§ 10B-51.  Change of name.

(a) Within 45 days after the legal change of a notary's name, the notary shall send to the Secretary by an online notification to the extent it is made available by the Secretary, fax, e-mail, or certified mail, return receipt requested, a signed notice of the change. The notice shall include both the notary's former name and the notary's new name.

(b) A notary with a new name may continue to use the former name in performing notarial acts until all of the following steps have been completed:

(1) The notary receives a confirmation of Notary's Name Change from the Secretary.

(2) The notary obtains a new seal bearing the new name exactly as that name appears in the confirmation from the Secretary.

(3) The notary appears before the register of deeds to which the commission was delivered within 45 days of the effective date of the change to be duly qualified by taking the general oath of office prescribed in G.S. 11-11 and the oath prescribed for officers in G.S. 11-7 under the new name and to have the notary public record changed to reflect the new commissioned name.

(c) Upon completion of the requirements in subsection (b) of this section, the notary shall use the new name. (1991, c. 683, s. 2; 1995, c. 226, s. 3; 2005-391, s. 4; 2023-57, s. 5(b).)