To find your notary commission number, check the commission certificate your state mailed you when it approved your appointment. The number is printed on that certificate near your name and expiration date. If the certificate isn’t handy, the same number is on your notary seal, on documents you’ve already notarized, and in your state’s online notary database.
Check Your Commission Certificate First
The fastest place to look is the certificate itself. When your state’s commissioning authority approves your application, it mails a certificate (sometimes called a commission letter) confirming your appointment. Your commission number sits on that document, typically near your name and commission expiration date.
If you filed the original away and can’t remember where, check for copies. Many notaries photocopy or scan the certificate before ordering a seal, so the number may already be in your email, a filing cabinet, or a cloud folder.
Look at Your Notary Seal or Stamp
Most states require the commission number to appear on your official seal. That means every time you notarize a document, you’re imprinting the number onto the page. Pull out your seal and look closely at the impression or ink stamp. The number usually runs along the outer edge or on its own line, alongside your name, state, and commission expiration date.
Pull Up a Document You’ve Already Notarized
If the certificate is buried and your seal isn’t within reach, look at a document you notarized in the past. The notarial wording you completed often includes your commission number, especially in states that require it in the acknowledgment or jurat. A recent closing document, affidavit, or power of attorney will typically show the number in the wording or in the seal impression on the page.
Search Your State’s Online Notary Database
Most states maintain a searchable database of active notaries, hosted by the Secretary of State’s office or whichever agency handles notary commissions. These lookups let you search by name and display your commission number, status, and expiration date in the results.
To find yours, search for your state’s name plus “notary public search” or “notary lookup.” You can usually search by full legal name or county. If your name is common, narrowing by county helps you land on the right record. The databases are public, so anyone can use them to verify a notary’s credentials.
Call Your Commissioning Authority
When the certificate is lost, the seal is unavailable, and the database isn’t returning results, contact your state’s commissioning authority directly. In most states this is the Secretary of State’s office, though some states assign notary oversight elsewhere; Pennsylvania uses the Department of State, for example. Be ready to verify your identity with your full legal name, date of birth, and possibly the address on file. Staff can usually look up the number over the phone.
If you need a physical replacement certificate, expect to pay a small fee. Turnaround varies by state. While you have someone on the line, confirm your commission expiration date too.
Remote Online Notary Commissions
If you’re commissioned as a remote online notary, your RON registration typically runs concurrently with your traditional commission and expires on the same date. In most states, the same commission number covers both in-person and remote notarizations. Some states do assign a separate RON registration number, so check your RON approval letter or online portal to see which identifiers apply to you. When in doubt, your state’s notary division can confirm whether your RON authorization uses the same number or a distinct one.
If Your State Doesn’t Issue Commission Numbers
Not every state assigns one. A few identify notaries solely by name and commission date rather than a separate numeric identifier. If you’ve checked your certificate, your seal, and the state database without finding a number, your state may simply not use one. In that case, the combination of your full legal name, commission date, and expiration date serves as your identifying information for notarial acts. Your state’s notary handbook or commissioning authority website will confirm.
Don’t Confuse the Commission Number With Your Bond Number
This mix-up comes up more often than you’d expect. Most states require notaries to buy a surety bond from a private insurance company before being commissioned, and that bond carries its own identifying number issued by the surety company. Your commission number is a separate identifier assigned by the state. The bond number protects the public financially if you make an error; the commission number identifies you as a state-authorized notary. If a form or employer asks for your commission number, make sure you’re not handing over the bond number from your insurance paperwork by mistake.