How to become a Notary (Olympia: purchase, costs, activities)

[techiecocktail]

I want to become a notary. Can someone tell me where can i find complete details on elligibility, course (if required), exam (if required) etc.

[cdelena]

WA State Licensing: How to become a notary public

[jinj]

Its really easy, and makes me wonder why they even mean anything.

[MichaelinWA]

The notary's role is to be an impartial witness when papers are signed - that's all. There really isn't any reason why it should be particularly difficult to become one. The states do weed out convicted criminals, I think.

Originally Posted by jinj

Its really easy, and makes me wonder why they even mean anything.

[allforcats]

You'll need to be bonded with a $10,000 surety bond that will remain valid and in force for the duration of the notary public term, which is four years. And you'll need to be vouched for by three persons who are verifiable residents of the state of Washington.
For the sake of elegance, you might want to get the name of what you want to do accurate... It's notary public. The plural is notaries public.

Because of the costs of the surety bond and the supplies, many companies which need notaries public on staff will post the bonds for given employees and purchase their supplies. But of course as soon as one leaves the employ of that company, one either must pay pro rata for the remainder of the bond for the remainder of the four years, or cease activity as a notary public. As soon as the bond is cancelled, Olympia will be notified by the surety company and any notary activities by that person will become illegal.