California Notary Commission Renewal
3 Hour State Required Course
CA Secretary of State Approved Vendor #307172
Looking for the 6 Hour Notary Commissioning Course? Click Here!
Four Years Later.
Are You Certain You've Been Operating Correctly?
California requires 3 hours of instruction from a state-approved vendor before you may sit for your renewal exam.
Every approved vendor will cover the required curriculum.
Renewal is not about checking a box. It is about asking a harder question:
Have you been applying the law exactly as written — every time — for the last four years?
Experience Builds Patterns. Statute Requires Precision.
You have operated under your commission for four years.
You have completed certificates. You have verified identification. You have made judgment calls in real time. You have developed patterns.
Experience builds confidence. Confidence builds consistency.
But consistency does not always mean compliance.
The question renewal asks is not whether you are experienced.
It is whether the patterns you have developed are perfectly aligned with California notary law as it stands today.
That is not a question about your competence. It is a question about whether anyone ever corrected you when you needed it.
Renewal is the moment to confirm that what has worked is also what statute requires — before the next four-year term begins.
The Exam Tests Recognition. The Field Tests Execution.
The renewal exam will ask you to identify the correct answer from four options.
It will not ask:
- Have you been enforcing identification standards consistently across every signing?
- Have you handled incomplete documents correctly every time?
- Have you refused when statute required it, even when the signer pressured you?
- Have you documented defensively enough to protect yourself if your work were questioned?
Renewal is not only about whether you can still pass the exam.
It is about whether you have been operating at a level that would withstand scrutiny if your commission were ever reviewed.
That is the standard this course holds.
Who Teaches Your Renewal Matters Even More.
Your 3-hour renewal course is taught by:
Kimberly Sennett — Master Notary, American Guild of Notaries Public
The highest level of professional recognition conferred by the organization, awarded to individuals who demonstrate exceptional expertise, integrity, and sustained leadership in the notarial profession. Founder of Notary Academy. Founder of Notary Advocates of California. Creator of the National Signing Agent Course and Certification. Owner of Seal the Deal National Signing Service. Pioneer in educating notaries to diversify their skill sets, notably through Permit Running and ancillary services, empowering notaries to expand beyond traditional pathways while remaining compliant and ethically grounded.
Audra Murray-Siu — Expert Notary Public, American Guild of Notaries Public
Awarded by the Board of Directors in recognition of advanced knowledge, ethical practice, and leadership within the notarial profession. An active California Notary Public. Creator of The Visible Notary: Visibility by Design. Advisor Leadership Team Lead, Executive Assistant and Lifeline Servicer at Notary Academy.
The Master Notary and the Expert Notary Public credential from the American Guild of Notaries Public are the two highest levels of professional recognition the organization confers. Both require demonstrated advanced knowledge, real-world experience, and board-level acknowledgment.
No other California Secretary of State Approved Vendor can put both of these credentials in the same classroom.
That matters at renewal.
Because renewal students ask different questions:
"I've been doing it this way for years — is that compliant?" "Has this requirement changed since I was commissioned?" "Is this practice defensible if my work were questioned?"
Those answers require more than reciting the workbook. They require instructors who operate at a higher standard than the minimum — and who have been recognized nationally for doing so.
This course follows the official California Secretary of State required format and includes the state-approved renewal workbook.
Inside the 3-hour renewal course:
Review of the authority and limits of a California Notary Public — what your commission authorizes you to do, and what it does not, with clear statutory boundaries.
Updated identification requirements — current standards for acceptable ID, credible witnesses, and what to do when identification does not meet statute.
Journal standards and documentation expectations — the level of detail that protects you if your notarization is ever questioned.
Prohibited acts and associated penalties — what crosses the line, why it matters, and what the consequences are.
Fee regulations — what you may charge, what you may not, and how to stay compliant.
The renewal application process — what happens after you pass and how to move efficiently through it.
This is a focused statutory review. It is not casual. It is not abbreviated. It is not treated like a formality.
Renewal Is the Safest Time to Realign.
Not because something has gone wrong. Because nothing has.
You have been operating based on what you were taught, what you have seen, and what has worked. Renewal is the moment to confirm that what has worked is also what statute requires.
Experience does not lower the standard. It raises it.
The notaries who renew with the most confidence are not the ones who assume they have been operating correctly. They are the ones who use renewal to confirm it — and to correct course before the next four-year term begins.
Important Renewal Timeline Advisory
California strongly recommends starting your renewal process 4 to 6 months before your commission expires.
If your commission expires before the Secretary of State processes your renewal application — including your live scan, exam results, and completed 3-hour course — you will be required to start over with the 6-hour new notary course.
If you are within 90 days of your expiration date, we recommend enrolling in the 6-hour commissioning course for renewal instead of the 3-hour course. If any processing delay causes your commission to lapse, you will then not need to purchase the 6-hour course a second time.
Plan ahead. Protect your commission continuity.
Check Exam Processing Dates with the Secretary of State Office HERE
6 Hour Course Is Acceptable For Renewal!
Jump To The 6 Hour Commissioning Course Page Now
Choose the Format That Fits Your Schedule.
The instruction is the same in both.
3-Hour Live Zoom Session
Live instruction on Zoom with your camera on.
3 Hour Session + 30 Min Check-In with ID Prior To Session. This includes a 15 Minute Break
NOTE: Registration for Zoom classes closes at
8:00 PM the night before the scheduled class
to allow us to confirm attendance and schedule the instructor. Seats must be reserved before the cutoff time.
Upcoming Live Zoom Sessions
-
Thursday, March 12, 2026 - 10AM-1:30PM
-
Monday, March 16, 2026 - 4:30 PM - 8PM
-
Thursday, March 19, 2026 - 4:30PM - 8PM
-
Sunday, March 22, 2026 - 9AM - 12:30PM
-
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 - 10AM - 1:30 PM
-
Saturday, March 28, 2026 - 9AM - 12:30 PM
-
Tuesday, March 31, 2026 - 4:30PM - 8PM
-
Saturday, April 4, 2026 - 9AM-12:30PM
-
Tuesday, April 7, 2026 - 10AM - 1:30 PM
-
Thursday, April 9, 2026 - 10AM - 1:30PM
-
Saturday, April 11, 2026 - 12:30PM - 4PM
-
Wednesday, April 15, 2026 - 10AM - 1:30PM
-
Sunday, April 19, 2026 - 9AM - 12:30PM
-
Tuesday, April 21, 2026 - 10AM - 1:30 PM
-
Sunday, April 26, 2026 - 9AM - 12:30PM
-
Tuesday, April 28, 2026 - 4:30PM - 8PM
3-Hour Self-Paced Online Course
Complete the course on your own timeline. No set schedule.
Review the material as many times as needed before your exam. Includes exam preparation questions built into the course. Access is available for 12 months from purchase.
Select Your Format And / Or Session Now:
Continued Professional Support — The Inner Circle (Optional)
Your 3-hour renewal course fulfills your state requirement completely. It stands alone.
Many renewing California notaries realize during renewal: "I have been operating alone."
That is exactly what the Notary Academy Inner Circle was built for.
The Lifeline feature — available inside the California-specific Inner Circle membership — gives you real-time access to experienced notary support during an active signing. Not after. Not the next day. During. When it matters.
Additional Inner Circle benefits for California members:
Practical application discussions and virtual meetups with other California notaries.
Full access training library — review any topic at any time.
Identification and scenario deep-dives that go beyond what the 3-hour course covers.
Ethical boundary clarification — real scenarios, clear answers, no guessing.
Ongoing business education, mentorship, and real-time Lifeline support & more!
The Inner Circle is optional.
It is available at any time and for as long as it serves you and your business. It exists for notaries who understand that renewal is not about surviving another exam. It is about protecting the next four years of your commission.
Learn More About California Inner Circle Mentorship - Support For Every Stage Of Your BusinessThe Standard Does Not Lower With Experience.
Any California Secretary of State Approved Vendor can deliver this curriculum.
The curriculum is fixed. The instruction is not.
What you carry out of this classroom — the depth of your statutory understanding, the clarity of your application, the confidence with which you approach the next four years of your commission — is determined by who teaches you.
Notary Academy is the only approved vendor in California where both instructors hold AGNP credentials: the Master Notary and the Expert Notary Public.
These are nationally recognized professional recognitions, conferred by the American Guild of Notaries Public Board of Directors, in acknowledgment of advanced knowledge, skills, and real-world experience.
They are what you should expect from the people teaching your renewal.
Renew Your Commission With the Most Credentialed Instruction Available in California.
Two instructors. Two AGNP credentials. One classroom that holds the law to a higher standard than the exam requires.
Four more years begins here.
Choose your format and reserve your seat.
Select A Class and/or Session NowCalifornia Notary Commission Renewal
3 Hour State Required Course
CA Secretary of State Approved Vendor #307172
Looking for the 6 Hour Notary Commissioning Course? Click Here!
*Applicants must be 18 years of age & Must Provide Valid Identification By Submission To Notary Academy to receive proof of completion certificate
Proof of Completion is processed within 72 hours. If your exam is scheduled within three business days of your certificate request, please plan accordingly. We are not responsible for delays resulting from insufficient lead time.
Refund Policy: All sales on the 3-hour commissioning course are final.
Live Zoom attendees who miss a scheduled session have 30 calendar days to register for a future session. Failure to attend two scheduled sessions results in forfeiture of payment.
Self-paced course purchasers receive 12 months of access from the date of purchase.