California Notary Name Change: Forms, Fees, and 30-Day Deadline

To complete a California notary name change, you file a Name Change Application with the Secretary of State, then file an amended oath of office and bond rider with your county clerk within 30 days of the amended commission being issued, and obtain a new seal within 30 days after that county filing.¹ The Secretary of State charges nothing for the application, but the county filing fee, a bond rider, and a new seal all cost money. The step that trips people up is the 30-day county filing window: miss it and the name change is void, and you start over.²

Step 1: File the Name Change Application With the Secretary of State

Download the Notary Public Name Change Application from the Secretary of State’s website, complete it, and mail it to the Notary Public Section at 1500 11th Street, 2nd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814.³ There is no filing fee.⁴ The application is for a legal name change only, such as one from marriage, divorce, or a court order.

The new last name on your commission must match the legal last name on your ID, so update your driver’s license or state ID first if you have not already.³ Once approved, the Secretary of State issues an amended commission in the new name. Your commission number and expiration date do not change.⁵

State law does not set a specific number of days to submit this initial application, but deliberately failing to notify the Secretary of State of a name change is an infraction carrying a fine of up to $500.⁵ File promptly after the name change becomes official.

Step 2: File the Amended Oath and Bond With the County Clerk Within 30 Days

This is the step with real teeth. Once the amended commission is issued, you have 30 days to file a new oath of office and a bond amendment with the county clerk in the county where your principal place of business is located.¹ The name change does not take effect until this filing is complete, and the 30-day window cannot be extended for any reason.⁶

Count the 30 days from the issue date printed on the amended commission, not the day the envelope arrived. Mark it on your calendar the moment it comes in.

What to Bring to the County Clerk

The amended commission from the Secretary of State.
Two oath of office forms, completed but unsigned if you are filing in person, since you sign them in front of the clerk. If you file by mail, you must take and subscribe the oath before another notary in your county, and that notary completes the “For Persons Filing by Mail” section.¹
A bond amendment, or rider, from your original surety company updating the name on your existing bond. If your principal place of business also moved to a different county, you need either a new bond or a duplicate of the original bond instead of a rider.¹
Valid photo identification that substantially matches the name on the amended commission.³

County Filing Fees

Fees vary by county. San Mateo County charges $42 for the filing,⁷ and Yolo County charges $39 for the oath plus $15 to record the bond.⁸ Call your county clerk beforehand to confirm the amount and accepted payment methods.

File in person if you can. The Secretary of State warns that county offices process documents in chronological order and may not process a mailed filing on the date received, which can quietly eat your 30 days.⁶

Step 3: Get a New Seal Within 30 Days of the County Filing

After the county filing, you have another 30 days to obtain a new official seal that displays the updated name.¹ The seal must show your name exactly as it appears on the amended commission.⁹ Order it right after the county filing so vendor production time does not push you past the deadline.

Once the county filing is done, stop using the old seal and old name.² Destroy or deface the old seal so it can no longer produce a legible impression: cut or scrape the rubber die on a stamp, or crush the plate on an embosser. The seal is your personal property, so do not hand it off to anyone else.⁹

Which Name to Use During the Transition

There is a real gap between mailing the application and completing the county filing, and the rule is straightforward: keep using your old name and old seal until the county clerk accepts the new oath and bond.¹ The amended commission is not effective until that filing is complete.² Do not order the new seal early and do not start signing the new name on notarial acts. Notarizations performed under a name and seal that were not yet authorized can be called into question.

What Happens if You Miss the 30-Day County Deadline

Missing the 30-day window to file the amended oath and bond voids the name change entirely. Your commission reverts to your prior name, and the county clerk returns your documents.² To try again, submit a new Name Change Application to the Secretary of State and repeat the process from the start.¹⁰ Most failures happen here, because people receive the amended commission, assume there is no rush, and let the 30 days slip.

Costs to Budget For

Secretary of State Name Change Application: no fee.⁴
County clerk filing fee: varies by county, typically in the $40 to $60 range based on the examples above.
Bond rider from your surety company: varies by insurer. Call yours for the exact amount before you begin.
New notary seal: varies by vendor and whether you choose a stamp or embosser.

None of these are large on their own, but they double if a missed deadline forces a restart. Getting each step done inside its window is the cheapest way through.

1
California Legislative Information. California Government Code 8213
2
California Secretary of State. Notary Frequently Asked Questions
3
California Secretary of State. Notary Public Name Change Application
4
California Secretary of State. Forms, Services, and Fees
5
California Legislative Information. California Government Code 8213.6
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California Secretary of State. File Notary Public Oath and Bond
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San Mateo County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder & Elections. Notary Public Oath and Bond Filing
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Yolo County Assessor Clerk Recorder and Elections. Notary Filing Fees
9
California Legislative Information. California Government Code 8207
10
California Secretary of State. 2025 California Notary Public Handbook