§ 131. Procedure of appointment; fees and commissions; fee payment methods. 1. New appointment. (a) Applicants for a notary public commission shall submit to the secretary of state with their application, the oath of office, duly executed before any person authorized to administer an oath, together with their signature.

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(b) Upon being satisfied of the competency and good character of applicants for appointment as notaries public, the secretary of state shall issue a commission to such persons; and the official signature of the applicants and the oath of office filed with such applications shall take effect.

(c) The secretary of state shall receive a non-refundable application fee of sixty dollars from applicants for appointment, which fee shall be submitted together with the application. No further fee shall be paid for the issuance of the commission.

(d) A notary public identification card indicating the appointee's name, address, county and commission term shall be transmitted to the appointee.

(e) The commission, duly dated, and a certified copy or the original of the oath of office and the official signature, and twenty dollars apportioned from the application fee shall be transmitted by the secretary of state to the county clerk of the county in which the appointee resides by the tenth day of the following month. Transmission may be accomplished by electronic means that results in a submission of such records and fees by the secretary of state to the county clerk. For purposes of this section, "electronic" shall have the same meaning as set forth in § 302 of the state technology law.

(f) The county clerk shall make a proper index of commissions and official signatures transmitted to that office by the secretary of state pursuant to the provisions of this section.

2. Reappointment. (a) Applicants for reappointment of a notary public commission shall submit to the secretary of state with their application the oath of office, duly executed before any person authorized to administer an oath, together with their signature.

(b) Upon being satisfied of the completeness of the application for reappointment, the secretary of state shall issue a commission to such persons; and the official signature of the applicants and the oath of office filed with such applications shall take effect.

(c) The secretary of state shall receive a non-refundable application fee of sixty dollars from each applicant for reappointment, which fee shall be submitted together with the application. No further fee shall be paid for the issuance of the commission.

(d) The commission, duly dated, and a certified or original copy of the oath of office and the official signature, and twenty dollars apportioned from the application fee plus interest as may be required by statute shall be transmitted by the secretary of state to the county clerk of the county in which the appointee resides by the tenth day of the following month. Transmission may be accomplished by electronic means that results in a submission of such records and fees by the secretary of state to the county clerk.

(e) The county clerk shall make a proper record of commissions transmitted to that office by the secretary of state pursuant to the provisions of this section.

3. Electronic notarization. (a) After registration of the capability to perform electronic notarial acts pursuant to section one hundred thirty-five-c of this article, the secretary of state shall transmit to the county clerk the exemplar of the notary public's electronic signature and any change in commission number or expiration date of the notary public's commission. Transmission may be accomplished by electronic means.

(b) Registration of the capability to perform electronic notarizations shall be treated as a new appointment by the secretary of state.

4. Fees. (a) Except for changes made in an application for reappointment, the secretary of state shall receive a non-refundable fee of ten dollars for changing the name or address of a notary public.

(b) The secretary of state may issue a duplicate identification card to a notary public for one lost, destroyed or damaged upon application therefor on a form prescribed by the secretary of state and upon payment of a non-refundable fee of ten dollars. Each such duplicate identification card shall have the word "duplicate" stamped across the face thereof, and shall bear the same number as the one it replaces.

(c) The secretary of state shall accept payment for any fee relating to appointment or reappointment as a notary in the form of cash, money order, certified check, company check, bank check or personal check. The secretary of state may provide for accepting payment of any such fee due by credit or debit card, which may include payment through the internet.