Notary Public Handbook - California Page 7
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GENERAL INFORMATION
APPOINTMENT AND QUALIFICATIONS
In order to qualify to become a notary public you must meet all of the following requirements:
(Government Code section 8201)
1. Be a resident of the State of California;
2. Be at least 18 years of age;
3. Satisfactorily complete a course of study approved by the Secretary of State;
4. Pass a written examination prescribed by the Secretary of State;
5. Be able to read, write, and understand English; and
6. Pass a background check.
To determine if a person meets the requirements to fulfill the responsibilities of the position,
a completed application shall be submitted at the examination site, then forwarded to the
Office of the Secretary of State and reviewed by Secretary of State staff for qualifying
information.
To assist the Secretary of State in determining the identity of an applicant and whether the
applicant has been convicted of a disqualifying crime, state law requires all applicants to be
fingerprinted as part of a thorough background check prior to being granted an appointment
as a notary public. (Government Code section 8201.1) Information concerning the
fingerprinting requirements will be mailed to candidates who pass the examination.
Commissioned notaries seeking reappointment with less than a six-month break in service are
not required to have their fingerprints retaken. Those applicants who have held a notary public
commission in the past, but have had a break in their commission of more than six months, are
required to have their fingerprints submitted via live scan.
Convictions
Applicants are required to disclose arrests for which trials are pending and all convictions
on their applications, including convictions dismissed under Penal Code section 1203.4 or
1203.4a. If you have any questions concerning the disclosure of convictions or arrests, contact
the Secretary of State prior to signing the application. If you do not recall the specifics about
your arrest(s) and/or conviction(s), you can contact the California Department of Justice at
(916) 227-3849.
The Secretary of State may deny an application for the following reasons: (Government
Code section 8214.1 and the Notary Public Disciplinary Guidelines (2001))
- Failure to disclose any conviction;
- Conviction of a felony; or
- Conviction of a disqualifying misdemeanor when less than 10 years have passed since
the completion of probation.
The applicant has the right to appeal the denial through the administrative hearing process.
(Government Code section 8214.3)
Please refer to the Secretary of State’s Notary Public Disciplinary Guidelines (2001), for a
list of the most common disqualifying convictions. The disciplinary guidelines are available
on the Secretary of State’s website or can be mailed to you upon request. Please refer to the
inside front cover of this handbook for our website and mailing addresses.
Notary Public Education
All persons appointed on or after July 1, 2005, are required to take and satisfactorily complete
a six-hour course of study approved by the Secretary of State prior to appointment as a notary
public. Please note that all persons being appointed, no matter how many commission terms
that person has held in the past, are required to take the initial six-hour course of study.
(Government Code section 8201(a)(3) and (b)) In addition, the Secretary of State reviews and
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