Government Code §8203.6 authorizes the Secretary of State to commission notaries public specifically to serve military installations located within California. These are standard four-year California notary commissions, but the commission is granted to facilitate service to military personnel on the base or reservation.
Key characteristics of this commission type:
• No fee collection: A military installation notary may not charge fees for notarial services performed in connection with military matters on the installation. Services provided there fall into the fee-free category under California law.
• Statewide authority: The commission is a regular California commission and carries statewide jurisdiction. The notary is not limited to performing acts only on the military reservation.
Notarizations performed for military personnel on the installation are explicitly listed among the fee-free notarial service categories — alongside veterans' benefit applications (Government Code §6107) and vote-by-mail ballot envelopes.
Exam Tip: Do not confuse the fee-free on-installation service with a blanket prohibition on all fees this notary might ever charge. If the same notary notarizes a document for a private client in a non-military context, standard fee rules apply. The fee exemption is specific to services performed within the military installation context.
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