California Notary

A Site Dedicated to Helping California Notaries

Appointment and Qualifications

Notary Public Education

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All persons 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 held in the past, are required to take the initial six-hour course of study. (Government Code section 8201(a)(3) and (b))

A notary public who holds a current California notary public commission and who has completed an approved six-hour course at least one time is required to take and satisfactorily complete an approved three-hour refresher course prior to reappointment as a notary public. The three-hour refresher course can only be used to satisfy the education requirement if the notary public is applying for a new commission before their current commission has expired. If the notary public’s commission has expired, the individual must satisfactorily complete a six-hour notary public education course before being appointed for another term, even if the individual already once satisfactorily completed an approved six-hour course for a previous commission.

The Secretary of State reviews and approves courses of study. These approved courses include all the material that a person is expected to know to pass the written examination. The Secretary of State compiles a list of all vendors offering an approved course of study. This list is available on the Secretary of State’s website or can be mailed to you upon request

(Government Code section 8201.2)

Appointment and Qualifications – Convictions

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Applicants are required to disclose on their applications all arrests for which trials are pending and all convictions, including convictions that have been 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’s offce prior to signing the application. If you do not recall the specifcs 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:

  • Failure to disclose any conviction;
  • Conviction of a felony; or
  • Conviction of a disqualifying lesser offense.
    The applicant has the right to appeal the denial through the administrative hearing process. (Government Code section 8214.3) For a complete list of reasons the Secretary of State may deny an application, please refer to Government Code section 8214.1. Refer to the Secretary of State’s Notary Public Disciplinary Guidelines 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.

How to Become a California Notary Public

Appointment and Qualifications

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To become a California notary public you must meet all of the following requirements: (Government Code section 8201)
• Be a legal resident of the State of California;
• Be at least 18 years of age;
• Satisfactorily complete a course of study approved by the Secretary of State;
• Pass a written examination prescribed by the Secretary of State; and
• Pass a background check.


To determine if a person meets the requirements to fulfill the responsibilities of the position, a completed application and a 2” x 2” color passport photograph of the applicant shall be submitted at the examination site, then forwarded to the Secretary of State’s office and reviewed by Secretary of State staff for qualifying information. (Government Code section 8201.5) To assist the Secretary of State in determining the identity of an applicant and whether the applicant has been convicted of a is qualifying 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.