History of The Notary

To become a notary public in the state of California, you must attend the Notary Public Required Training. In addition, renewing notary publics are required to take continuing education. When the education and specific notary training courses have been completed, you will need to pass the comprehensive Notary Public State Exam on Notary laws and procedures.

A person who receives a commission as a Notary in California cannot notarize documents in another state. There are specific differences in the dos and don'ts of notaries that are dependent on the states in which the notary is commissioned. The legal policies are varied enough that a Florida Notary Public may perform a wedding ceremony as long as the couple has a Florida Marriage License.

The Roots of Notaries in the United States

When it comes to Notaries, their roots are ancient and date back several centuries. Understanding this is important because of the bi-lingual population of the state of California. In most Latin-speaking countries, a Notary is empowered to be a legal representative and can offer legal advice. Notaries in the United States are not empowered to dispense legal advice. Because of this major difference, a Notary public in the U.S. cannot translate their title into another language.

An Act of United States Congress passed in 1850 empowered Notaries to be commissioned in the United States. They are governed under the laws of individual states and subject to the laws of the states they are commissioned by.