---
title: "California Notary Starter Kit: Rules, Fees, Checklist | MCC"
description: "For California notaries: 6-hour course, exam, Live Scan, $15,000 bond, 30-day filing deadline, $15 fee caps, journal and thumbprint rules, seal rules, remote…"
url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/toolkits/ca-notary-starter-kit"
---

Document pack

# California Notary Starter Kit: Requirements, Fees, ID Rules, Remote Notarization and Startup Checklist

California is one of the hardest states to get commissioned in: a 6-hour course, an exam, Live Scan fingerprints, a $15,000 bond and 30 days to file. This kit walks through all of it.

**$29** one time · 14-day full refund · Word and PDF · download link by email

Buy now, $29 Free sample

🌙 The desk is asleep. The store never is.

Every kit and ebook downloads the moment you pay, day or night. Questions get answered after we open in the morning.

 [Browse the store](/toolkits)

Who it is for

Californians taking the 6-hour course and exam, and new California notaries filing their bond and oath.

Not the right fit if

You aren't seeking a California commission, or you need the 6-hour course itself: the kit sits beside a state-approved course, it isn't one.

Why it is different

- Fees and rules come from the California Secretary of State's qualifications page, FAQ and handbook, each named under its table.
- Warns that a missed 30-day bond and oath filing voids the commission, with no exceptions.
- Explains that exam results last one year and when the 3-hour refresher course is allowed.

What is inside

- **6-hour course, exam and Live Scan.** California's education, exam and fingerprint steps in the order you'll do them.
- **$15,000 bond, 30-day filing and $15 fees.** Bond and oath filing within 30 days, the $15 fee caps, ID rules, and the journal and thumbprint requirements.
- **Remote status and advertising.** Where California stands on remote notarization and how its not-an-attorney rule works.
- **California commission checklist.** From the 6-hour course to Live Scan, the exam, the $20 application with a passport photo, the bond and oath at the county clerk, and your first appointment.
- **California startup budget.** California publishes only the $20 application up front, so this sheet leaves lines for the course, Live Scan, the $15,000 bond, a vendor-numbered seal and a journal.
- **California journal pages.** Journal pages with the thumbprint column California requires whenever a signer's document affects real property.

A look inside

## The first pages, as you will get them

[![Page 1 of the Becoming a Notary (California Notary Starter Kit)](/img/toolkits/ca-notary-starter-kit/doc-1.webp)](/img/toolkits/ca-notary-starter-kit/doc-1.webp)

First page of Becoming a Notary

[![Page 1 of the Fees ID Journal and Seal (California Notary Starter Kit)](/img/toolkits/ca-notary-starter-kit/doc-2.webp)](/img/toolkits/ca-notary-starter-kit/doc-2.webp)

First page of Fees ID Journal and Seal

Get it

## California Notary Starter Kit

Or pay with PayPal

Uses the email and terms box above. You get the same download link by email.

ZIP code (for sales tax)

Want every toolkit? The [toolkit membership](/membership) includes all of them, with a lower rate if you pay yearly.

Get every update for a year, $29: the [Yearly Updates Pass](/updates-pass?kit=ca-notary-starter-kit) gives you each refreshed edition we release of the kits you own. One payment, no automatic renewal.

Delivered as a zip of editable Word files and printable PDFs. For one business, your own use. General information and templates, not legal, tax or accounting advice. General information from the California Secretary of State's Notary Public Section, not legal advice. Notary rules change; confirm with that section before you file. Not affiliated with the State of California. Payment is handled by Stripe. If a file will not open or something looks wrong, reply to your order email and we will make it right.

Ways to get it

## Just this kit, or more

This kit

**$29 one time**

CA Notary Starter Kit.

Buy this kit

Membership

**$29 a month**

Every kit and document pack in the store, including new ones. Cancel any time.

[See the membership](/membership)

Questions

## Common questions

**What do I get and how is it delivered?**

The CA Notary Starter Kit comes as a zip with six documents, each as an editable Word file and a printable PDF: Becoming a Notary, Fees, ID, Journal and Seal, Remote Notarization and Advertising, Startup Checklist, Fee and Supplies Budget, and Journal Pages. The download link arrives by email after payment.

**Will it open on a Mac, Google Sheets or my phone?**

The PDFs open in any PDF reader, including on a phone. To edit, open the Word files in Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice on a Mac or PC. If a file will not open or something looks wrong, reply to your order email and we will make it right. If it is not right for you, email us within 14 days of buying for a full refund.

**Is this legal or tax advice?**

General information from official California sources, not legal advice.

**Can a California notary notarize online yet?**

No. California notaries can't perform remote online notarizations until the Online Notarization Act takes effect, no later than January 1, 2030. Until then every act is in person, with a thumbprint in the journal for real property documents.

Free sample

### Try one page first

Get a real page or file from this product by email. We send one confirmation email, and no series follows.

Also from MCC Solutions

[### New Jersey Notary Starter Kit The paperwork a new notary has to build from scratch, ready to print or edit: a journal laid out for what New Jersey's manual says to record, checklists, forms and client emails. $29](/toolkits/nj-notary-starter-kit)[### Start a Mobile Notary Business in NJ: Guide A plain-language guide to getting commissioned in New Jersey and setting up a mobile notary business, with the state's rules cited and a first-month plan. $19](/toolkits/start-a-mobile-notary-business-nj-guide)

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- [Colorado Notary Exam Prep](/toolkits/co-notary-exam-prep) $29

[See every toolkit and document pack](/toolkits/all)

## Rather have someone do the books?

[Get a Bookkeeping Quote](/bookkeeping/#interest)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)
