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February 15, 2024 - 07:10pm

Why You Shouldn't Wait Until the Last Minute to Renew Your Notary Commission


If you are going to renew your notary commission in the coming months, you might think that you have enough time to put it off. But, it is best to start working on your notary renewal as soon as possible. These are a few reasons why you should not wait until the last minute.

You Don't Want to Push Yourself

It has been a while since you have had to go through the process of becoming a notary, so you might have forgotten just how involved it can be. You don't want to wait until the last minute and push yourself, especially if you are busy with your job, your kids, or your other commitments. Starting early will allow you to take your time without pushing yourself, and it will give you time to get things done without any major problems.

You'll Need to Take a Class

Before you can renew your notary certification, you are going to have to take a refresher course. If you wait too long to take your class, you will have to take a longer course to remain a notary. For example, in California, if you take your class and your exam before your current notarial certification expires, you'll only have to take a three-hour course. But, if you allow your certification to expire, you will have to take a six-hour course. Luckily, you can take your notary class online, which can make things easier.

You Might Not Be Ready for the Exam

If you aren't a big fan of taking tests, you'll want to give yourself plenty of time to prepare. If you aren't ready for your exam, you don't want to take it too soon. Failing your exam when you have already been working as a notary could be a potential nightmare! Luckily, getting started now will give you more time to study, which can help ensure that you are successful when you do take your test. Just make sure that you take advantage of all study materials provided to you when you take your class.

It Could Take a While for the Paperwork to Go Through

Don't assume that you can take your class and exam at the last minute and still get your new commission on time. It can take a while for all your paperwork to go through, which can leave you out of work if you rely on your notarial certification to make a living.

For example, you will have to have your fingerprints scanned, you'll have to submit your paperwork in regards to your insurance and you'll have to wait for your test results to come in. All these things can take time. Then, once all these steps are taken, you'll have to wait for weeks -- or even a few months -- for your new certification to come in the mail. There is nothing that you can do to speed the process along, so it's best to get started ahead of time. You don't want to be waiting by your mailbox every day for your paperwork to come in after your certification has expired. Especially if your expired certification leaves you unable to work in the meantime!

As you can see, it's best to get started now if you know that your notary commission is going to be expiring soon. This can be one of those things that can be easy to put off, but you'll regret it if you do.