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Become a Virginia notary public

Requirements
Anyone wishing to become a Virginia notary public must submit a completed Virginia notary 
application for appointment as notary to the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth 
along with a fee of $45.00 made payable to the Treasurer of Virginia. Virginia Notary 
applications are available below or at your local circuit court. 

The notary applicant should receive notice that their application has been approved within 
3 weeks of receipt. The notary then has sixty days to appear at the court of their choice 
to take their oath of office and pick up their commission certificate.  The clerk of court 
will require an additional fee of $10.00 at that time which should be made payable to the court.

A Virginia notary commission as notary is good for four years.  The process for renewing a 
commission is the same as applying for an original commission. Please note that if you are 
a notary whose commission expires in January, please submit your application in January. 
Applications received prior to January will be processed in a way wherein your commission 
will expire one year earlier than anticipated.

Please visit the Secretary of state's website to download a copy of the Virginia notary 
handbook and application.

Notary Division contact information 
Betsy Anderson, Notary Director
Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
P.O. Box 1795
Richmond, Virginia 23218-1795
(804) 786-2441

To file a complaint against a notary, please submit a brief written description detailing 
the complaint and a copy of the notarized document in question. Once the complaint is 
received the notary department will determine if a violation has been committed. If the 
complaint is considered valid, then the notary will be investigated. 

VA - Other Information of Interest
A Virginia notary public can notarize outside of the commonwealth of Virginia
providing that the document being notarized gets recorded in Virginia.
This is a very unusual law considering that other states require the notary
to only notarize within the state that they are commissioned in.
Below is the official state verbiage on this matter:

Anyone may request the address and telephone number of a notary by
submitting a letter of request stating the name of the notary and the
reason for request to the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Virginia also provides a format for having an informal hearing if someone
has a complaint against a notary.  Here is the state's official text:

Anyone who wishes to make a formal complaint against a notary public for
incorrectly performing a notorial act must submit in writing a brief
description detailing the complaint and a copy of the notarized document
in question. Once the complaint is received the notary department will
determine if a violation has been committed. If the complaint is deemed
valid, the notary will receive a letter advising them that an investigation
has been initiated. The Notary Specialist will schedule an informal
hearing where the both parties will be given the opportunity to explain
their positions. If either party is unable to attend, a written account
will be accepted and read at the hearing. The Secretary of the Commonwealth
then has 90 days to render a decision of which the notary will receive
written notice. A copy will be sent to the complainant upon request.

A Virginia notary public can notarize outside of the commonwealth of
Virginia providing that the document being notarized gets recorded in
Virginia. This is a very unusual law considering that other states
require the notary to only notarize within the state that they are
commissioned in. Below is the official state verbiage on this matter:

All Virginia notaries are notaries at-large and have authority to
perform all notarial acts anywhere within the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Virginia notaries have limited powers in performing notarial acts
outside of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  However, documents notarized
outside of the Commonwealth by Virginia notary publics must be must
be recorded in Virginia.

Additional Class Information
Virginia Notary Public Classes www.vanotaryedu.com offers state specific 
Notary Law & Procedures training programs for all Virginia notaries   
Our "hands-on" training for individuals is available via Classroom, Distance 
Training and Webinars.   Our mobile classroom travels statewide to on-site 
corporate, county/city, state facilities for the convenience of 
employer/employee notaries.    Become confident in your notary skills and 
learn to protect yourself from costly lawsuits.   Taking a Class is Your 
Pass to a Legal Notarization.

Related Links
Virginia Notary Fees and FAQ Information
Become a Virginia Notary Public