Notary Public
Working as a notary public
Working as a notary public, either in a self-employment capacity, or while working for an employer, you are given an oath of office. The job of a notary public must be taken as seriously as any other job requiring an oath of office, failure to do this can cause anything from a decommission to jail time.
Before you can be commissioned as a California notary, make sure you meet the following requirements:
- be 18 years of age or older (there is no maximum age set by statute)
- be a legal California resident
- complete a course of study approved by the Secretary of State
- satisfactorily complete and pass a written examination prescribed by the Secretary of State
- clear a background check
Fees: You will spend approximately $344.00 to complete the process. Payments are made to different entities as you go through the step, see below.
- Class – Complete Sign Online Course – $64.00
- State Exam – Secretary of State – $40.00
- 15 Thousand Dollar Bond – Bond Company – 38.00
- Fingerprinting for DOJ & FBI – $74.00 (part of fee to DOJ/FBI and the retail store that scans your fingerprints.)
- Commission and Bond Filing – Your County Clerk – $63.00
- Seal – must be from an approved California State Vendor – $25.00 – $28.00
- Journal – retail store (must meet requirements as stated in the course.) $25.00 – $45.00
- Thumbprint Ink Pad – retail store – $15.00 – $20.00
In any capacity you work as a notary, you will take an oath of office, to, “solemnly declare that you will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California, and that you will to the best of your ability, faithfully discharge the duties of the office.
Working as a notary, you must be detailed, patient, inquisitive, and be highly confidential with your clients. It is important to ask questions and listen closely to the signer and any person who accompanies the signer. Listen to them and to the conversations between them. This is where you will be able to identify if someone is being pushed into signing, having second thoughts, or they do not know what or why they are signing. A very common document is a POA. Many senior citizens will come in with a power of attorney, accompanied by one of their children or other family members. Even though it seems legitimate, if the signer is confused, your best and safest course of action is to decline and suggest they should hire an attorney.
Notaries are required within certain occupations and some employers will want you to receive a license to assist the company with their standard documents. Other establishments that might require you to have a notary license can be retail like, office service, and shipping stores to help their customers notarize many different documents.
Generally for assisting an employer to notarize documents, you will most likely be notarizing the same type of documents on a regular basis. As an example, for a contractor, the company might have to pull permits that need notarized. It is a good idea to have a notary on staff for that. Being a notary for a bank you will see different documents, but mostly financial documents that their customers need. Retail places like shipping and office supplies usually offer notary services. Being a notary in one of these establishments, you will see a variety of documents, as there are too many to mention in this short paragraph. These types of business will definitely give you excellent experience working as a notary!
Working as a Mobile Notary and Loan Signing Agent
If you are interested in working as a Mobile Notary, you will most likely want to work as a Loan Signing Agent. This work can be done as a side job or you can make it a full time self employed position. Is all up to you. Working as a mobile notary can be a profitable venture, but you must know your costs and the tools required to start. Our loan signing class will inform you of the costs that are associated with signings and you have to decide what kind of fee you want to charge. Many signing companies will offer a fee to you, and it is your choice to negotiate or accept their offer.
Aside from the regular tasks you must do to notarize documents, below is a list of a few things you should do for every notarization you complete. These tips incorporated into your routine as a notary can help identify any possible problems with any type of notarization.
Listen closely. If you hear any comments coming from the client indicating they don’t know what or why they are signing or why they are at a notary’s office, decline to notarize and suggest they hire an attorney.
Small talk with your signers to get a feel of their demeanor.
Always keep your journal and signers information secure and out of site of others.
Make sure you look through the complete document, but always let your customer know it is part of the procedure of a notary. Let them know that you are not just being nosey, the procedure is to protect them as well as a required task of any California Notary.
Have a hotline or another knowledgeable notary available to help you if needed, also keep the California State Notary handbook close by to refer to.
Look at the certificate to make sure you write the proper name of the signer as it is printed on the document. Make sure you identify which space the signers name goes and where the notary’s name is placed.
Make sure you sign your name on the certificate, the exact way you signed your name when you filed your oath. See example below:
A notary public must file an oath of office and bond with the county clerk’s office in the county where their principal place of business is located. When you file your oath and bond, it requires your signature. That document signature is what is on file in the county clerks office. This signature must match exactly as you signed it on all of your notarial certificates.
Example: Seal reads – Maddie L Notary – Commission reads – Maddie L Notary
Maddie signed her oath and bond as, Maddie Notary – This is how Maddie will sign every certificate. Signing with the middle initial will cause a rejection.
Some other suggestions that will be very helpful is setting some time aside on a weekly basis to study up on the following skills and procedures.
Brush up on customer service and people skills.
Keeping up with notary education is very helpful and taking extended courses. Read articles, blogs and other notary resources.
Learning and identifying different documents, identification, and certificates.
Practice filling out notary certificates.
Check out the notary social media, facebook, instagram, notary blogs and network with notaries in your area.
