Dear Californian: The Notary Public Handbook is your official source of laws related to notaries public in California. A notary public is a public official who performs invaluable services for the legal, business, financial, and real estate communities. The Notary Public Handbook is designed to supplement your course of study, which will prepare you for the notary public examination and being a notary public. All statutory references are to California Codes, unless otherwise indicated. Once you are commissioned, the Secretary of State strongly recommends that you keep your Notary Public Handbook as a ready reference to help you perform your duties. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-63-20 (see paragraphs 6 and 7) on May 8, 2020, which extended commissions of notaries public for a period of 60 days for any notary public whose commission term had expired since March 1, 2020 or whose commission was set to expire over the next 60 days. Each of the notaries public whose commission term was extended must maintain a valid surety bond during the extension, and annotate on each notarial act the following statement: "The notary commission extended pursuant to Executive Order N-63-20." Executive Order N-63-20 also temporarily suspended, for a period of 60 days, the requirement in California Civil Code section 1185(b)(3)(A) that an identification card or driver's license issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles be current or issued within the last 5 years in order to serve as satisfactory evidence of identity for an officer or notary public to acknowledge an instrument. This applied to any identification card or driver's license issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles showing an expiration date of March 1, 2020 or later. TABLE OF CONTENTS General Information Appointment and Qualifications Convictions Notary Public Education Requirements and Time Limit for Qualifying Notary Public Bond Geographic Jurisdiction Acts Constituting the Practice of Law Notary Public Seal Identification Notary Public Journal Conflict of Interest Acknowledgment Proof of Execution by a Subscribing Witness Signature by Mark Powers of Attorney - Certifying Notarization of Incomplete Documents Correcting a Notarial Act Certified Copies Illegal Advertising Immigration Documents Confidential Marriage Licenses Grounds for Denial, Revocation, or Suspension of Appointment and Commission Disciplinary Guidelines Fees Change of Address Foreign Language Electronic Notarizations Common Questions and Answers Government Code Civil Code Code of Civil Procedure Elections Code Commercial Code Probate Code Business and Professions Code Index