Jurisdiction and Geographic Authority

A California notary public is strictly limited to performing notarial acts within the borders of California. A California notary cannot notarize documents in any other state, even if the document will be filed or used in California. Additionally, a notary commissioned only in California cannot perform acts while physically located in another state, territory, or country. The notarial act is governed by the law of the jurisdiction where the notary is physically located at the time of the act—not where the document originates or where it will be used. This means a California notary vacationing in another state cannot legally perform notarial acts while there.

A document notarized by a California notary public within California is generally recognized as valid in other states under principles of comity and the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Similarly, California generally recognizes notarial acts performed by notaries commissioned in other states, provided those acts were performed within that notary's home state jurisdiction and comply with that state's laws. However, each state has its own requirements for what constitutes a valid notarization, and a document intended for use in another state should be prepared with that state's requirements in mind. When a document is intended for use outside the United States, an apostille or authentication certificate from the California Secretary of State may also be required.

A California notary may notarize a document that will be used or filed in another state, so long as the notary and the signer are both physically present in California at the time of the notarization. The notary must follow California notarial law and use the California certificate wording for the specific notarial act being performed. However, if the receiving state requires a different certificate form, the notary may attach a loose certificate that complies with California law. The notary should never use an out-of-state certificate form that conflicts with California requirements. If in doubt, the notary should use the California certificate form and let the receiving state determine acceptability.

California law authorizes traditional paper-based notarization and has also established a framework for electronic notarization. In electronic notarization, the notary uses an electronic signature and an electronic seal, but both parties are still physically present in the same room. California also permits remote online notarization (RON) under specific statutory authority, where the signer appears via audio-visual communication technology rather than in person. Remote notarization requires the notary to use technology platforms that meet statutory requirements for identity proofing, credential analysis, and tamper-evident recording. The Secretary of State has established specific requirements for notaries seeking authorization to perform remote notarizations, including additional registration and the use of technology vendors meeting statutory requirements.