How to Get Your Notary License California As a Foreigner
As a foreigner applying for notary license in California, the initial step in becoming notary public is completing notary education. This can either be completed at a training center in person or online via Notary Class Online. While in-person classes tend to be more costly than online ones, they offer the added bonus of fulfilling all steps required of becoming a notary on one day: notary education classes, state exam and live scan fingerprinting services all offered under one roof.
Once you pass your exam, the next step should be submitting live scan fingerprints for a background check. Each state provides a list of locations where this can be done; costs can range from as little as $10 at local police stations to $60+ when using private live scan facilities.
Once your background check has been approved, the final step in becoming a notary public is filing your application with the Secretary of State’s office and waiting for processing time (this can be found on their website here). When approved, your county clerk will send your commission pack which contains both seal and journal for your use as notary public.
Notaries must maintain an official journal of every notarization they perform. A bound journal may help ensure pages don’t get misplaced or removed during notarizations. Furthermore, notaries are mandated to verify signer identity via either sighting photo IDs or using KBA technology from eNotaryLog (know your customer technology).