• Notary publics in North Carolina help protect the state from fraud and forgeryNorth Carolina state contour against blurred USA flag image by Stasys Eidiejus from Fotolia.com
  
  The job of a notary public within the state of North Carolina is straightforward: to help protect the state against fraud and forgery through the proper authorization of legal documents and signatures. Because the position of notary public is also considered a public office within the state, there are strict guidelines dictating the behavior and duties of notaries in North Carolina. Failure to abide by these guidelines may result in immediate and permanent revocation of your privileges as an authorized notary public.
  
  

Age Requirements

• Any individual wishing to become a notary public in North Carolina must be 18 years of age or older. The only exception to this is individuals who are considered legally emancipated.
  
  

Educational Requirements

• All applicants must possess a high school diploma or its equivalent. Applicants must be able to read, speak and write in the English language. In addition, notary publics are required to pass a notary public instructional course administered by the state of North Carolina. A score of 80% or higher is required. Members of the North Carolina State Bar are not required to attend this instructional course.
  
  

Residency Requirements

• All applicants must be legal residents of the United States. Applicants must also reside or maintain a regular place of employment or business within the state of North Carolina.
  
  

Recommendation

• Applicants are required to submit a recommendation from one of North Carolina’s elected public officials. Exceptions to this include those seeking their oath of office in a county that has more than 5,250 active-duty notaries on record. This number is based on the number of notaries as of January 1 of the year in which the original application is filed, not necessarily the current count. At the time of this writing, only Mecklenburg, Wake and Guilford Counties are in this category.
  
  

Notary Public Manual

• All notary publics are required to purchase and keep the most current version of North Carolina’s notary public manual. This can be purchased from the School of Government at UNC Chapel Hill.
  
  

Length of Term

• North Carolina notary publics are accepted to their positions for a term of five years. This term may be cut short by revocation or resignation. Current notary publics who wish to have their term recommissioned are not allowed to submit a new application until 10 weeks prior to their current term’s expiration date.