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A Florida Notary Public completes a thorough application process before earning a commission. An interested candidate for first time appointment or reappointment as a notary public begins by completing an application. The application can be downloaded from the Florida Department of State, Notary Commissions and Certifications web site. This application is in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Another way to get the notary application form is from a bonding company. An up to date list of bonding companies approved by Florida can be found on the state web site. An applicant who aspires to be a Florida Notary must show evidence of a bond. Bonding companies not only offer the required bond but many are full service providers of notary supplies and training.

A Florida Notary applicant is required to show proof of training. Since July 2000, notary applicants and those who are reapplying must complete a minimum of three hours training. Local colleges and universities, adult education programs, bonding agencies, notary professional associations and for- profit education programs offer training to meet the Florida education requirements. Along with basic notary procedures, understanding legal terminology, identification procedures, recording transactions and administering oaths, a Florida Notary must be trained in electronic notarization processes. A list of approved training providers is also available on the state web site.

A Florida Notary applicant is also trained to work in "special positions" such as law enforcement, military and government. Also an important aspect of training is in how to notarize wills, when to refuse to notarize a document, how to advertise a notary practice, proper situations for acting as a witness and how to avoid actions or statements that might be considered practicing law without a license

After issue, the commission is sent to the bonding company. The bonding company then forwards the commission and notary seal to the notary who can begin working as a Florida Notary.

The process from application to receiving commission usually takes about 2-3 weeks unless the application needs special handling. To assist the Florida Notary in performing duties of the office, the state web site has samples of frequently used documents, including Oath or Affirmation, Acknowledgement and Certified Copy. These samples show the proper wording as well as the format necessary for each type of notarization. A Florida Notary can also reference the correct procedure for Document Authentication also known as Apostilles, which documents may be authenticated and the maximum fee that can be charged.

The statutes that govern duties and conduct of a Florida Notary is found at the Governor's web site. Florida notaries are under the direct responsibility of the governor's office. To further assist the Florida Notary, a Governor's Reference Manual is available for download.

For the Florida Notary who plans to officiate at a wedding, a complete guide of how to conduct a marriage ceremony can be downloaded - This guide includes a marriage ceremony in both English and Spanish.

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