Section 1.4 - Notary Application
To determine if a person meets the requirements to fulfill the responsibilities of the position, a current notary application form must be completed. Applications are available from the Secretary of State website.
Along with the notary application, every notary applicant must submit a 2" x 2" color passport photograph of himself/herself to the Secretary of State. In addition, when completing the notary address section of the application, the applicant should be mindful of the fact that a California notary may not use a commercial mail receiving agency or post office box as his or her principal place of business or residence unless the notary provides the Secretary of State with a physical street address as the principal place of residence. (Government Code section 8213.5)
Applicants are required to disclose any arrest for an offense for which trial is pending and all convictions on their applications, including convictions 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 prior to signing the application. If you do not recall the specifics about your arrest(s) and/or conviction(s), you can contact the California Department of Justice.
The Secretary of State may deny an application for the following reasons (Government Code section 8214.1 and the Notary Public Disciplinary Guidelines (2012)):
Failure to disclose any conviction;
Conviction of a felony;
Conviction of a disqualifying misdemeanor where not more than 10 years have passed since the completion of probation; or
Commission of an act in violation of California Penal Code section 487a(a).
When an application is denied, the applicant has the right to appeal the decision through the administrative hearing process. (Government Code section 8214.3)
Please refer to the Secretary of State's Notary Public Disciplinary Guidelines (2012) 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 from their office upon request. The California Secretary of State website and mailing addresses can be found at www.Readysetnotarize.net
The completed application shall be submitted at the examination site, then forwarded to the Office of the Secretary of State, where it will be reviewed by Secretary of State staff for qualifying information.