How it works
What happens at a California notary appointment, step by step, how long it takes, and what a notary is not allowed to do.
This is what a California notary appointment involves, wherever you go.
What happens at the appointmentLink to this section
You show photo ID. The notary records the act in a journal and you sign it. You sign your document in front of the notary. The notary fills in the certificate wording, signs, and applies the seal. You take the document with you. One document with one signer usually takes 10 to 15 minutes.
The rest of this page is the detail.
Before the appointmentLink to this section
1. Book a time. For the Pleasanton office, book an office appointment online and pick your own slot. For a visit to you, or for anything inside four hours, call or text (925) 319-8855. More about booking →
2. Read the confirmation. Check the date, the time and the address. Then read the what-to-bring list before you set off. Thirty seconds there saves a second trip.
3. Get the document ready, but do not sign it. Every blank filled in. Ink, not pencil. Bring the whole document, including the notary page at the end.
At the appointmentLink to this section
Step 1. ID checkLink to this section
Everyone whose signature is being notarized shows their own photo ID. The notary checks that it is on California's list and that it is current or was issued within the last five years. (Civil Code 1185)
Step 2. The journal entryLink to this section
Every California notary keeps an official record book. Into it goes the date and time, the type of document, your name, your signature, and how you were identified. You sign the journal.
Thumbprint. If your document affects real property, such as a deed, a quitclaim deed or a deed of trust, or if it is a power of attorney, California law requires your right thumbprint in that journal. Every notary in the state does this. It is not personal, and the ink wipes off. (Gov. Code 8206)
Step 3. Which notarial actLink to this section
There are two common ones.
Acknowledgment. You confirm the signature is yours and that you signed it.
Jurat. You swear under oath that the contents are true, and you must sign in front of the notary. (Gov. Code 8202)
The notary cannot choose for you. Choosing would be legal advice. The person or agency receiving your document decides. Ask them before your appointment. It takes them ten seconds to answer.
Step 4. You signLink to this section
You sign in front of the notary. Witnesses, if your document has witness lines, sign too.
Step 5. Stamp and certificateLink to this section
The notary fills in the certificate wording, signs it, and applies the official seal.
Step 6. DoneLink to this section
You take your document with you. Nothing gets mailed later. There is nothing to wait for.
How long it takesLink to this section
| What you are signing | Time |
|---|---|
| One document, one signer | 10–15 minutes |
| A few documents, one or two signers | 20–30 minutes |
| Estate package with witnesses | 30–60 minutes |
| Deed or other real estate document | 15–30 minutes |
| Hospital or care home visit | 20–45 minutes, plus travel |
The fee does not change with the clock. It is $10 for each document notarized whether the appointment takes ten minutes or forty.
What a notary does not doLink to this section
Worth knowing before you turn up somewhere expecting otherwise.
No legal advice. A notary cannot tell you what your document means, whether to sign it, or whether it will do what you want. A notary who is not an attorney is barred from advising you.
No choosing your certificate. See Step 3. That choice belongs to whoever is receiving the document.
No filling in your document. A notary can point at a blank line. A notary cannot tell you what to write in it.
No checking whether it is true. The certificate wording says so outright. A notary "verifies only the identity of the individual who signed the document ... and not the truthfulness, accuracy, or validity of that document." (Civil Code 1189)
No certifying copies of birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates or diplomas. In California a notary may certify a copy of a power of attorney, and copies of their own journal. That is the complete list. Certified vital records come from the county recorder or the state registrar. Links here. (Gov. Code 8205)
Not attorneys. In many Latin American countries a notario público is a licensed lawyer who can advise and represent you. A California notary public is not. No immigration help, no legal representation, ever. California even bans a notary from using the phrase "notario público" for this reason. (Gov. Code 8219.5) Anyone claiming otherwise is misleading you.
When a notary has to say noLink to this section
- No acceptable ID, and no credible witnesses
- The signer seems confused, or unaware of what they are signing
- Someone appears to be pressuring the signer
- The document has blank spaces. A notary is required to refuse an incomplete document (Gov. Code 8205)
- The document is in pencil, which can be erased
- The notary and the signer cannot understand each other directly. The Secretary of State's handbook says an interpreter should not be used, and that the signer should be referred to a notary who speaks their language (Notary Public Handbook)
- The notary has a direct financial or beneficial interest in the transaction (Gov. Code 8224)
None of it is personal. These rules exist to protect the person signing, usually from someone else in the room.
Book nowLink to this section
Call (925) 319-8855.
What to bring · How to book · FAQ
General information, not legal advice.