Notary Filings

Filing the Notary oath and bond must occur in the county where the Notary maintains his/her principal place of business. Upon successful completion of the California Secretary of State required Notary testing, present the following to the County Clerk-Recorder within 30 days of the Commission date:

• Bond in the amount of $15,000
• A filing fee of $30
• Photo identification
• Recording fees for the bond - $15 for the first page plus $3 for each additional page
• State Commission
• Two copies of the Oath of Office

Legibility of Seal

"The seal of every notary public shall be affixed by a seal press or stamp … which legibly reproduces under photographic methods the required elements of the seal" (GC 8207). "The seal should not be placed over signatures or over any printed matter on the document" (Notary Public Handbook).

Non-Reproducible Seal

"A notary acknowledgment shall be deemed complete for recording purposes without a photographically reproducible official seal of the notary public if the seal, as described in Section 8207, is present and legible, and the name of the notary, the county of the notary's principal place of business, the notary's telephone number, the notary's registration number, and the notary's commission expiration date are typed or printed in a manner that is photographically reproducible below, or immediately adjacent to, the notary's signature in the acknowledgment" (GC 27201.5[a]).

Correcting a Certificate

Although California Notaries may correct an error on a notarial certificate at the time of the notarial act, while the document signer is still in their presence, "there are no provisions in the law that allow for the correction of a completed notarial act. If you discover an error in a notarial act after completing the act, then notarize the signature on the document again" (Notary News, 2014 and 2016).