Notary Public Handbook - California Page 21
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GENERAL INFORMATION
Q. I have passed every notary public exam I have taken in the past. I even scored 100% on
my last exam. Is there any way to skip the six-hour course and take the three-hour
course instead?
A. No, the law specifically states that for appointments made on or after July 1, 2005, you
must complete a six-hour course of study approved by the Secretary of State to qualify
to become a notary public. (Government Code section 8201(a)(3))
Q. I have completed my approved six-hour course of study and received my Proof of
Completion. What do I do with it?
A. Once you have completed your six-hour course of study from an approved vendor,
staple your Proof of Completion to the application and take both with you to the exam.
Q. I have changed my business, mailing or home address, what do I do?
A. Send the Secretary of State a letter or a change of address form by certified mail within
30 days of the change. (Government Code section 8213.5)
Q. I have changed my business from one county to another, what do I do?
A.
Your commission allows you to notarize throughout the State of California, regardless
of where your oath and bond are on file. If the location of your business has changed,
you are required to send the Secretary of State an address change via certified mail
within 30 days of the change. 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 transfer your county, however 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 oath will have the name of your original county, 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 must also 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. (Government Code
sections 8213 and 8213.5)
Q. Am I required to see the person sign the document at the time I perform the notarization?
A. If you are preparing a certificate of acknowledgment, then “no.” The document can be
executed before the person brings it to you for notarization. In an acknowledgment, the
signer must personally appear before you and acknowledge that he/she executed the
document, not that they executed the document in your presence. However, when
preparing a jurat, then “yes.” The person requesting the jurat must appear before you,
take an oath, and sign the document in your presence. In addition, for both an
acknowledgment and a jurat, the notary public must certify to the identity of the signer.
(Civil Code section 1189 and Government Code section 8202)
Q. I lost my stamp or journal, what do I do?
A. Send a letter immediately by certified mail to the Secretary of State explaining what
happened and, if applicable, a photocopy of a police report. Upon written request, the
Secretary of State will send an authorization so you can have a new stamp made.
(Government Code sections 8206 and 8207.3(e))
Q. I have changed my name. What do I do?
A. Send a completed name change form to the Secretary of State and, once approved, you
will be issued an amended commission that reflects your new name. You will then 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 in order for the name change
to take effect. Within 30 days of the filing, you should obtain a new seal that reflects
the new name. Once the amended oath and bond are filed, you may no longer use the
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