On April 2, 2015, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed Senate Bill No. 215 into law. By establishing this enactment, current and prospective notary publics will be subject to new bonding conditions that will become effective beginning November 1, 2015.

S.B. 215 amends multiple sections in Title 49 of the Oklahoma Statutes regarding application requirements, necessary information to be included on the application, and specific filing requirements that are considered time sensitive.

As previously required, notary publics needed to post a surety bond that would be effective for a 4 year time period. After the enactment of this bill, notary publics must now post a bond beginning on its effective date through the end of the notary’s term. Despite this change, the mandatory $10 filing fee for the Revolving Fund for the Office of the Secretary of State is still required to be paid at the time of bond filing.

Besides the new amendments made to the time period in which the principal needs to be bonded, S.B. 215 also requires the furnishing of additional information that was not previously requested at the time of applying for the notary commission in Oklahoma. Individuals applying to become a notary public will notice the following changes of information requested:

• The applicant’s name printed precisely how he or she will sign documents as a notary public in the future
• The applicant’s daytime phone number
• The applicant’s email address
• Proof that the applicant is a citizen of the United States and has never been convicted of a felony
• A statement acknowledging that the applicant can both read and write in English

Due to the enactment of this bill, it is now considered illegal for any individual to perform notarial services in the state of Oklahoma without being able to furnish proof of having a surety bond in their possession of the designated amount and for the appropriate amount of time. Persons who attempt to act as a notary public without having posted a surety bond will be subject to possible legal trepidations.

With only a few months left before this bill becomes effective and recognized as a law, it is important for current and prospective notary publics in Oklahoma to abide by these amendments in order to practice notarial services lawfully. Call SuretyBonds.com at 1 (800) 308-4358 to work one-on-one with a professional bonding agent and to begin our simple bonding process. For your convenience, you may also visit us online to request a notary public surety bond quote now.