Did the stork bring you a new gift?

Did the stork bring you a new gift?

Congratulations! You just had a baby and now your wonderful new life has just begun.

From spending hours watching Dora The Explorer, your child’s first day of Pre-Shcool  to the day they graduate from that Ivy League College , your life is going to change, starting right now!

Before getting too far along though, one of your first responsibilities in the care and feeding of your newborn is to apply for a California Birth Certificate.

As a new parent you’ll soon learn how hectic life can be with a little one running around your home, so now is a great time to apply before you forget! Besides, once you start applying for schools, the California Birth Certificate is one of the first documents every school will ask for.

Getting the California Birth Certificate is a fairly simple process. If the caregivers at the hospital where you had your baby didn’t give you the forms you can easily find them at the California Department of Public Health web site. You’ll need to download Form VS-111. Form VS-111 is very simple requiring only some basic facts about the birth mother, biological father and where and when the child was born.

Before submitting your Form VS-111, as the applicant  you’ll need to have  your signature notarized by a California Notary Public. The time to fill out the form should only be about 5-10 minutes and you can easily have the form notarized by a mobile or traveling notary such as Bay Area Mobile Notary or any walk-in notary location. The State of California Department of Public Health has already included the necessary notary public verbiage on the document so completing the form is very straightforward.

We Come To You!

Bay Area Mobile Notary service is always available to meet you at your location within Silicon Valley to notarize your VS-111 Form or any other official document requiring notarization.

Remember before meeting any notary public that you should have your valid photo identification document with you – typically this would include either a non-expired State Issued Drivers License, non-expired California ID card or a valid U.S. Passport. If you have questions about other forms of ID please drop us a line or give us a call.

We’re here to help!

So You Want To Be A Notary Public? – Obtaining your Commission (Part 2)

So You Want To Be A Notary Public? – Obtaining your Commission

In Part 1 of “So You Want To Be A Notary Public”, I discussed the required classes, that you must attend  either online or in person,  as well as the California state mandated test. After taking the 6 hour class and taking the test your next step is to…… wait….

The Wait….

The State of California doesn’t often get in too big of a hurry when processing the Notary Public tests. As such you may get your test results in 1 week or you might have to wait up to 1 month. In most cases you will receive your test results within about 10 business days and even faster if you provide the testing facility with your email address.

Unfortunately, while you’re waiting for your test results there isn’t much else you can do to help the Notary commission process move along. So wait you must.

The Big Day!

You’ll know that your test results are on their way when you start receiving Notary Public supply offers from various vendors in the mail. You will normally receive these materials the day *BEFORE* you receive your actual test results.

Selling Notary Public supplies is big business and there are no lack of vendors to choose from when buying your supplies – but we’ll talk about that a bit later (in part 3)…

The day has arrived and there it is, sitting in your mailbox – the non-descript white envelope from the California Secretary of State with your Notary Public test results.

Congratulations! You’ve passed the Notary Public Exam and now it’s time to get your background check completed.

Along with the test results will be instructions on where to obtain the Live Scan Form for your background check. You’ll need to print out the Live Scan Form and locate a finger print “rolling location” near you. Many local police or sheriff stations offer Live Scan services and many offer or require an appointment.

I suggest obtaining an appointment as many of the Live Scan locations have limited hours and tend to get very busy with walk-in traffic.

What does the background check cost?

To complete your Notary Public background check, you will need both a State of California and a Federal (FBI) background check. You’ll pay a separate fee for each of these checks. In addition, each Live Scan location may charge a service fee for providing the fingerprinting service.

As of early 2011 when I last has my background check completed the fees were as follows:

• State of California Fee:  $32.00
• Federal / FBI Fee:  $19.00
• Fingerprint Service Fee:  $20.00
• Total Fee: $71.00

After completing your finger printing, you’ll again get to wait while the background checks are completed. This too will take about 10 business days on average, before your results will be forwarded to the California Secretary of State.

Once the Secretary of State has received and reviewed you fingerprint / background check results they will forward your Notary Public Commission to you in the mail.

In the next installment of  “So You Want To Be A Notary Public”, I’ll show you how to complete the application process and give you some tips on how to get your business off to a quick start.

Stay tuned…

Has the stork visited you lately?

Has the stork visited you lately?

Congratulations! You just had a baby and now your wonderful new life has just begun.

From spending hours watching Elmo and the Teletubbies, your child’s first day of Kindergarten to the day they graduate High School and maybe some day college, your life is going to change, starting today.

Before getting too far along though, one of your first responsibilities in the care and feeding of your newborn is to apply for a California Birth Certificate.

As a new parent you’ll soon learn how hectic life can be with a little one running around your home, so now is a great time to apply before you forget! Besides, once you start applying for schools, the California Birth Certificate is one of the first documents every school will ask for.

Getting the California Birth Certificate is a fairly simple process. If the caregivers at the hospital where you had your baby didn’t give you the forms you can easily find them at the California Department of Public Health web site. You’ll need to download Form VS-111. Form VS-111 is very simple requiring only some basic facts about the birth mother, biological father and where and when the child was born.

Before submitting your Form VS-111, as the applicant  you’ll need to have  your signature notarized by a California Notary Public. The time to fill out the form should only be about 5-10 minutes and you can easily have the form notarized by a mobile notary such as Bay Area Mobile Notary or any walk-in notary location. The State of California Department of Public Health has already included the necessary notary public verbiage on the document so completing the form is very straightforward.

Bay Area Mobile Notary service is always available to meet you at your location within Silicon Valley to notarize your VS-111 Form or any other document requiring notarization. Remember before meeting any notary public that you should have your valid photo identification document with you – typically this would include either a non-expired drivers license, non-expired California ID card or a valid U.S. Passport. If you have questions about other forms of ID please drop us a line or give us a call.

We’re here to help!

Check Fraud Scheme Hits Local Church

Check Fraud Scheme Hits Local Church

The one thing I really enjoy about my work as a mobile notary is never really knowing what sorts of problems or challenges my clients might bring to me on any given day. I recently received a call from a local church here in San Jose asking if I could come an notarize some documents provided by their bank.

My New Notary Public Commission Has Arrived

My New Notary Public Commission Has Arrived

Today I received an unexpected treat from Debra Bowen, the California Secretary of State – my brand new notary public commission and stamp manufacturing approval form!

Unexpected Surprise

As I wrote back in my May 28th blog entry, I really did not expect to receive my new commission until at least the first week in September at the earliest. Because of all the current financial wrangling that is going on in Sacramento, with budget cuts left and right, the Secretary of State department had indicated that it was up to 4 months behind in processing Notary Public applications and renewals. Kudos to the folks in Sacramento who are keeping things moving in these tough economic times.

So You Want To Be A Notary Public? – Where to Start. (Part 1)

So You Want To Be A Notary Public? – Where to Start

I am currently in the process of renewing my Notary Public commission which expires in July , 2011. As part of the renewal process all California Notary Public agents must submit to both State and Federal finger print clearance background checks. While I was getting my finger prints taken at the Santa Clara County Sherriff’s office in Cupertino, the officer in charge of rolling the finger prints asked me, “How do you get started as a Notary Public?”

Easy Money?

Of course, this is not the first time I’ve heard this question. I get it quite often as most people figure, hey you stamp that document and get paid $10, that’s easy! But alas, it’s never that simple. I told the officer the best way to get started is by taking the State of California mandated 6 hour notary training class. While you can take classes online, I believe the best way to absorb all the information quickly is to take a live training class. I recommend contacting www.notaryclasses.com as they offer live classes for both new and renewing Notary Public’s throughout California several times each month.

Because I am renewing my Notary Public commission for the second time, I was originally commissioned in 2003, I was only required to take the 3 hour “refresher” class. The thing I like about using NotaryClasses.com is that they schedule a California State Exam proctor to come and administer the Notary Public exam immediately following the class, while all of the details of working as a Notary Public are fresh in  your mind.

What does it cost?

So what does it cost? To begin with, the Notaryclasses.com course will run you $69.00. They will offer you a number of “upgrades” including a “Gold” package with all the materials you’ll need to get started. My advice would be to just sign up for the class and skip the add-on’s.

You’ll be able to pick-up all the needed materials after you’ve passed the test and have been approved by the State of California. Many online vendors will offer you all the supplies you’ll need at a much lower cost. The State of California even has PDF files of the standard Acknowledgment and Jurat documents available to download for free on their website. Just download and print as needed.

Once you’ve completed the class, you’ll need to take and pass the exam. The State of California requires a $40 payment by check on the day you take the test. Don’t for get to bring your ID – you’ll need to show a valid California Driver’s License or ID card, or a valid Passport before the proctor will allow you to enter the testing room.

So to get started on day one, your total outlay will be just over $100. In a future post I discuss how the process to become a Notary Public continues and the associated costs that go along with completing the process. Stay tuned…

Passed the California State Notary Exam!

Passed the California State Notary Exam!

After taking the 3 hour refresher course and the mandated 30 question State proctored Notary Public Exam on April 30th, I just received word today that I passed the test once again. Whew! While the California Notary Public exam isn’t exactly on the same level as the State Bar Exam or CPA test, it is a relief to be done with that part of the commission renewal process for another 4 years.

California Liquor License Requires Signature Notarization

California Liquor License Requires Signature Notarization

Congratulations! You’ve just opened that new Asian/Hawaiian fusion restaurant and you’re ready to apply for your State of California Liquor License so you can offer your guests wine, beer and mixed drinks.

The ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) liquor license application process is a long and tedious one, with quite a few hurdles to jump through along the way.

The State of California will perform a number of background checks and require that you complete about 10 different forms. To start the process you’ll fill out the Application Questionnaire (Form ABC-217) and the Individual Personal Affidavit/Individual Financial Affidavit Form ABC-208A and ABC-208B. Upon completing both of these forms you’ll need to have your signature notarized by a practicing California Notary Public.

California Requires Expanded Background Checks for Notary Public

California Requires Expanded Background Checks for Notary Public

All applicants appointed or reappointed as a notary public on or after January 1, 2008, must undergo a background check by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as the California Department of Justice.

In response to a massive increase in loan fraud, the State of California has implemented a number new requirements for commissioning of new and renewing California Notary Public agents.

As a previously commissioned California Notary Public, I am currently working my way through renewing my commission. As part of this process I now must submit to two finger print back ground checks as well as providing passport photos for my application.

Notary Requirements

This along with increased education requirements, should improve the overall integrity and effectiveness of all of the state’s Notary Public agents.