SLM Notaries

New for 2006

Assembly Bill 361 (Statutes of 2005, Chapter 295) was signed into law and makes several significant changes in current notarial law, including the amendment of Civil Code section 1189 as described below.

Effective January 1, 2006, the California certificate of acknowledgment must be in the form set forth in Civil Code section 1189, rather than "substantially" in the form set forth therein. The form set forth in Civil Code section 1189 did not change, but variations in the California form are no longer permitted. (The law regarding acknowledgments to be used with documents to be filed in other states has not changed (Civil Code § 1189(c)).

The new acknowledgment form is available in PDF file format and can be viewed, filled in and printed from your computer.

New for 2005

All applicants appointed on or after July 1, 2005, will be required to satisfactorily complete a course of study approved by the Secretary of State prior to appointment as a notary public. (Government Code section 8201.) In addition, the Secretary of State will review and approve all courses of study submitted by notary education vendors. (Government Code section 8201.2.) To locate vendors who have been authorized to provide the mandatory notary education, please refer to our list of approved notary education vendors.

The goal of mandatory education is to:

• provide proper training for all notaries public;
• provide a full understanding of the duties and responsibilities of a notary public;
• standardize knowledge for all notaries public; and
• reduce complaints and lawsuits due to negligence or misconduct by a notary public.

Upon completion of the approved six-hour course of study, the approved notary education vendor will provide you with a Proof of Completion certificate of the mandatory education course. The Proof of Completion certificate is valid for a period of two years from the date of issuance. You will want to ensure that you pass the notary public examination before your Proof of Completion certificate of the mandatory education course expires.

Once you have obtained your Proof of Completion certificate of the required notary education course, you will need to do the following:

• Register for an exam by contacting CPS; and
• Take with you to the exam site your completed notary public application with the Proof of Completion certificate of the mandatory education (stapled to your application).

Courses of study offered by notary education vendors must be reviewed and approved by the Secretary of State as required by Government Code section 8201.2.

 
Effective January 1, 2005, Assembly Bill 2062, Chapter 539, Statutes of 2004, adds section 8202 to the Government Code, identifying the requirements for executing a jurat, as shown below. The new jurat form is available in PDF file format and can be viewed, filled in and printed from your computer.

In addition, the new law requires that the notary public identifies or personally knows the signer, and completes the entry in the journal.

Send mail to wahnotary@surewest.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 12/08/06