Qualifications, Application, and Commissioning
Who may be commissioned
A Texas notary applicant must be at least 18 years old, a resident of Texas, able to read and write English, and free of disqualifying criminal history - a felony conviction or a conviction for a crime involving moral turpitude bars appointment. A prior revocation of a notary commission is also a serious obstacle.
Application and commissioning
Application is made to the Secretary of State with the statutory fee ($21). If appointed, the applicant receives a four-year commission but may not act until two conditions are satisfied: the constitutional oath of office is taken, and a $10,000 surety bond payable to the governor is filed with the Secretary of State within 30 days after the commission is issued. Miss that filing window and the commission is void.
The bond is not the notary's insurance policy; it protects the public, who may make a claim against it for a notary's official misconduct. Commission authority is statewide. Texas no longer commissions notaries county by county, so a notary commissioned in Harris County may perform notarial acts in El Paso - but only while physically located in Texas.
Rule of thumb
Recite the chain: 18, resident, English, clean record, $21, $10,000 bond, 30 days, 4 years. Most applicant questions answer themselves once that chain is automatic.
Traps
Confusing the application fee with the bond amount; assuming a bond must be posted before applying; assuming a commission is effective the moment it is issued (oath and bond come first); assuming authority is limited to the home county; assuming a commission lasts two years or a lifetime.