How to Become a Notary in California: Requirements, Fees and Bond
California notaries are commissioned through: California Secretary of State (oath and bond filed with the county clerk). The commission term is not stated as a single figure in the official source. A surety bond of $15,000 is required. The application fee is $20. The maximum notary fee is $15 for an acknowledgment. Remote online notarization is not currently allowed. Fields shown as not verified were not found on the official source; check the source page below.
| State | California |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | CA |
| Commissioning office | California Secretary of State (oath and bond filed with the county clerk) |
| Commission term | Not verified from the official source |
| Surety bond required | Yes |
| Bond amount | $15,000 |
| Application fee | $20 |
| Maximum fee, acknowledgment | $15 |
| Maximum fee, jurat | Not verified from the official source |
| Fee note | Acknowledgment cap is $15 per signature (Gov. Code 8211, per the Secretary of State handbook). County oath/bond filing fees are set locally. Exam fee $20. |
| Remote online notarization (RON) allowed | No |
| Maximum RON fee | Not verified from the official source |
| Training required | Yes |
| Exam required | Yes |
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Residency rule | Legal resident of California |
| Official source | https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/faqs |
| Additional official sources | https://notary.cdn.sos.ca.gov/forms/notary-handbook-current.pdf |
| Last verified | not re-fetched |
| Notes on how the row was compiled | Mixed record: not re-fetched for bond, age, residency and the acknowledgment cap (value from a search extract of the official page); only the FAQ-page fields were fetched. Fetched FAQ page: $20 application fee, approved six-hour course for new applicants, remote online notarization not currently permitted (SB 696 takes effect on certification or 2030-01-01). Retry 2026-10-12 of the FAQ confirmed only the $20 fee and gave no bond, age, residency or acknowledgment fee. Bond amount, age, residency and the $15 acknowledgment cap are from search extract of https://notary.cdn.sos.ca.gov/forms/notary-handbook-current.pdf (PDF not read directly). Not found, so null: term, jurat fee cap. |
Official source (plain text, copy into your browser): https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/faqs
Last verified: not re-fetched