Oath of Office and Commission
Commission versus authority
Receiving a commission certificate is not the same as having authority to act. New Hampshire requires the notary to take and subscribe the oath of office and file it with the Secretary of State before performing notarial acts. The oath is the switch that turns appointment into usable authority.
Taking the oath
Take the oath before an official authorized to administer it, sign the oath form, and file it as directed. Keep a copy. Check that the name on the oath matches the commission exactly. If the commission is issued but the oath is not filed, do not notarize; a document notarized before authority begins can be rejected.
Worked example
A new notary receives a commission on March 1 and immediately notarizes a deed for a friend. He takes the oath on March 10 and files it March 12. The March 1 acknowledgment is defective because authority had not begun. The correct sequence is commission, oath, filing, then first act. The reasoning is chronological: the statute conditions authority on the oath, not on the certificate alone.
Traps
Assuming the Secretary of State files the oath automatically. Signing the oath but never filing it. Using a nickname on the oath that differs from the commission. Performing acts during a gap after expiration or before renewal.