A California notary seal carries six elements and must fit inside a circle of 2 inches or a rectangle of 1 inch by 2.5 inches, with a serrated or milled edge. The rubber stamp is the seal of record, and an embosser may only be added to it. This page covers the face of the seal, the size limits, the 30 day deadlines and what to send when you order.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against § 8207 and the California Secretary of State. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes, subject to two narrow exceptions | California Secretary of State |
| Wording on the face | The State Seal with the words "Notary Public", your commission number, your name as commissioned, the date the commission expires, the county tied to your oath and bond filing, and the seal vendor identification number | § 8207 |
| Vendor identification number | A required element. The number identifies the maker of the seal rather than the notary, so it is set by the manufacturer | § 8207 |
| Round format | Circular, 2 inches in diameter at most | California Secretary of State |
| Rectangular format | 1 inch by 2.5 inches at most | California Secretary of State |
| Border | A serrated or milled edge, in either format | California Secretary of State |
| Ink color | No color is specified | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Embosser | Allowed in addition to the rubber stamp, never in place of it | California Secretary of State |
| Name or address change | A new seal within 30 days of filing the amended oath and bond | California Secretary of State |
| End of the commission | The seal is destroyed within 30 days | California Secretary of State |
California is one row in our notary seal requirements by state table, which sets each jurisdiction's rule side by side.
Does a California notary have to use a seal?
Yes. The seal is part of ordinary notarial work in California, and only two narrow exceptions sit outside that. The sources read here flag those exceptions without setting them out, so treat the seal as required on the documents you handle day to day.
Because the seal is the working instrument rather than a formality, the details printed on it have to match your commission exactly. A single wrong digit in the commission number is a reorder, not a correction.
What must appear on a California notary seal?
Six elements, and § 8207 sets all of them. Four come off your commission, one is the State Seal, and the last belongs to the company that makes the stamp.
- The State Seal together with the words "Notary Public"
- Your commission number
- Your name in the form shown on your commission
- The date the commission expires
- The county tied to your oath and bond filing
- The seal vendor identification number
The county element trips people up, because it is the county tied to your oath and bond filing rather than wherever a given signing happens to take place. Our walk through of the California notary seal requirements in full goes line by line, and what a California notary public stamp has to show puts the same list next to a sample layout.
Who supplies the seal vendor identification number?
The manufacturer does. That number identifies the business making the seal, not the notary buying it, so it is not something you fill in on an order form. It is set into the die when the stamp is produced.
The practical consequence: a California seal cannot be produced by a supplier that has no number to print. If you are comparing sources, our guide to choosing a California notary stamp covers what to confirm before you order.
What size and shape does California allow?
Two formats, each with a ceiling. A round seal runs up to 2 inches across. A rectangular seal runs up to 1 inch by 2.5 inches. Either one carries a serrated or milled edge border.
These are maximums, so a smaller impression is still within the rule. Six elements is a lot of text for the rectangle, which is why the round format tends to read more cleanly at full size. Ordering help is in the California notary stamp requirements checklist.
What ink color does California require?
None is specified. The rules read here set no color for a California notary seal, so the choice sits with you. Black is the ordinary default because it copies and scans without argument.
Can a California notary use an embosser?
Yes, but only as an addition. The rubber stamp is the seal of record, and an embosser is permitted alongside it rather than instead of it. Ordering an embosser on its own leaves you without the instrument the rule asks for.
Do I need a new seal after a name or address change?
Yes, and there is a clock on it. Once you file the amended oath and bond, you have 30 days to obtain a new seal. Order it as soon as the filing goes in rather than after the confirmation arrives.
What happens to the seal when the commission ends?
It is destroyed within 30 days. A seal that survives an ended commission is a seal someone else can misuse, which is the reason the rule is written as a hard deadline rather than a suggestion.
A renewal is the same problem in a friendlier form: your expiration date and commission number are both printed on the face, so the old stamp cannot follow you into a new term. Our note on the expiration date on a California notary seal explains how that element drives the replacement cycle.
What should I have in front of me when I order?
Your commission certificate. Every variable element on the seal comes off it, and reading the figures from memory is how reorders happen.
- Your name exactly as commissioned, including middle initial or suffix
- The commission number, digit for digit
- The county named on your oath and bond filing
- The expiration date
- Round or rectangular, and the size you want within the limit
The oath and bond filing is the step that sets two of those fields, so if the bond side is still open, how the California notary bond works is worth reading first.
How do I check an impression before I use it?
Print a test on plain white paper, then photocopy and scan that sheet. Every one of the six elements has to stay readable after the copy, because the recorded version of your document is the copy rather than the original.
Look for three things: full inking around the border, no broken characters in the commission number or date, and a clean serrated or milled edge with no flattened section. If an element drops out, the impression is failing at the point where it matters most.
Who commissions notaries in California?
The California Secretary of State. Your commission number, expiration date and the county of your oath and bond filing all trace back to that office, which is why the seal is built from the certificate rather than from an order form.
Frequently asked questions
Is the county on the seal the county where I notarize?
No. The element is the county in which your oath and bond were filed. Where a signing happens does not change what is printed on the face.
Can one seal cover two commission terms?
No. The expiration date and the commission number are both on the face, so each term needs its own seal, and the old one is destroyed within 30 days of the commission ending.
Does an address change on its own mean a new seal?
The 30 day replacement clock runs from filing the amended oath and bond, so once that filing is made, plan on a new seal within the month.
Is round or rectangular the better choice?
Both are allowed within their limits. The rectangle gives you less room for six elements, so the round format usually produces the more legible impression at full size.
Can I use the embosser by itself on a quiet job?
No. The embosser is permitted in addition to the rubber stamp and not in place of it, whatever the document is.
My impression prints light on the left side. Does that matter?
Yes. A light section can drop an element out of the copy, and all six have to survive reproduction. Re-seat the stamp and test again before signing anything.
Have your commission certificate in front of you, then order from the California stamps and seals collection so the name, county, number and date are set from the document itself.
