To get a new notary stamp, confirm the elements and format your state requires, gather your current commission details, and order from a notary supply vendor (or, in a few states, an approved manufacturer or your county clerk). The old stamp should be destroyed once the new one arrives, and in most states you cannot perform notarizations in the meantime.
When a Replacement Is Required
Four situations force a new stamp. Commission renewal is the most common: even when your state reappoints you without a gap, the expiration date on the stamp changes with each term, and a stamp showing an old expiration makes every notarization done with it questionable. Receiving agencies can reject those documents outright.
A legal name change is the second trigger. The name on the stamp must match the name on the commission. States handle the transition differently. Florida allows up to 60 days to keep notarizing under your former name after submitting name-change paperwork. Missouri requires you to stop using the old name only after notifying the Secretary of State, receiving confirmation, obtaining the new stamp, and informing your bond surety. Check your state’s timeline before assuming you can keep working during the change.
Loss or theft is the third reason, and it carries extra urgency because a missing stamp can be used for fraudulent notarizations that trace back to you. Most states require notification to the Secretary of State and a police report. Reporting windows are short: some states set 10 days, others allow up to 15, and a few impose civil penalties for missing the deadline.
Physical damage is the fourth. If impressions come out smudged, faded, or partial, replace the stamp even though the commission is still active. County clerks and recording offices refuse documents with illegible impressions, which delays real estate closings, court filings, and anything else that depends on a notarized signature.
What the Stamp Must Contain
Every state specifies exactly what information appears on the stamp, and the core elements are consistent almost everywhere:
- Your full legal name as it appears on your commission
- The words “Notary Public”
- Your commissioning state
- Your commission number
- Your commission expiration date
Some states add the county where you were commissioned or reside, or require the state seal. Physical specifications are regulated too. Most states accept a rectangular or circular stamp, though a few mandate one shape, and dimensions are often specified down to the fraction of an inch. Black ink is the most commonly required color because it photocopies and scans cleanly, but some states require or permit other colors. Utah requires purple. The universal requirement is that the impression must reproduce clearly on photocopies and digital scans.
Nothing beyond the required elements belongs inside the stamp border. Decorative touches, business logos, or extra text can make the stamp noncompliant, which means ordering yet another replacement.
Ink Stamp or Embosser
Notary seals come in two formats. An ink stamp leaves a printed impression with all the notary information visible in ink on the page. An embosser crimps a raised impression into the paper itself. Most notaries today use self-inking rubber stamps because the impression is immediately visible and reproduces well on copies and scans.
Embosser impressions are harder to photocopy because raised text doesn’t always show up on a scanner, so notaries often darken the raised impression with ink or pencil. Some states require an ink stamp and treat the embosser as optional additional security. Others accept either format. A handful require both. Your commissioning authority’s website will specify which format applies.
How to Order
Once you know the specifications, ordering is the simple part. Most notaries buy from online vendors that specialize in notary supplies. A few states also let you order through your county clerk’s office. California requires stamps to be manufactured only by vendors holding a state-issued permit, so check whether your state restricts suppliers.
You will typically need to provide:
- Your commission certificate number
- Your full legal name as commissioned
- Your commission expiration date
- Sometimes a copy of your commission certificate or bond
Vendors use this information to verify active status and produce a compliant stamp. Turnaround generally runs from a few business days to about two weeks depending on vendor and shipping. A standard self-inking notary stamp runs roughly $25 to $60 from major retailers, and embossers fall in a similar range. Some county clerk offices add a handling surcharge. The notary pays for the stamp out of pocket.
If You Perform Remote Online Notarizations
A physical stamp does not cover electronic notarizations. If you perform remote online notarizations, you also need an electronic seal, which is a digital image file (typically a PNG with a transparent background) applied to electronic documents during the notarization. It must contain the same information as the physical stamp. Image dimensions and format requirements vary, and most remote notarization platforms provide specifications during onboarding. The electronic seal is a separate item, and both need to be updated whenever commission details change.
Can You Notarize While Waiting?
Generally, no. If the old stamp is expired, destroyed, lost, or no longer matches your commission details, you are in a holding pattern until the replacement arrives. If your commission is approaching expiration and you intend to renew, start the renewal process early enough that the new stamp arrives before the old commission ends. The gap between commissions has no workaround.
For name changes, check whether your state allows continued notarizing under the former name during the transition. Several do, but the window is limited and usually conditional on having filed the required paperwork first.
Destroying the Old Stamp
Once the new stamp arrives, the old one becomes a liability. Even with an expired commission date, a discarded stamp could be used for fraudulent notarizations, and you could face hard questions about how it left your possession. Some states explicitly require destruction when you renew or resign your commission. Where the law is silent, destruction is still the only safe practice.
For a rubber self-inking stamp, peel the rubber pad from the base and cut it into several small pieces, cutting through the text and commission number so no fragment carries enough information to be useful. For an embosser, remove the metal plate and strike it with a hammer until the embossed text is no longer legible. Wear safety glasses if hammering metal, and use gloves to keep ink off your hands during rubber removal.
Never throw an intact stamp in the trash, and never hand it to anyone else. Proper destruction takes about two minutes and closes off a fraud risk that could follow you long after the commission ends.