Become A Notary Public

Qualifications To Become A Notary

  • Be at least 18 years old
  • Be a citizen of the United States or a legal resident of the United States
  • Be a legal resident of the county in which he or she applies (or, if a non-Georgia resident, you must reside in a state bordering Georgia and carry on a business or profession in Georgia or be regularly employed in the Georgia county of application)
  • Have, and provide at the time of application, the applicant’s personal operating telephone number
  • Be able to read and write English
  • State issued ID that matches the Address on the Application – Must be Talbot County
  • A Criminal History within the last 30 days performed by Talbot County / 911 must be presented along with the completed application.
  • The Training Certificate issued upon Completion of the Notary Training (see below for information & link).
  • Completed & Notarized Application upon arrival.  

Notary Information

Application Process

If your notary has expired (meaning the expiration date has passed), you MUST complete a New Notary Application.  However, if the expiration date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, you have until the following Monday to complete your Renewal Application. 

  1. You will click the link below to begin you we-based application
  2. Select County of “Talbot”
  3. Enter the 3-digit code that displays on the screen. (If the code does not appear, contact GSCCCA Customer Support at 800-304-5174 or 404-327-9760.)
  4. Select the appropriate Application
    1. New Application: Select this option if you do not have a current active Notary Commission in the County in which you are applying.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the form you have chosen.
  6. Note: The way in which you enter your name on the application, is the exact format you must sign as a Notary Public. 
  7. Once completed, print the application. Two endorser signatures are required, have your endorsers sign the application. (Endorsers are character references who live in TALBOT county, have known you for over 30 days, and are not related to you.)
  8. Bring the signed NOTARIZED application to the Clerk’s Office to finish the application process, pay the appointment fee of $55.00, and take your oath of office.
  9. Purchase a notary seal (metal emboss type or rubber ink stamp) from an office supply store or from a notary trade association. Note: For renewing notaries: you may use your existing notary seal/stamp if the information on the seal matches exactly the information on the new commission.
    1. If you’d like to use a local company to purchase your notary seal, you may contact Qwick Pack & Ship at (706) 752-1605, or Metro Copiers at (770) 761-8542.  ​

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Click Here To Begin The Online Application

Name Change and Change of Address

Every notary shall notify the Clerk of Superior Court, and the Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority, in writing of any change in the notary’s address or name. The notice shall contain both the old and new address and name and must be received by the Clerk’s office within 30 days of said change. In the event of a name change the new signature of the notary must be included. A notary with a new name may begin to officially sign using the new name once this office has received the notice of the name, a confirmation of the name change is sent to the Notary, and a new seal bearing the Notary’s new name has been obtained. 

A notary with a new name may begin to officially sign the new name when the notice has been received by this office; a confirmation of the name change has been received from this office and a new seal bearing the new name has been obtained.

The notice must be brought into the Clerk’s office and submitted to the Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority. Contact information is included at the bottom of the form.

Notary Training is required in order to receive a commission. An online training course is available free of charge for current Notary Publics and Notary Public applicants.

Click Here For Training Opportunities

A Notary may charge for performing services, but is not required to do so. If a fee is to be charged, the Notary must advise the individual requesting the service in advance of such charges. The Notary may, upon request of the individual requesting services, charge an additional $2.00 for providing a certificate of the effective date of their commission from the Clerk of Superior Court of Talbot County.

The fee for a new notary appointment or for reappointment is $55.00 

A Notary desiring to resign his or her Notary Commission shall send a letter of resignation to the Clerk of Superior Court of Talbot County and forward a copy of the letter to the Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority. The Notary shall then destroy his or her official seal (this is to also be done when a Notary does not renew their Commission).

A Notary is disqualified from performing a notarial act in situations that impugn or compromise the impartiality of the Notary. Specific situations that require disqualification are:

  • Notarizing for relatives is strongly discouraged
  • When the Notary is the signer of the document to be notarized
  • When the Notary knows a statement on a document is false or an action is intended to deceive or defraud, which may be prosecuted as a crime
  • When the Notary is a party to the document or transaction for which the notarial act is required
  • When the Notary violates any provision of law
  • When the Notary performs a notarial act without first confirming the identity of the document signer, oath taker or affirmant; confirmation may be based on personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence.

Disclaimer

This webpage is a Notary Public Summary Guide and the Clerk of Superior Court of Talbot County strongly recommends that a Notary obtain a Notary Handbook, which fully addresses the duties and responsibilities of a Notary. You may obtain a Notary Handbook through our website, in our office or through the American Society of Notaries.