New York does not make a notary seal mandatory, so the stamp you buy is a convenience rather than a legal duty. What the law fixes instead is the set of details that has to appear, in black ink. The rules say nothing about size, shape or an embosser. This page covers those details, the points the rules leave open, and what to have ready before you order.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against N.Y. Exec. Law § 137 and the New York Secretary of State, Department of State Division of Licensing Services. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp required | No. A notary seal is not mandatory in New York. | New York Secretary of State, Division of Licensing Services |
| Details that must appear | Six items: your name, your signature, the phrase "Notary Public State of New York", the county you originally qualified in, the date your commission expires, and the venue of the act. | N.Y. Exec. Law § 137 |
| County line | The county shown is the one you originally qualified in. | N.Y. Exec. Law § 137 |
| Expiration date | Your commission expiration date is one of the required items. | N.Y. Exec. Law § 137 |
| Size and shape | Not specified. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Ink color | Black ink, both for the required printed details and for a New York City official number. | New York Secretary of State, Division of Licensing Services |
| Embosser | Not addressed anywhere in the sources read. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Commission term | A commission runs four years. Apply for reappointment before the term ends or within six months after it. The Department of State now takes renewals through its online system, although Executive Law § 130 still describes filing with the county clerk. | New York Secretary of State, Division of Licensing Services |
| Change of name, address or email | Send the Secretary of State notice within five days, signed with your official signature. | New York Secretary of State, Division of Licensing Services |
| Lost or stolen stamp | Not addressed. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
For the same rule in the other 53 jurisdictions, read notary seal requirements by state.
Does New York law make a notary stamp mandatory?
No. A seal is not required of a New York notary. What the law requires is a fixed set of printed details in black ink, and a stamp is simply the fastest way to put all of them down the same way every time.
Because the device is optional, none of the cited rules tells you how large it has to be or what outline to use. The wording is where the compliance sits, which is why an error in a line matters far more than the shape of the die. Readers who want the same ground covered at more length can work through the full list of New York notary stamp requirements.
Which details does the New York statement have to carry?
Six items, set by N.Y. Exec. Law § 137. Miss one and the statement is short of what the statute asks for, whether you printed it, typed it or stamped it.
- Your name
- Your signature
- The phrase "Notary Public State of New York"
- The county you originally qualified in
- The date your commission expires
- The venue of the act
Two of those six change over time, and both are worth checking against your paperwork rather than your memory. A sample New York notary stamp layout is useful for seeing how the six lines fit together on one die.
Do the rules set a size or shape for the stamp?
No. Size and shape are not specified. Nothing in the sources read fixes a diameter, a rectangle, a line height or a border, so the device is sized to hold the six items legibly in the space your documents leave for them.
That freedom has a practical limit. A die cut too small forces type down to a size that reads poorly once a document is copied, and the county line plus the expiration date are usually what suffers first.
Which ink color does the statement need?
Black. The sources read state black ink for the required printed details and for a New York City official number. No color rule is stated for anything beyond those items.
If your stamp pad is a color chosen for filing convenience, the required details still have to come out black. That is the one color instruction the cited sources give.
Where do embossers stand under these rules?
Nowhere. An embosser is not addressed anywhere in the sources read. The rules neither permit an embossed impression as a substitute for the printed details nor prohibit a notary from owning a press.
The safe reading is that an embosser adds nothing to compliance in New York, because what the statute asks for is information rendered in black ink. Anyone weighing the two formats will find a closer look at New York notary seal requirements worth reading first.
How long does a commission run, and when is reappointment filed?
Four years. Apply for reappointment before the term ends or within six months after it ends. The Department of State now handles renewals through its online system; Executive Law § 130 still describes the application as made with the county clerk, so follow the New York commission and renewal guide for the current steps. Because your commission expiration date is one of the six required items, the date on the die has to state your current term.
That makes the expiration date the line that ages fastest on any New York notary stamp. It is worth checking the expiration date printed on your seal against your commission before each busy stretch of work, and what renewal means for your stamp wording is the follow-on question most notaries ask next.
What has to be reported when your name, address or email changes?
Notice to the Secretary of State within five days, signed with your official signature. The duty covers a change of name, a change of address and a change of email address alike.
A name change also reaches the printed statement, since your name is one of the six items the statute lists. The reporting duty and the wording on the die are separate obligations, and handling one does not handle the other.
Is there a rule for a lost or stolen stamp?
No. A lost or stolen stamp is not addressed in the sources read. There is no reporting duty stated, no deadline and no replacement procedure, which follows from the fact that the device is not required in the first place.
Practical handling is left to you. Most notaries retire an old die when the printed information stops being accurate, because an accurate statement is the thing the statute actually asks for.
Who commissions notaries in New York?
The Secretary of State commissions New York notaries, working through the Department of State Division of Licensing Services. Notaries here are commissioned rather than licensed, and the commission is what the expiration date in your statement refers to.
That distinction matters when you fill in an order form. A short summary of the seal requirements keeps the vocabulary straight: a commission and a commission expiration date, not license details.
What should you have in front of you before ordering?
Your name as it appears on your commission, the county you originally qualified in, and your commission expiration date. Those three lines are the ones most often mistyped, and an error there means the die gets made twice.
Add your New York City official number if one was assigned to you, since the black ink instruction covers that number as well. Everything else about the die, including its outline and its measurements, is yours to choose.
How do you check an impression before you use it?
Take a test impression on the paper stock you notarize on, then read every line against your commission document rather than from memory. Check the county, the expiration date and the spelling of your name letter by letter.
Then copy the test sheet and look at the copy. If a line drops out or fills in, the type is too small or the pad is too wet, and both are easier to fix before the die goes into service than after.
Frequently asked questions
If I move to a different county, does the county line change?
No. The line names the county you originally qualified in, so a move does not rewrite it. A change of address is a separate matter, reported to the Secretary of State within five days.
Am I licensed as a notary in New York?
No. Notaries are commissioned, not licensed. The commission runs four years, and you can apply for reappointment before it ends or within six months after; the Department of State takes renewals online.
Does the black ink instruction cover my signature as well?
The sources read state black for the required printed details and for a New York City official number. They do not set a color for anything beyond those two items.
Can an embosser replace the printed details?
Nothing in the sources read says it can. Embossers are not addressed at all, so there is no provision treating a raised impression as the information the statute calls for.
Do I need a new stamp when I am reappointed?
The rules do not address replacing a stamp, because no stamp is required. In practice a new term brings a new expiration date, and the date shown has to state your current commission accurately.
Is there a maximum size for a New York notary stamp?
No. Size and shape are not specified in the sources read. The real limit is the space your documents leave and keeping all six items readable after copying.
Have your commission paperwork open when you order, and read the county and expiration date off it rather than typing from memory. When those lines are confirmed, order from the New York notary stamps and seals collection.
