How to Become a Notary Public in South Carolina

Let me provide you with a detailed explanation. I’m going to take you through the entire process.

The Secretary of State’s website of South Carolina gives you access to Notary Public Application and Renewal Application.

Make sure that you fill out an online application form properly and without any errors.

Get the application notarized by an accredited notary public to complete the process.

Attach a $25 check or money order to the application made payable to “The Secretary of State.”

After that, you need to send the application package to your state’s House or Senate office for referral. Along with that, you will have to mention the Illinois delegation offices.

With the help of the respective county commissioners, your application will be forwarded to the office of the Secretary of State where it will be processed.

Once approved, your new Commission certificate will be dispatched to you via the mail.

Purchase a notary seal, but it must conform to the provisions of the state.

Consider getting a hard-bound journal where you can regularly record all your notarized acts.

Acquisition of E&O insurance is a known way of keeping yourself safe from claims that could be filed against you in the future.

Kindly submit your commission certificate to the Clerk of the Court of the county where you currently reside. It will incur a filing charge of $10. 

Participation in notary public course, which primarily involves a review of the law and the best practices, is regularly recommended. 

You Can Be a Notary Public of South Carolina’s Business Justice?

At BlueNotary, you can select several services for your work. If you prefer to work efficiently, BlueNotary can also provide services for you such as online notary services through our network, a network that is custom or with our Bluenotary mobile notaries. It is simpler to manage your workload when you can delegate assignments to our Solutions Team without a hassle! We also accommodate individual needs as well as custom enterprise solutions.

Book A Meeting

Was that necessary?

Say, you are a notary public and immersed in the idea of developing your business. Yes, we have it, but it is a course for you to start your business in no time and accelerate your business growth. This course is for those who want to learn the tricks to attract many clients and those who don’t mind being dirty. The Blue Mastermind Course is loaded with extras like:

Private access to the all-new Blue Mastermind Inner Circle

BlueNotary Pro Hybrid – 1 Year Subscription

Permission to use our Leads Generation Database.

ETERNAL Digital Certificate and Electronic Seal

Execute Any Document Course

BlueBrick – We support you to create your notary web page from scratch!!

Blue Mastermind Training

This one teaches you how to go from being a complete amateur in the world of notaries to be a top one in no time, while all the rest are still struggling with the small steps and setbacks.

Master Your Notary Business

How Can I Become a Notary in South Carolina?

What are the qualifications to become a notary in South Carolina? The eligibility requirements are:

Age: At least 18 years old.

Home: Lives in South Carolina

Registrar: Registered voter of South Carolina

Communication: Capable of reading and writing English

Crime: No convicted of felonies or offences in relation to election laws.

Cognitive Ability: Not with a declared mental inability order from a court

How Much Will I Pay to Get a Notary Public in the South Carolina?

It is the $25 application fee to the Secretary of State’s office that you will pay and $10 filing fee to the county clerk that should be paid once the provisional commission is approved.

For one, is that good news for you? But of course, the total cost can increase if you decide to look for specific sources.

Novice notaries are often in need of more assistance to be at ease in their position. Training supplies, online courses, or even face-to-face talks with experts are good sources, which will also be the expenditure within the expansion of the total charge. The cost of these additional services depends on the person who sells them. There are some sellers who have put together various packages that are more affordable, while other people might charge for them singly, be it the training element or the support service.

How Long does it take for Commissions to be Finalized in South Carolina?

The timeline for the submission of a Notary Public Commission in South Carolina will vary from County to County in the state. The US Office of the State Department says that the duration may be from two weeks to twelve weeks. Subsequently, notaries receive confirmed notification and a certificate of commissioning from the Secretary of State.

How long will your appointment last? In the case of South Carolina, the Notary Public Commission lasts for 10 years.

Is There a Mandate for People to Take Training Before they can become a Notary in South Carolina?

In South Carolina, training or exams are not mandatory in the process of receiving a notary commission. Yet, the Secretary of State explains that they have some materials available for your studies if you so wish like workshops and seminars. They promise to constantly notified the public to keep their level of knowledge of the best practices and the latest developments in the notary profession.

What Supplies Do South Carolina Notaries Need?

There are two main items you must have as a South Carolina Notary Public:

Official Notary Seal: It is to be a branding ink or embosser. The seal should contain your name as it is on your commission and with two other inscriptions: “Notary Public” and “State of South Carolina.” If you wish, you may also include the expiry date of your commission. Always go for a good-quality seal so that you are guaranteed that the ink doesn’t penetrate through to the other side of the paper. Thus, the possibility of the document being refused will be eliminated.

Notary Journal (Required for Electronic Notarizations): Even though it is allowed to finish the notarization without keeping a journal for the regular act, it is a good practice to write down the act in a bound journal that is signed as approved rather than making it a must-thing. It will be of great use in case you ever have to justify the act in a court of law. Go for a journal that has pages with numbers to facilitate quick identification in case some of them get lost as well as at the same time it’s best if it is sewn to prevent detachment of the pages.

In addition, besides providing individual product offerings, many vendors dispatch comprehensive supplies kits that include everything necessary for a notary public. It would be better to purchase these kits on the market at a low price and compare the quality and quantity before purchasing a kit.

What About Bonds or Insurance for South Carolina Notaries?

In South Carolina, to become a Notary Public, you are not obliged to provide any bond a.k.a. surety. The surety bond serves the public by contributing to their financial safety and potentially reimbursing them for any loss incurred due to your failure/negligence as a notary. If any of the signers experience any disadvantage due to your error, the bond is usually claimed to satisfy the party and then you will be required to repay the surety company.

In case you have any uncertainties on the security of your job as a notary, you have the possibility of purchasing Errors and Omissions (E&O) coverage. Having an E&O coverage is not necessarily the only way to go. However, when one buys E&O coverage, the charges and the losses of the lawsuit will be refunded (up to the policy level).

FAQs

Who is the regulator in charge of notaries in South Carolina?

Notary officials in South Carolina are under the authority of the Secretary of State’s Office which includes the Notary Public Branch. This particular office is in the city of Columbia, South Carolina.

If I am not a U.S. citizen can I become a South Carolina Notary?

Only U.S. citizens can hold the position of a Notary Public in South Carolina. According to the notary public applicants of South Carolina, they are categorized as voters and the process of becoming a voter implies citizenship in the United States.

Where will I notarize documents in South Carolina?

Only the local territory has the legal power of a Notary Public in South Carolina. This means that you can notarize documents in any part of the state as per the source, without considering the place of their destination.

For who am I allowed to notarize?

As a South Carolina notary, you can notarize any request in South Carolina as long as the document and notarization comply with South Carolina laws. This means making sure the documents are filled out properly and verifying the signer’s identity with their valid I.D.

Furthermore, you should not notarize any documents where you have an interest or stake in the transaction. That is, no notarizations are to be done for you, your relatives, or for the documents where you have a financial stake.

You, as an impartial witness to the document signer, will verify the identity of the signer and validate that he/she has signed the document voluntarily. When these requirements are followed, you have the ability to provide notary services to anyone in South Carolina.

What fees can I charge for notary services?

The notary fees in South Carolina have been limited by the Secretary of State. The maximum charge of notarization for the standard one is $5, while the electronic one is $10. You can do the notarial services for less than the maximum. Travel fees may be charged, but only when the signer has given his/her consent in advance and a complete explanation of the additional charges, apart from the standard is given. If you charge notary fees, you need to display the fee schedule in the English language at your workplace for the people to see or to show it to individuals who can sign the documents outside the office.

How can I become an online notary in South Carolina? Is it legal?

The South Carolina Remote Online Notarization Act May 2021 has finally given notaries the right to authenticate electronic signatures and documents online through remote notarization (RON). This act has gone a long way in the full implementation of RON within the state. Those of the notaries who are in service can become RON-authorized by filing with the Secretary of State.

Firstly, to be an eNotary in South Carolina, you must be a duly licensed Notary Public and then, you need to participate in an approved eNotary training course and pass the related examination. Proceed online to the Secretary of State, complete the registration, attach the certificate of the training course to the registration form, and pay the fee of $50. Always bear in mind that ICT (Identity Certifying Technology) is a necessity in eNotarization, and your eNotary permission is attached to your traditional commission which, then, expires when it expires.

If a change of name or residence happens after being a Notary, what will occur?

You should inform the South Carolina Secretary of State within 45 days of any changes to your address, name, or contact details. Please use the Change in Status Form (online) and submit a $10 filing fee to update your information. Even if you move to a different county within South Carolina, your commission expiration date and the existing seal will remain the same.

If you want to adopt a different name, the first thing you have to do is to file a new commission that will reflect the new name with the Clerk of the Court in your county. Also, you can accept the new name temporarily until you receive a new seal from the Secretary of the State.

What is the process to renew my South Carolina Notary Public Commission?

The South Carolina Notary Public Commission renewal process is exactly the same as the initial application process. For an effortless process, the Secretary of State suggests that you apply e 

Rewriting is ongoing, please come back later.