Free Notary Training Course?

Some California notary trainers claim to offer a free online notary course, but that’s usually just to get you into the door. If you read the fine print you’ll notice that the course is free, but the proof of completion certificate isn’t.

How to Become a Real Estate Notary Public

Are you looking for how to become a real estate notary public in the state of California?

The first step to be able to notarize real estate documents is to be appointed as a notary public by the California Secretary of State. This is a requirement to be able to notarize anything.

How much does it cost to become a notary in California?

Notary Public Cost

A question that we get asked a lot is “How much does it cost to become a notary in California?”

The answer to this question isn’t as easy as you might think since there are a lot of different variables involved.

What is an Apostille or Certification?

Because foreign countries do not have access to the record of your signature and role as a notary public, apostilles and certifications are used so that they can know if your official signature is authentic, what your role is, and what your seal means.

California Approved Digital Signature Certification Authorities

In another post we introduced the topic of digital signatures by talking about secure websites. We mentioned that web browsers include built-in lists of trusted certificate providers to increase security. That doesn’t mean that certificates issued by other providers are not as secure.

What is a Digital Signature?

A digital signature is a type of electronic signature, but not all electronic signatures are digital ones. Digital signatures use cryptography to verify their authenticity.

Say “No” to “Notario Publico”

In most Latin American and Spanish-speaking countries, the term”notario público” means that the person with the title is an attorney and is authorized to both practice law and to give legal advice.

Authentication

You might perform a notarization on a document that is meant to be used outside of the United States. It is important to remember that these documents require authentication by the Secretary of State.

No Delegation of Authority

This might sound like it goes without saying, but it’s a very important point. You’re the one that went through the application process and you are the one that was commissioned to be a notary public so you’re the only one that can conduct notary services.

A Public Servant

A notary public is a public servant who must provide services to any person that makes a reasonable and lawful request. The notary public is not permitted to limit services to a particular group of people even if it is limited to just to the people who the notary public interacts with at work.

No Legal Advice

A notary public is not a licensed attorney, is not authorized to practice law, and is not allowed to give any legal advice. That is, of course, unless the notary public also happens to be an attorney. This includes advising clients of the contents of the document.

The History of Notary Publics

Notary publics have a long and rich history in human society. Notary publics have been around since the Roman Empire. The services have changed over the years, but the role has been needed for a long time.