by Kateryna Patskovska

Created on: November 05, 2009

If you are thinking about acquiring a notary public license this article is for you.

What is a notary? A notary is a public officer of the state that acts as a witness to an act of a written instrument. A notary validates the identity of a person that has executed the written instrument, usually by checking their driver license.

Now before you can proceed with the process of becoming a notary public you need to qualify first. The following qualifications that you need:

You need to be a resident of New York State (exception: if you have an office for your business in New York State - you do not need to be a resident of New York.)
You need to be 18 years old
You cannot have any criminal offences
You need to be a citizen of United States. (Impotant: This qualification has been overturned recently through the courts.) Now if your are a legal permanent resident you can apply.

When you determine that you qualify to become a notary in New York, you can start preparing for a written examination. Yes, you need to take a New York State exam to become a notary. This test consists of 40 multiple choice questions, closed book. Yes, you heard me right, closed book. But don't worry it is easy. You can find the study material on the website of New York State office of permits. When you go on the website they will offer a book, via acrobat reader, that you can download or print. (Note: some people buy study guides. If you want to spend and have an extra $20.00 to $30.00 then go ahead.) You will receive your yellow pass slip 2 weeks after the date of the test. If you fail you will also receive a slip*.

*Please do not call to find out the results of your examination.

After you pass the state examination you need to get an application. The application you can get from the county clerk or by calling New York State Permits deparment. Their number is 518-474-8275.

When you receive the yellow pass slip and fill out your application and complete your oath of an office you will put them together and send them to Albany to the New York state office of Permits.

It will take 6 to 8 weeks, in New York State, to get your comission card. (The wait is long but it is worth it when you finally get your card.)

The comission is given for a term of 4 years. You will need to reapply for a new comission after 4 years. (If you want to avoid retaking the written examination renew your comission a year before it expires.)

Oh, let's not forget the fees*:
$15.00 for the examination.
$60.00 application fee for your comission for the whole term of 4 years.
*There are other fees that you can find out about in your reading material.

I hope this helped. Good luck!

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