Notary course FAQ

Three questions settle it. (1) Have you ever held a California notary commission? If no, you need the 6-hour course. (2) Is your commission still current — not yet expired? If yes, and (3) you've completed the 6-hour course at least once before, you qualify for the 3-hour refresher. If your commission has already expired, the state requires the 6-hour course again, regardless of your history.

Not yet — and we'll never pretend otherwise. Our vendor approval is in progress, and California law does not allow any course to be sold as an approved course before the Secretary of State issues that approval. That's why enrollment isn't open and this site takes no payments. Join the founding list and you'll be notified the day approval is issued and enrollment opens.

A Proof of Completion certificate containing the information state law requires — including our vendor name and ID number, your identification details, the course hours, and your completion date. It's generated instantly when you complete your tracked seat time, stored permanently in your portal, and valid for two years. You present it when you sit for the state exam.

The written exam is administered by CPS HR Consulting at testing sites across California. It's 45 questions and you need 70% to pass. Bring your Proof of Completion, your completed application, a 2×2 color photo, and the $40 exam fee. Our exam-prep simulator mirrors the format — 45 timed questions, same 70% line — so the real thing feels familiar.

California requires every notary to carry a $15,000 surety bond, filed before the commission takes effect. We don't sell bonds and we're not an insurance agency — after you pass the exam, our step tracker connects you with a bond partner and passes along the details you've already entered, so you're not typing everything twice.

Four things, in order: complete your Live Scan fingerprinting; obtain your $15,000 bond; when your commission arrives, file your oath of office and bond with the county clerk within 30 calendar days (this deadline matters — a late filing can void the commission); and order your seal from a state-authorized manufacturer and obtain a journal. Our tracker sequences each step with its deadline.

Four years. To renew without interruption, complete the 3-hour refresher and pass the exam again, filing everything before your current commission expires. Our portal tracks your expiry date and reminds you at 180, 90, 30, and 7 days before it — and our graduates renew at a lower price than new students.

Yes — the full course, checks, and materials in Spanish as well as English, from day one. It's the gap we built this school around: no approved online competitor offers a Spanish course today. (The state exam itself is a separate matter — it's administered by the state testing vendor.)

You'll have a 90-day access window, and your progress and tracked minutes are saved across sessions, so you can work in sittings that fit your schedule. Your Proof of Completion, once earned, is valid for two years.

Yes — team packs (planned at 5 seats for $199 and 10 seats for $349) include a manager console for assigning seats, tracking completion, and watching every employee's commission expiry date. Join the founding list as an employer and we'll notify you at launch.