California Notary Public FAQs

When you register for a notary class with us, we provide an optional discounted notary supplies package which includes your notary journal and notary seal. $79.95 Our specially priced notary supply package is available for purchase during registration. The cost of all of the supplies individually is $183, but if you like, you can purchase these at the time of check-out for $79.95. There is no shipping or handling and is an incredible value. We offer this package as an additional incentive to register for our notary class but it is only available for our students upon registration or can be purchased in the class. It is not available online or after the class because of the deeply discounted price. Best of all, this package is REFUNDABLE with our Pass the Exam Guarantee as noted below. The package includes the following: An Official Notary Journal ($24 value) The "inkless" thumbprint pad ($6 value) Your Notary Public Seal ($24 value) A package of 50 Acknowledgments ($12 value) A package of 50 Jurats ($12 value) Your Notary ID Badge ($25 value) Two Notary Oath Cards (wallet size) ($10 value) Free listing on our exclusive advertising platform -The Notary List ($55 value) And the Essential Notary Forms CD. ($15 value) Our students also receive a $50 discount for the Loan Signing Certification class if you are interested in starting your own notary business. No other company comes close to the savings and the terrific service we provide all the way through your commissioning process.

No hassles .... no problems... you will pass the notary exam and we guarantee it! If you attend our 6-hour notary seminar and do not pass the exam, retake the seminar and exam up to two additional times with us at no charge. The SOS will charge $20 to take the exam, but if after these attempts within 150 days of taking the initial seminar and same-day notary exam you do not pass the exam, we will refund the amount paid for your seminar as well as any notary supplies purchased from us during that time. We are proud to say that NO PERSON - in the almost 20 years of the history of our business has ever needed to take advantage of this! That is a terrific statement for the quality of our classes.

Begin advance preparation by going through the free study manual made available for you to download immediately upon registration at no additional charge. If you prefer a condensed study guide, we also make the "30 Minute Study Guide" available to you upon registration. All 3-hour or 6-hour seminar registrants also receive immediate and free access to the full online course which includes videos, many preparation questions and sample exams. You also receive access to play our online notary educational quizzes and games. For access to all of this and more, once you register for a seminar, log into the Student Services link at the top of any page with the user name and password you created. Start your exam preparation right now!

In order to become a notary public, you must be 18 years old; be a California resident unless you are appointed to a military base, complete a live-scan and pass a criminal background check; take a state-approved educational course (6-hour course for new notaries or recommissioning notaries whose commission has or will expire before the notary application is submitted; pass the California state notary exam with a score of at least 70% and file an oath and bond with the county clerk once the commission is approved.To take the notary exam, you must present either a valid driver's license from any state, a passport from any country or a military identification. The last name or names (if hyphenated, for example) listed on the identification document you present at the time of the exam must match the last name on the notary application. Call the office if you have questions about that at 909-915-1201.

Loan signers are notaries who specialize in notarizing loan documents. Most mobile notaries become loan signers because of the lucrative potential within that part of the notary business. Loan signers are called upon to travel to homes or offices and obtain the signatures for lending documents. Becoming Certified is essential if a notary wishes to be successful in marketing his or her services as a loan signer. Our Loan Signing Class includes the Certification exam and Certificate. The Loan Signing Exam is given on-line at your convenience in your own home or office. Our class fee includes two separate attempts at passing the Certification exam. Our Live Notary Seminar Attendees qualify for a $50 discount for registering for that class if registration is done on or before the day of the notary class. Please ask your instructor for details on the day of the class.

If you are re-commissioning, you may choose to take a 3 hr refresher course instead of the full 6 hr course but you must take the course and pass the exam before your current commission expires.

When you select the date and location you would like to attend, go through the checkout process and you will be given an opportunity to switch to the 3 hr course at no charge.

The best way to begin your notary business is to contact as many potential clients as possible! We offer many suggestions on how to do this in our Loan Signing Course, but in a nutshell, let people and companies who need Notary Services that you are available. Then, begin networking with every notary you can find. Once business comes your way, be sure to help others who are new to the industry.

If you would like to re-take a notary class and exam, you will need to register by phone at 909-915-1201 during regular business hours at least 1-day prior to the date of the class you wish to take. We will ask you to fax, mail or email the copy of your fail letter and will register you for a class in the location and on the date you select. Seats are subject to availability. You are strongly encouraged to take all of the sample exams we make available to you. These sample exams are free for our students and their value cannot be overstated! Remember that the Secretary of State will require you to pay a $20 fee for re-taking the exam but notaryclasses.com will not charge you anything for the class. Please be prepared for alternative class selections in case your first selection is unavailable.

The State Exam is administered by the Cooperative Personnel Services (CPS) and within 15-20 business days of taking your exam, the you will receive a Pass or Fail letter. Remember, you only need 70% in order to pass. You may also go on-line at to view your results. You will still need to wait 15-20 business days to view your results. CPS will not respond to your inquiry by telephone.

You will need to bring an approved valid ID such as a Drivers license (any state), or a passport from any country that has been stamped by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services or equivalent, or a state issued identification. You also need a check or money order for $40 made payable to the Secretary of State in order to take your exam. The State Exam is given around 4:15pm on the same day of the seminar. You should bring two (2) #2 pencils for the exam. We will have pens, paper and all the study materials you will need. You will also need a 2x2 passport style photo. If you are taking the notary exam with us, we will be able to take a photo for you. The cost for the passport photo will be $10.

All sales are final unless otherwise stated. There are no seminar cancellations and no returns permitted. You may reschedule a seminar without penalty up to 7 days prior to your current scheduled seminar date. Rescheduling within 7 days of the seminar date will result in a $30 rescheduling fee. No shows will not be refunded for any reason and will be subject to a full seminar fee for rescheduling.

It will take approximately 10-15 business days to find out your exam score. From this time, it should take a few more weeks while your background check is completed. In total, from the day of the seminar, it should take 6-8 weeks to receive your notary commission.

This seminar prepares you for the State Notary Exam and there are no questions on the state exam directly concerned specifically with loan signing. If you are interested in becoming a Loan Signer, you may want to attend our Loan Signing Certification Course (9am-5pm) also available at www.notaryclasses.com. This course was prepared for both those who have no previous knowledge in loan signings or the seasoned notary professional. You will be introduced to many of the common documents notarized during a loan signing, learn protocol and be introduced to strategies for marketing yourself effectively. You will learn how to collect from slow paying companies and avoid non-paying companies. You will even find out how to negotiate fees of $50 - $150 per loan signing. During the loan signing class, we will introduce a typical set of loan documents (65 pages), discuss all relevant documents and places for signatures and notary requirements. Finally, you will have a chance to complete the loan document signing before you leave. Certification exams will be given online.

No. All seminar attendees will complete their application to become a notary during the seminar. You will be automatically registered to take the state exam on that same day. There is no need to contact the Secretary of State or CPS prior to your seminar. All of this is completed automatically with your registration. However, if you need to download the current California notary application now, here you go:

Most full-time notaries begin their own business as a mobile notary although many notaries also work as employees in legal and business industries. In addition to specializing as a loan signer, you might consider offering your mobile notary services to other public facilities such as convalescent homes, hospitals, incarceration centers just to name a few. There are a lot of opportunities for notaries, but you will need to market yourself effectively and diligently. Treat it as a business opportunity and your chances of success are high.

We do allow this; however, your seat is not guaranteed until you pay for registration. We strongly suggest you pre-pay for the class. Our program is very popular and classes do often fill up to capacity and although we try to accommodate walk-in payments, we do sometimes have to turn students away because the class is too full.

Every loan signing, home sales, refinance, Power of Attorney, Homestead Declaration, Grant Deed, Quitclaim Deed, etc. requires the signature and stamp of a Notary Public. Can you imagine how many documents are completed every day requiring the assistance of a traveling notary public? That’s right…a lot. Yes, there really is a need for Notary Publics, especially those who want to treat it as their own business and start their own Mobile Notary Public Services. Step 1, pass the test…we can help you every step of the way after that. Find out about marketing yourself as a notary, become a Certified Loan Signer if you want to and learn how to become a successful notary. Our loan signing class will help you with anything you want to do as a notary, especially if you become certified. Check out our Loan Signing Program from the link on our home page.