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4.  Although your commission will commence on the day stated on your commission, your commission will not  NOT be effective and you CANNOT start practicing as a notary until both your oath and bond are filed at the county clerk’s office.

5.  If you do not file both your Oath and Bond within the 30- Calendar-day period, your commission will no longer be valid and you may not act as a notary public until a  appointment is obtained and you have properly qualified within the 30-calender-day time limit.

On one hand, pursuant to Government code (Section 8213 (a) ), you are permitted to mail your completed oath and bond to the applicable county clerk for initial filing;  on the other hand, pursuant to Government codes (Sections 8212 and 8213) exceptions to the 30-day filing requirements are not made.  In other words, you can mail in your completed oath and bond instead of personally appearing before the County Clerk, but under no circumstances will exceptions be made to the requirement that the completed oath and bond be filed within the 30 day period.

So, Why don’t you  walk it in and make sure that it gets there on time and avoid the headache?  I would rather be safe than sorry;  wouldn’t you?

Example:  My sister, Reneé Thompson of El Cerrito, California, mailed her completed Oath and Bond the day after she received her commission from the Secretary of State.  The County clerk’s office did not receive the mailing until 45 days later.  Although her envelope was post marked within the 30-calendar-day period, her commission was no longer valid and in order to practice as a California notary public, she had to receive another commission from the Secretary of State.  Of course , she did not mail her oath this time.  Instead, she walked into the County clerk’s office and turned in both his oath and bond within the 30-calendar-days.  Unfortunately, she could not practice as a Notary Public until she received her new commission and filed her oath and bond.  The process took an additional 60 days and she ended up losing revenue for those 60 days.

A good way to remember the entity which you report to is this:  If you start or stop being a notary public, contact the county clerk’s office.  Every thing else, contact the Secretary of State. (e.g.: name change, address change, lost or damaged journal, etc…)

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