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INTRODUCTION
The Pennsylvania Notary Public Law of 1953 was amended on December 9, 2002, P.L. 1269, No. 151 effective July 1, 2003. Substantial changes in the Notary Public Law include education and residency requirements, seals, fees and electronic notarization. Reference is made to section numbers of the Notary Public Law in the following course material followed by the abbreviation NPL, for example: Section 1 of the NPL. The Pennsylvania Notary Public Law can be found in Title 57 of Purdon’s Pennsylvania Statutes or downloaded from our website.
One of the most important changes affecting prospective notaries public in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the requirement that all first time applicants must submit proof of having completed a three (3) hour pre-approved Notary Public education course within six months preceding application for appointment.
Any applicant for reappointment who was appointed on July 1, 2003 or before and whose notary commission was in effect as of July 1, 2003 is permanently exempted from the notary education requirement. Those who are not exempt include the following:
- Those who received a letter of reappointment but failed for 45 days after the beginning of their terms to obtain a bond and have their bond, commission and oath recorded;
- Those who resigned their commissions and did not seek reappointment;
- Those who permitted their commissions to expire and did not seek reappointment;
- Those whose commissions were revoked as the result of a disciplinary action taken by the Department.
First time applicants and those renewing their commission are obligated to be familiar with the responsibilities and duties that attend to the office. The Bureau of Commissions and Elections of the Pennsylvania Department of State encourages all notaries to attend a notary training course whether required or not.
This requirement and many of the other newly enacted features of the Notary Public Law that you will learn about in this course came about because of the need to provide notaries public with the tools to properly perform the important duties and responsibilities of the office and to instill in the student the significant role that notaries public play in the world of law and commerce.
As public officials who are appointed by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, notaries public are held to the highest standards of integrity, honesty and trust. Notaries public are also playing an ever more vital role in commerce and are on the front lines of deterring document fraud, particularly in light of heightened security concerns and the increased threat of identity theft.