Section 1.10 - Change of Address Procedure

A notary public is required to notify the Secretary of State in writing, by certified mail or any other means of physical delivery that provides a receipt, within 30 days of any change of business or residence address. Willful failure to notify the Secretary of State of such a change is punishable as an infraction by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500). (Government Code section 8213.5)

Upon the change of a business address, a notary public may elect to file a new oath of office and bond in the new county. However, this is optional.

Once commissioned, a notary public may perform notary public services anywhere in the state. The original oath and bond must be filed in the county where the notary public maintains their principal place of business as shown in the application filed with the Secretary of State, but is permissive as to whether or not a change of county is filed with the county after the original oath and bond have been filed should the notary public move. (Government Code section 8213)

There is no fee for the processing of address change notifications with the Secretary of State.

NOTE: To ensure proper processing, the following information must be included when submitting an address change notification:

• Name of the notary public exactly as it appears on the commission certificate;

• Commission number and expiration date of the commission;

• Whether the address change is for the business, residence, and/or for mailing purposes;

• The name of the business if the address change is for the business; and

• New business, residence, and/or mailing address.

The request should be signed and dated by the notary public. The change of address can be submitted in letter form. Alternatively, a change of address form can be obtained from the Secretary of State's website or mailed from their office to the notary upon request.