Misconduct + Fees
37-38%of exam
Acts + Documentation
30%of exam
Administrative Procedures
12-13%of exam
Identity + Witnesses
10%of exam
Immigration + Language
10%of exam
Quick Facts
- Exam
- CA Notary
- Owner
- California SOS
- Vendor
- CPS HR
- Questions
- 45 items
- Scored
- 40 scored
- Time
- 1 hour
- Pass
- Scaled 70
- Fee
- $40 application
- Retake
- $20 exam
- Term
- 4 years
- Bond
- $15,000
Fee Zeroes
Votes and veterans are zero
Voting materials: $0Veterans benefits: $0
Interest vs Role
Direct interest
- Named principal
- Real property party
- Refuse act
Employee role
- Agent capacity
- Escrow role
- May notarize
Beneficiary vs employee
Refusal Picker
- Signer absent→Refuse(No appearance)
- Signer coerced→Refuse(Not willing)
- Signer confused→Refuse(No awareness)
- Document blank→Refuse(Incomplete)
- Notary named party→Refuse(Direct interest)
- Legal advice requested→Refer attorney
Fee Schedule
- Acknowledgment
- $15 per signature
- Proof
- $15 per signature
- Oath
- $15 each
- Jurat
- $15 each
- Deposition
- $30 service
- Depo oath
- $7 extra
- Depo cert
- $7 extra
- POA copy
- $15
- Voting materials
- $0
- Veterans benefit
- $0
Prohibited Acts
- Legal advice
- Attorney work
- Document choice
- Attorney work
- Incomplete doc
- Refuse
- Absent signer
- Refuse
- Own signature
- Refuse
- Direct interest
- Refuse
- Vital record
- Cannot certify
- Backdating
- False certificate
Penalties
- False acknowledgment
- $10,000 max
- Thumbprint failure
- $2,500 max
- Seal violation
- $1,500 max
- Address failure
- $500 max
- Name failure
- $500 max
- Improper coercion
- Misdemeanor
- Journal failure
- Misdemeanor
- Perjury
- Felony risk
Journal Core
Date, type, doc, signer, ID, fee
Date/timeAct typeInstrumentSigner signatureID evidenceFee
Acknowledgment vs Jurat
Acknowledgment
- Execution admitted
- No oath
- May be pre-signed
Jurat
- Oath required
- Sign before notary
- Truth sworn
Admit vs swear
Act Picker
- Signer admits execution→Acknowledgment(No oath)
- Sworn written statement→Jurat(Sign here)
- Oral truth promise→Oath/Affirmation(No document)
- Principal absent→Proof(Witness route)
- POA copy needed→Copy certification
- Vital record copy→Refuse(Registrar only)
- Electronic record printout→Custodian jurat
- Incomplete document→Refuse(Face incomplete)
Notarial Acts
- Acknowledgment
- Execution admitted
- Jurat
- Sworn signature
- Oath
- Truth promise
- Affirmation
- Secular oath
- Proof
- Subscribing witness
- POA copy
- Allowed certification
- Deposition
- Oath plus certificate
- Protest
- Financial institution only
Oath vs Affirmation
Oath
- Religious tone
- Truth promise
Affirmation
- Secular promise
- Same legal effect
Words differ; duty same
Certificate Rules
- Venue
- State and county
- Date
- Actual act date
- Signature
- Notary handwriting
- Seal
- Official seal
- Boxed notice
- Identity only
- Capacity
- Do not certify
- False facts
- $10,000 penalty
- Wrong wording
- Redo act
Seal vs Journal
Seal
- Certificate authentication
- Locked control
- Destroy when invalid
Journal
- Act record
- One active
- County clerk after end
Mark vs record
Journal
- Count
- One active journal
- Storage
- Locked and secured
- Control
- Direct exclusive control
- Date/time
- Required entry
- Act type
- Required entry
- Instrument
- Character required
- Signer
- Signature required
- Fee
- Required entry
- Public copy
- 15 business days
- Copy fee
- $0.30 per page
POA Copy vs Vital
POA copy
- Notary may certify
- Probate Code
- $15 fee
Vital record
- Notary cannot certify
- Registrar only
- County recorder
Power allowed; vital banned
Thumbprints
- Deed
- Thumbprint required
- Quitclaim
- Thumbprint required
- Deed trust
- Thumbprint required
- Real property
- Thumbprint required
- POA
- Thumbprint required
- Trustee deed
- Exception
- Reconveyance
- Exception
- Missing thumbprint
- $2,500 penalty
Seal
- Image
- Photographically reproducible
- Words
- Notary Public
- Name
- Commission name
- County
- Oath filing county
- Expiration
- Required element
- Commission no.
- Required element
- Vendor no.
- Required element
- Circle
- 2 inch max
- Rectangle
- 1 x 2.5 max
- Control
- Locked exclusive
Exam Buckets
M-A-A-I-I: 15,12,5,4,4
Misconduct: 15Acts: 12Admin: 5Identity: 4Immigration: 4
Bond vs E&O
Bond
- Required
- Protects public
- $15,000
E&O
- Optional
- Protects notary
- Insurance policy
Public vs notary
Deadline Picker
- Commission begins→File oath/bond(30 days)
- Address changes→Notify SOS(30 days)
- Name changes→Amend oath/bond(30 days)
- Records requested→Respond to SOS(30 days)
- Journal copy requested→Provide line item(15 business days)
- Journal lost→Notify SOS(Immediately)
- Seal lost→Notify SOS(Immediately)
- Commission invalid→Deliver records(30 days)
Exam Facts
- Format
- Closed-book MCQ
- Total
- 45 items
- Scored
- 40 items
- Pretest
- 5 unscored
- Time
- 1 hour
- Pass
- Scaled 70
- Retest
- Once monthly
- Results
- 15-20 business days
30-Day Clock
Bond, address, name, records
Oath/bond filingAddress noticeName amendmentEnd records
Exam Weights
- Misconduct
- 15 scored
- Acts
- 12 scored
- Admin
- 5 scored
- Identity
- 4 scored
- Immigration
- 4 scored
- Handbook
- All testable
Eligibility
- Age
- 18 or older
- Residence
- Legal CA resident
- Course
- Approved SOS course
- New course
- Six hours
- Current renewal
- Three-hour refresher
- Expired renewal
- Six-hour course
- Exam
- Written exam
- Background
- DOJ and FBI
Commission Path
- Application
- $40 at exam
- Photo
- 2x2 color
- Live Scan
- After pass
- Commission
- Four-year term
- Bond
- $15,000 official
- Oath
- County clerk
- Filing
- Within 30 days
- Seal
- After authorization
ID Elements
Photo, description, signature, serial
PhotoPhysical descriptionSignatureSerial number
One vs Two Witnesses
One witness
- Known to notary
- Knows signer
- Neutral witness
Two witnesses
- Notary needn't know
- Both show ID
- Both sign journal
Known one; unknown two
Identity Picker
- Acceptable ID present→Paper ID(Record details)
- US passport card→Accept(Passport ID)
- No signer ID→Credible witness
- One witness→Known to notary
- Two witnesses→Witness IDs
- Personal knowledge only→Reject(Need evidence)
- Witness has interest→Reject(Not neutral)
- ID lacks signature→Reject(Incomplete ID)
Identity Evidence
- Rule
- Satisfactory evidence
- ID age
- Current or 5 years
- CA DL
- Allowed ID
- CA ID
- Allowed ID
- US passport
- Book or card
- Inmate ID
- Custody-specific
- Military ID
- Allowed if complete
- Tribal ID
- Federally recognized
ID Elements
- Photo
- Required element
- Description
- Required element
- Signature
- Required element
- Serial
- Required element
- Consular ID
- Allowed if complete
- Foreign passport
- Allowed if complete
- Other-state DL
- Allowed if complete
- CA employee ID
- Allowed if complete
Credible Witnesses
- One witness
- Personally known notary
- Two witnesses
- Notary needn't know
- Witness ID
- Paper ID required
- Signer known
- Witness knows signer
- No signer ID
- Witness route
- No interest
- Witness neutral
- Witness oath
- Required statement
- Journal
- Witness details
Electronic vs RON
Electronic
- Allowed now
- Physical presence
- Paper rules apply
RON
- Not yet authorized
- Audio-video
- NAP 2.0 launch
E-sign vs remote
Immigration Language
- Immigration forms
- Not prohibited
- Form help
- Attorney/consultant only
- Form fee
- $15 per set
- Non-English ad
- Notice required
- Notario
- Spanish translation banned
- Legal advice
- Never allowed
- Foreign doc
- May notarize
- Interpreter
- Avoid for act
E-Notary RON
- Electronic notarization
- Allowed now
- Paper rules
- Still apply
- Physical presence
- Still required
- Seal
- Still required
- Thumbprint
- If required
- RON
- Not yet authorized
- NAP 2.0
- Launch trigger
- 2030
- Outer date
Common Traps
Score vs percent
Scaled 70 ≠ Not raw percent
Appearance vs video
Physical appearance now ≠ RON not yet
Identity vs truth
Verify signer identity ≠ Not document truth
Personal knowledge trap
Knowledge alone fails ≠ Use satisfactory evidence
Journal vs employer
Notary owns journal ≠ Employer never owns
Seal vs employer
Notary owns seal ≠ Employer never keeps
POA vs vital copy
POA copy allowed ≠ Vital copy refused
Notario vs notice
Notice still required ≠ Notario still banned
Travel vs notary fee
Separate travel fee ≠ $15 act cap
Proof vs real property
Proof allowed generally ≠ Real property barred
Last Minute
- 1.45 items; 40 scored
- 2.Pass = scaled 70
- 3.Weights: 15/12/5/4/4
- 4.Retest only once monthly
- 5.New course = six hours
- 6.Current renewal = three hours
- 7.File oath/bond within 30 days
- 8.Bond protects public, not notary
- 9.Ack admits; jurat swears
- 10.ID current or five years
- 11.Thumbprint: real property, POA
- 12.Journal and seal stay yours
- 13.Maximum act fee = $15
- 14.Notario translation is banned
- 15.RON not yet authorized
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