How to Become a Notary in California (2026): Requirements, Cost & Steps
Quick answer
- Who qualifies
- 18+ · You must be a legal California resident and at least 18
- Total cost
- About $100–$300 (estimate — breakdown below)
- Exam / course
- Exam and course required
- Bond
- Yes — $15,000 surety bond
- Commission term
- 4 years
- Online notarization
- Not authorized
Requirements verified July 18, 2026 against California Secretary of State — Notary Public Section
California has the toughest path in the country: a mandatory six-hour course, a proctored written exam (70 to pass), Live Scan fingerprints, a $40 application fee, and a $15,000 bond you must file with your county clerk within 30 days. Plan on a few hundred dollars and several months; the commission lasts four years.
California makes you earn this commission. It's the only big state that stacks all of it: a mandatory six-hour course, a proctored exam with a 70 passing score, Live Scan fingerprints for a DOJ/FBI background check, a $15,000 bond, a required seal from an authorized manufacturer, and a mandatory sequential journal. Even the paperwork is choreographed — you hand in the application, course certificate, passport photo, and $40 fee at the exam site itself.
The practical path: course, exam through CPS HR Consulting, fingerprints, then wait for your commission packet. Expect a few hundred dollars total and a few months elapsed. The trap to respect is the 30-day rule — once your commission term starts, you have exactly 30 calendar days to file your oath and bond with your county clerk, or the commission is void and there are no exceptions.
Two more things set California apart. Fees are capped at $15 per signature, so the real money is in signing services, not stamps. And remote online notarization still isn't live here: the 2023 Online Notarization Act doesn't switch on until the Secretary of State completes its technology build, with January 1, 2030 as the legal deadline.
Who can become a notary in California?
- Age: at least 18 years old.
- Residency: You must be a legal California resident and at least 18. There is no non-resident commission.
- Background: Every applicant is fingerprinted via Live Scan for a DOJ/FBI background check (Government Code 8201.1). You must disclose all arrests with pending trials and all convictions — including ones that were dismissed. The Secretary of State's disqualifying-convictions rules bar many felonies (roughly a 10-year lookback after probation ends) and certain misdemeanors like fraud, theft, and forgery (roughly 5 years). Failing to disclose is itself grounds for denial.
- A 2" x 2" color passport photo must be submitted with your application at the exam site.
How to apply: step by step
- Take a six-hour notary education course from a Secretary of State-approved vendor and keep the Proof of Completion certificate (valid for the application).
- Register for the written exam with CPS HR Consulting (notary.cpshr.us or 916-263-3520), which administers the exam for the Secretary of State.
- Take the proctored exam. Bring your completed application form, your course Proof of Completion, a 2" x 2" color passport photo, a current photo ID, and a $40 check or money order payable to the Secretary of State. A score of 70 or higher passes.
- Submit fingerprints via Live Scan after passing (the state mails instructions). The Live Scan site charges DOJ/FBI processing plus a rolling fee — costs vary by location.
- Wait for your commission packet from the Secretary of State once the background check clears.
- Buy your official seal from an authorized manufacturer (using the seal authorization in your packet) and a sequential journal — both are legally required.
- Within 30 calendar days of your commission start date, take, subscribe, and file your oath of office and your $15,000 surety bond with the county clerk in the county of your principal place of business. Miss the 30 days and the commission never takes effect — no exceptions, even for mail delays.
How long it takes: No official end-to-end estimate. Between course scheduling, exam dates, exam results, Live Scan, background review, the commission packet, and county filing, applicants commonly need a few months from start to first notarization — check current Secretary of State processing times.
What it costs in California
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| State application fee | $40 | The Secretary of State's current fee schedule lists $40 for a new or reappointing commission application, paid by check or money order at the exam site (the January 2026 handbook still shows $20 — go by the fee page and confirm when you register). All-in, most people spend a few hundred dollars once the course, Live Scan, bond, county filing, seal, and journal are counted. |
| Surety bond ($15,000 coverage) | Premium varies by vendor | You pay a small one-time premium, not the full bond amount. A $15,000 surety bond for the four-year term, filed together with your oath of office at the county clerk's office within 30 calendar days of the commission start date — in the county of your principal place of business. The bond is not insurance for you: the surety can recover from you anything it pays out, and you stay personally liable beyond $15,000. |
| Required course | Varies by provider | A six-hour Secretary of State-approved course is mandatory before appointment — for everyone, no matter how many terms they've held. Renewing notaries who apply and pass the exam before their commission expires may qualify with an approved three-hour refresher instead; if the commission lapses first, it's back to the six-hour course. |
| Exam | See notes | Yes — a proctored written exam administered by CPS HR Consulting for the Secretary of State. A score of 70 or higher is required. You hand in your application, course certificate, photo, and $40 fee at the exam site. Retakes cost $20. |
| Six-hour approved course | price set by private vendors (commonly tens of dollars to around $100). | |
| Exam retake | $20. | |
| Live Scan fingerprints | varies by site (DOJ/FBI processing plus the operator's rolling fee). | |
| $15,000 bond premium | set by sureties, typically modest for the four-year term. | |
| County clerk fee to file the oath and bond (varies by county). | — | |
| Seal from an authorized manufacturer and a sequential journal. | — | |
| Stamp & journal | $20–$60 (typical retail) | Estimate across major suppliers — see our supplies checklist. |
| Realistic total (estimate) | About $100–$300 |
Exam and training
Exam: Yes — a proctored written exam administered by CPS HR Consulting for the Secretary of State. A score of 70 or higher is required. You hand in your application, course certificate, photo, and $40 fee at the exam site. Retakes cost $20.
Required course: A six-hour Secretary of State-approved course is mandatory before appointment — for everyone, no matter how many terms they've held. Renewing notaries who apply and pass the exam before their commission expires may qualify with an approved three-hour refresher instead; if the commission lapses first, it's back to the six-hour course.
Can you notarize online in California? RON not authorized
No — California has not authorized its notaries to perform remote online notarization. The Online Notarization Act (SB 696, Chapter 291, Statutes of 2023) became law January 1, 2024, but the remote-online provisions only become operative when the Secretary of State certifies its technology project is complete, or by January 1, 2030, whichever comes first. Until then, California notaries cannot perform RON; check the SOS site for program updates.
Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.
After you're commissioned
Get your stamp and journal. Must be photographically reproducible (rubber stamps are near-universal; an embosser may be used in addition). Required elements: the State Seal, the words 'Notary Public', your name as commissioned, the county where your oath and bond are filed, your commission expiration date, your commission number, and the seal manufacturer's ID. Shape: circular up to 2" diameter or rectangular up to 1" x 2.5" with a serrated or milled border. Only authorized manufacturers may make it, and it must stay under your exclusive control — your employer never gets to keep it. A sequential journal, kept locked, is also mandatory. See the new-notary supplies checklist and California stamp requirements before you order.
What you can charge: California caps notary fees at $15 per signature for an acknowledgment. Government Code 8211: $15 per signature for acknowledgments or proofs, $15 per person for an oath/affirmation with jurat, and $30 for deposition services. Charging is optional and many employers require employee-notaries to charge nothing, but you may never exceed the caps.
E&O insurance: Optional. Because the bond only protects the public and the surety bills you back, many California notaries carry E&O insurance — especially loan-signing agents handling high-value documents.
Earning more with your commission
Most new notaries who turn the commission into real income do it through loan signings — notarizing mortgage document packages for title companies. If that interests you, start with what a loan signing agent actually does and earns. Loan signing agent guide
California notary FAQ
How hard is the California notary exam?
It's a proctored, closed-book written exam run by CPS HR Consulting, and you need a score of 70 or better. The mandatory six-hour course covers everything tested, and the Secretary of State publishes a sample workbook. If you fail, a retake costs $20 — but you can only test once per calendar month.
What happens if I miss the 30-day oath and bond deadline?
Your commission never takes effect. California gives you 30 calendar days from the commission start date to file your oath and $15,000 bond with the county clerk, and the state makes no exceptions — not even for mail delays. New applicants who miss it must start the application process over, so calendar this the day your packet arrives.
How much does it cost to become a California notary in total?
Budget a few hundred dollars: the $40 application/exam fee, a six-hour course from a private vendor, Live Scan fingerprint fees that vary by site, the bond premium, a county filing fee, plus the required seal and journal. It's the most expensive standard path of any large state, mostly because of the course, exam, and fingerprinting.
Can California notaries do remote online notarization (RON)?
Not yet. SB 696 authorized online notarization in 2023, but the remote provisions only switch on when the Secretary of State finishes the required technology project — with a legal deadline of January 1, 2030. Until then, signers must appear in person, even for electronic documents.
How much can I charge per notarization in California?
Up to $15 per signature for acknowledgments and $15 per jurat. At those caps, single notarizations don't add up fast — which is why many California notaries pursue loan-signing work, where the escrow process generates full document packages and travel fees are negotiated separately.
Official sources
Every requirement on this page traces to one of these official sources.
- Become a Notary Public (qualifications) — California Secretary of State
- New Notary Checklist — California Secretary of State
- Notary Forms, Services, and Fees — California Secretary of State
- Notary Public Handbook (January 2026) — California Secretary of State
- Notary Frequently Asked Questions — California Secretary of State