change application. (California Government Code, Sections 8213 and 8213.6.)

To change your address, send a letter or a change of address form by certified mail, or any other means of physical delivery providing a receipt, to the Secretary of State within 30 days of the change. (California Government Code, Section 8213.5.) Please refer to the Secretary of State’s Contact Information for the proper mailing address.

Yes. Your exam results are available within 15 to 20 business days of your exam date on the CPS HR Consulting website. If you included your email address on your notary application, CPS should email you a username and password that you can use to log in and retrieve your test score. If you have taken the exam but not yet set up an online account with CPS, then you must call CPS at (916) 263-3520 to obtain the password you need for online access to your exam results.

You can download and complete the following form: https://notary.cdn.sos.ca.gov/forms/notary-seal-auth-lost-stolen.pdf

In the event of defective or missing items, please contact us at 818-433-7371 or you can email us at [email protected]. Share all the relevant details like your name, order number, explanation of your issue, and photos of the defective product. Our proficient team will assist you in resolving this issue efficiently.

Indeed! Maintaining a California notary journal is a legal requirement for notaries public in the state. The California Government Code section 8206 makes it mandatory for notaries to maintain a journal as part of their legal responsibilities.

Choosing an authentic notary supplier is crucial to ensure that your California notary supplies meet the state's requirements. As a trusted and reliable supplier, Notary Course Online stays updated on current regulations and offers supplies that align with the state standards of California.

Upon completing the notary practice exam, you will receive feedback on your performance immediately. This instant scoring feature allows you to identify your strengths and areas that may need further preparation, aiding in effective exam preparation.

Yes, absolutely! At Notary Course Online, we offer customization options. You can add certain details on your California notary stamp/seal like your name, validity date, commission number, and state as per the current state regulations.

Notary supplies are significant for notaries to carry out their official responsibilities and adhere to required procedures. Without these materials and tools, notaries would be unable to fulfill their duties, compromising the legality and integrity of the notarial process.

No. The official notary public exam is not offered online by the State of California. It is only offered in person, proctored by CPS HR Consulting. You must register with that service to take the exam at an official test site. You can find information about registering for the test at the CPS website.

The notary public’s commission is not renewable. If the you wish to be reappointed, then prior to the expiration of your 4-year commission, you need to complete a 3-hour refresher course and complete the entire application process once again, including Live Scan fingerprints. Because this process takes time, start the reappointment process about six months out from the expiration date of your current commission.

Yes. All new and renewing notaries are required to have their fingerprints taken via Live Scan and to pass a California Department of Justice and FBI background check for each commission term, regardless of having fingerprints taken in the past.

Your commission for reappointment will be issued 30 days before the expiration date of your current commission.

Yes. However, on your application, you are required to disclose all convictions, including those with charges dismissed, and all arrests for which trials are still pending. If you have any questions concerning the disclosure of convictions or arrests, contact the Secretary of State’s office before signing the application and sending it in. Failure to disclose any conviction or felony may result in the Secretary of State denying your application.

The California Notary Exam/Application fees are set by the State of California, while notary supplies and Live Scan fingerprints vary by supplier. The County Recorder filing fees will vary depending on the county. Expected costs are as follows:

• 6-Hour notary course - $39.99.
• Notary Supplies - $57 and up, depending on what supplies you purchase.
• Fingerprint Fees - $32 to the Department of Justice, and $17.00 to the FBI, plus a Live Scan fee.
• Passport Color Photograph - 2" x 2" passport-type photograph of yourself, $10 to $15
• Application/Exam Fee - $40 for first-time applicants and renewing notaries ($20 application fee and $20 State of California Exam fee).
• Notary Seal and $15,000 state required notary bond - $14 to $18 notary seal and $38 for the notary bond.
• Filing Fee - $40 to $120 County Recorder fee for filing your $15,000 bond.

Costs for supplies can vary depending on what products you buy. Our most popular supplies bundle that has everything a new notary needs costs $76.46.

The cost of a surety bond varies by company, and you should review local area providers for the best rates. A 4-year bond can typically be purchased for between $38 and $50.California notaries are required by law to purchase and maintain a $15,000 notary surety bond for their entire 4-year term of office.

You can expect to pay around $50 for Live Scan fingerprinting. Fees vary by agency, however, and you should review local area providers for the best rates. Typically, LiveScan costs between $15 and $25, plus the usual Department of Justice clearance fee of $32 and/or FBI fee of $17. Mobile services are also available for around $100.

Fingerprints must be submitted electronically through the California Department of Justice Live Scan Program. A Request for Live Scan Service form must be submitted to a Live Scan provider who in turn will electronically transmit the fingerprints to the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Please refer to the California Department of Justice website for a list of Live Scan providers.

For new applicants and reappointments, the cost of the California notary public State exam is included with the notary public application fee of $40. Candidates must have a separate check, money order, or cashier’s check, made payable to the Secretary of State.

Applicants who fail the exam can retake it for $20. For the scheduled retest, bring this fee along with your printed fail letter to the exam site.

The candidate’s name must be preprinted on the check; temporary checks are not accepted. Cash is not accepted. Receipts are available upon request at the test site.

Note: Fees are nonrefundable. One check per applicant required. No other check amounts will be accepted.‍ Checks must be current OR have a void date at least 90 days from the exam date.

We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover.

The notary public exam is a timed, multiple choice test. You have 60 minutes to answer 45 multiple-choice questions. All the material in the California Notary Public Handbook (including updates, if any) is subject to examination.

You can take the exam as many times as you need in order to pass. However, you may only take the exam once per calendar month.

Go to My Account in our online portal. Go to Certificates in the Dropdown menu, and from there you can download and print your certificate.

You will have access to the course for 24 months from the date of purchase.

Yes, you are required to complete your 6-hour training course prior to taking the in-person state exam.

To log back into your course, please click here. It will redirect you to our login page. You can access your course either with your username or the email address you used to register for the course.

Upon satisfactory completion of this approved notary public course, you will receive a Proof of Completion certificate. The Proof of Completion certificate is valid for a period of two years from the date of issuance. However, a person seeking reappointment must apply and take the notary public examination before expiration of their Proof of Completion certificate and before expiration of their notary public commission.

Yes. Please contact us for details and rates.

The administrators of the state exam require you to bring these materials with you for the exam.

A 6-hour approved notary public education course satisfies the requirement for a 3-hour refresher course and always satisfies the education requirement, regardless if you are a new applicant or applying for reappointment.

You may take the 3 hour refresher course only if you are renewing an active California notary commission and there will be no lapse between your current commission and the next one.

If your commission expires before your new commission takes effect, California requires you to complete the 6 hour course.

Every person appointed as a notary public shall:

• Be 18 years of age or older
• Be a legal California resident
• Clear a background check (Government Code, Section 8201.)
• Complete a course of study approved by the Secretary of State
• Satisfactorily complete and pass a written examination prescribed by the Secretary of State
• On our website, you can find the complete requirements for becoming a notary public.

Upon satisfactory completion of this approved notary public course, you will receive a Proof of Completion Certificate. The Certificate is valid for a period of two years from the date of issuance.

Our 6-hour Notary Course is for first-time notaries and returning notaries whose commission has expired. Our 3-Hour Renewal Notary Course is for returning notaries who have not had a lapse in their commission.

You can visit the CPS HR website (https://www.cpshr.us/notary/notary) for exam dates, times and testing locations nearest to you. You may register for a notary public exam either online or by phone up to 15 business days prior to the exam. To register by phone, please contact CPS at (916) 263-3520, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM PST. A confirmation scheduling letter will be sent to you via email or USPS, depending on how you registered. Also on the website, you may print the Notary Public Application, which you will need to complete and bring with you to the testing site. If you register by phone, you can have this application mailed to you.

If this happens, don’t worry. You can always log back into your account on our site and reprint your certificate.

Once you have successfully completed our online state certified notary course, you will be given a certificate of completion. You will need to print this certificate and take it with you to your notary public exam.

For up-to-date information about your background check, visit the California Department of Justice's Applicant Background Check Status webpage at https://applicantstatus.doj.ca.gov/. The Applicant Tracking Identifier, or ATI, number from the Request for Live Scan Service Form and your date of birth are required to perform a search.

A duplicate commission certificate can be obtained by writing to the Secretary of State. There is a fee of $10 per certificate. The Secretary of State's Notary Public Section mailing address is P.O. Box 942877, Sacramento, CA 94277–0001

$15 is the maximum a California notary public can charge for the most common notarizations, including acknowledgements, jurats, administering oaths and affirmations, and certifying a copy of a Power of Attorney or, if qualified and bonded as an immigration consultant, each set of immigration forms. Additional services have their own maximum pricing. These include $30 per deposition, $7 to administer an oath/affirmation to a witness during a deposition, $7 for the certificate to the deposition, and $0.30 per page of a copy of the notarial journal. You may not charge for notarization on voting materials or veterans’ benefits paperwork.

Yes. A California notary public can notarize a document from another state or another country as long as the proper California notary public procedures and requirements are followed.

No. To become a California notary public, you must be a resident of California. Once you have a commission, all notarial acts you perform must be within the state of California.

Certain convictions may preclude you from becoming a notary public. Please review the Secretary of State's Disciplinary Guidelines for information regarding disqualifying convictions. The Secretary of State also provides a list of common disqualifying convictions on its Become a Notary Public webpage. It is important to note that any denial of an application can be appealed.

Yes! Our system tracks your progress so that you can easily log back in and pick up where you left off.

Fingerprints must be submitted electronically through the California Department of Justice Live Scan Program. A Request for Live Scan Service form must be submitted to a Live Scan provider, who in turn will electronically transmit the fingerprints to the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Please refer to the California Department of Justice website for a list of Live Scan providers.

To avoid a break in notary public commission terms, you should take the notary public exam at least six months before your current notary public commission expires. Test results are valid for one year from the date of the examination (California Code of Regulations, Title 2, Section 20803)

Yes! We are a state certified notary public training center. Our license numbers are: #607657 for the 6-Hour course and vendor #307658 for the 3-Hour course. You can find us listed under “NotaryCourseOnline.Com” on the official SOS list of approved notary education vendors.

The Secretary of State’s processing of your application depends on when they receive your completed notary public application and your background check information from the California Department of Justice for your Live Scan fingerprints. Please refer to their Processing Times webpage for daily updated processing information.

The notary bond protects the public. If the surety company makes a payment on your claim, you are required to pay the company back. Notary Errors and Omissions Insurance helps you do this by paying your claim and legal expenses up to your policy limit, and you don't have to pay a deductible. Plus, it provides you with expert legal defense at no extra cost. 

You should receive your commission packet with the included Certificate of Authorization approximately 6 to 10 weeks after successfully passing the exam. It is sent separately from test results. You may inquire about the status of a pending application at the Business Programs Division of the Secretary of State at 916-653-3595. You can also check the Secretary of State “active-notary.txt file,” which is updated each business day, to see if your name and commission start date are listed.

To avoid processing errors or delays, the Secretary of State recommends typing your information into their fillable PDF application online and using the drop down choices where applicable (Form SOS/NP-30 (REV 02/2024)). It's important to note that you cannot sign this form electronically. You must print it single-sided and handwrite your signature in pen.

The results of your exam are issued to you and to the Secretary of State, and you should receive them no later than two weeks following the exam. You can also contact Cooperative Personnel Services, who is in charge of administering the test, to request the information.

Yes. Please follow this link to see the supplies we offer: https://notarycourseonline.com/supplies/

The California notary public exam consists of 45 multiple-choice questions and is one hour long.

No. The State requires that the exam is taken in person at a proctored location. You can learn more here: https://notarycourseonline.com/steps-to-become-a-notary/

This course comes with a practice test you can use to review what you have learned and is the best way to prepare yourself for the notary public state exam.