2026 state guide · CA
How to become a notary in California
Quick answer
- Minimum age
- 18 years; residency and other eligibility rules below
- Required fees
- $40 + variable costs
- Exam / course
- Exam required · Training required
- Bond coverage
- $15,000 (you pay a premium, not this amount)
- Commission term
- 4 years
- Remote status
- Enacted; implementation pending
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.
Your application checklist
Work through the application in order. Check off completed steps; your progress is saved only in this browser.
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
First-time, non-attorney applicant for a traditional commission. Government appointments, attorney exemptions, renewals and remote authorization may differ.
Known required fees: $40 + variable costs
This is an itemized starting point. Blank prices are unknown, not free. Add actual quotes below; do not count a bundled fee or supply twice.
$40 · Source
Check the current SOS fee schedule; the first examination is included.
Get a quote · Source
Obtain the actual charge from your county, authority, or provider; do not assume it is included in the application fee.
Get a quote · Source
Obtain the actual charge from your county, authority, or provider; do not assume it is included in the application fee.
Get a quote · Source
Obtain the actual charge from your county, authority, or provider; do not assume it is included in the application fee.
Get a quote · Source
Price and delivery depend on the approved provider. Obtain a quote before enrolling.
Get a quote · Source
Enter the premium you pay, not the bond coverage amount. Ask whether a vendor package includes the filing fee or supplies.
Get a quote · Source
Follow the guide’s seal and recordkeeping rules; journals are mandatory in some jurisdictions and optional in others. Enter only required supplies here, without double-counting a vendor package.
Quotes stay in this page and are not sent to our analytics. Optional insurance, travel, retakes and remote authorization may add costs.
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.
Remote notarization in California
Enacted; implementation pending
The law is enacted, but the SOS implementation must be operative before California notaries can perform RON.
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.
Not available yet. California notaries may notarize electronic documents (electronic signature and seal) only with the signer physically present — remote audio-video appearance does not count under current California law.
Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.
After you're commissioned
Check your seal and recordkeeping requirements. 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
Loan signings are one possible service after commissioning — notarizing mortgage document packages for title companies. Availability depends on local demand, hiring requirements and state restrictions. 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
Use these authority pages and publications to check the requirements. Review notes identify details that still need confirmation.
- 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
The source review date covers our earlier research. Recent checks above apply only to the named topics. Requirements and charges can change; confirm the current packet with California Secretary of State — Notary Public Section.