3.4 Application Process

Building the Application Package

The application is filed with the Department of the Secretary of State, Notary Public Division, after the course and exam are done. The package must be complete; the office returns incomplete filings, which can push you past the 3-month course-completion deadline. Use this checklist.

Step-by-Step

Step 1 — Finish course and exam

Attend the 6-hour class, pass at 80%, and have the instructor sign the application certifying both.

Step 2 — Collect signatures

1. Instructor certification (course + exam).
2. Elected-official recommendation — one current NC elected official (e.g., a legislator, county commissioner, mayor, sheriff, clerk, or register of deeds). This step is waived in certain large counties; confirm the current waiver list with the Secretary of State.
3. Applicant signature, executed before an officer authorized to administer oaths.

Step 3 — Assemble and pay

Attach the $50 check or money order. Cash is not accepted by mail. Include the Green Card copy and/or NC-employment proof if they apply to you.

Step 4 — Mail it

Send the package to:

Notary Public Division
NC Department of the Secretary of State
PO Box 29622, Raleigh, NC 27626-0622

(Use the current mailing address printed on the application — the office updates it; verify before sending.)

Processing and What Comes Next

Note the cost split that the exam loves to test: the $50 goes to the Secretary of State with the application; the $10 oath fee goes later to the county Register of Deeds. They are two separate payments to two different offices.

The Elected-Official Recommendation

In most counties an applicant must obtain a written recommendation from a current NC elected official who attests to good character. In the largest counties (commonly Wake and Mecklenburg, among others) this requirement is waived by rule because of volume. Always check the current waiver list rather than assuming.

Worked Example

Carlos passes his exam, gets his instructor's signature, lives in Durham County (not on the waiver list), and obtains a recommendation from his county commissioner. He encloses a $50 money order and mails the package. When the Notification Letter arrives three weeks later, he will go to the Durham County Register of Deeds, pay $10, and take the oath — two offices, two fees, in sequence.

Why Packages Get Returned

The single biggest avoidable delay is an incomplete package, and because the office returns rather than fixes incomplete filings, a returned application can run you past the 3-month course-completion deadline and force a full restart. The most common defects are a missing instructor certification, a missing or unwaived elected-official recommendation, the wrong payment form (cash or personal credit card by mail), an unsigned oath/affirmation block, or a name on the form that does not match the applicant's identification.

The Elected-Official Recommendation in Depth

The recommendation exists so that someone accountable to the public vouches for the applicant's character. Acceptable officials are current, elected NC officeholders — a state legislator, county commissioner, mayor, sheriff, clerk of court, or register of deeds. An appointed official or a private notary does not satisfy it. In the highest-volume counties the requirement is waived by administrative rule, but the waiver list changes, so confirm it against the current Secretary of State instructions rather than assuming your county qualifies.

Timing the Whole Sequence

Because processing takes several weeks, plan backward from the 3-month course-completion deadline. File the application well inside that window so that, even if the package is returned once, you still have time to correct and resubmit. Track three dates from the day you finish the course: the 30-day exam deadline, the 3-month application deadline, and — after approval — the 45-day oath deadline that the next section covers. Missing any one of them resets work you have already paid for.