Becoming a New Arizona Notary
To be commissioned by the Secretary of State, the following requirements must be met, per Arizona Revised Statute § 41-312(E):
- Be an Arizona resident.
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Be able to read and write English.
- Be a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States.
- Not have a conviction for a felony unless civil rights have been restored, or a conviction of a lesser offense involving moral turpitude or of a nature that is incompatible with the duties of a notary public.
Filing Tips
- Prior to completing your application, you MUST contact Prometric to register for the Notary Exam and obtain a Candidate ID Number.
- Upon receipt of your commission certificate, we recommend that you review your name, county of residence and commission dates to ensure your stamp is made accurately.
- A nonrefundable fee is required to process all applications.
- Make sure to save the application as a PDF or print a second copy for your records
Notary Exam
According to A.R.S. §41-270. Examination of notary public. The Secretary of State has the authority to require notaries to take a notary examination and achieve a passing score. This measure helps ensure that notaries are well-versed in the relevant laws, rules, procedures, and ethics.
Prior to completing your application, you MUST contact Prometric to register for the Notary Exam and obtain a Candidate ID Number.
About Notary Bonds
Our office does not provide notary bonds, nor do we recommend or favor any company or organization that does. Our office only can establish the parameters for how a bond must be completed. A bond must include:
Your bond will have your name printed in multiple spaces. Verify that your name is printed exactly the way you want to be commissioned and that the name printed on your bond matches the name you'll supply on your application (e.g.: if you put "Notary Q. Public" on your application; you cannot sign or have "N. Q. Public" or "Notary Public" on your bond).
A notary bond sometimes referred to as a surety bond, will have two spaces for your signature. You must sign both spaces labeled principal and ensure that your signatures on your bond match your signature on your application.
Mismatching printed names and/or principal signatures is cause for your bond to be returned for revision.
These dates refer to the duration of your commission. These dates must be four years apart and one day less. For example, if your commission is effective on November 7, 2010, it will end on November 6, 2014 (11/7/2010 - 11/6/2014).
If your bond does not have effective dates in the same sequence, it will be returned for revision.
This refers to the date your bond was produced by your bonding company. Your bond must be issued up to 60 days before or 30 days after your effective date (the date your commission starts).
Similarly, this 90-day window is the same timeframe that our office can accept your renewal for processing. Should processing not be completed on time, our office will return your application for revision of your bond dates to current dates. If your notary expires before you receive your new commission certificate, you must stop notarizing until such time as you receive it.
You'll notice that your county of residence is listed on your commission certificate and notary seal. This is significant because if your employer purchased your commission, your bonding company may mistakenly use your business address, meaning the county where you are employed, which is a cause for your application to be returned for revision.
The bond will call for two signatures: Arizona resident agent and a representative for the bonding company. Both spaces must be signed by representatives of your bonding company; however, they do not need to be original signatures.
A notary public is a public officer commissioned by the Secretary of State to perform notarial acts. When taking your notary bond for notarization, you must swear to a verbal oath, the oath of office, which is found on the notary bond. The name in the oath of office must match how it is written/printed previously on your bond and on the application.
The office you are swearing to uphold in the oath of office should say notary public.
A notary bond calls for jurat language because the applicant must sign and take an oath. This is important to note because any document with jurat language will have the applicant swear or affirm that the contents of the document are true and correct at the time of signing. Therefore, a document with jurat language must be completed prior to notarization and cannot have any blank spaces.
Should a notary come across a bond with blank spaces, he or she should request that the signer complete the spaces prior to performing the notarization.
Notary Workshops