Qualifying at the County Clerk’s Office

 

The law allows up to sixty days from the date the commission is issued for the applicant to qualify. Failure to qualify within 60 days will result in the commission being cancelled. To meet the qualifications provided by law, the applicant must appear in person and present a $10,000 surety bond to insure their four-year term as a notary public. The clerk or deputy will administer the oath of office, after which the applicant must submit a handwritten specimen of their official signature on the oath of office. This signature MUST match the exact name typed on their commission certificate. The clerk will staple the bond to the oath of office and official signature filing and mail them to our office. The clerk or deputy will then present the notary with their commission certificate.

 

The commission certificate will contain the notary’s exact official name as a notary public, the commission number, the commission beginning and expiration dates and the date the commission was issued by our office. The notary should keep the commission in a safe place throughout their term as a notary public.

 

The secretary of state may prohibit, for a period not less than 30 days and not more than one year, such person from reapplying for an appointment and commission as a notary public following the failure to appear and qualify within 60 days after the commission is issued.