Mississippi requires a notary stamp, and the current rules fix its six lines of wording rather than its size. Rule 1-5-3.1(A) sets what the impression must show, from the state name through your commission identification number. A non-inking embosser or crimper cannot serve as the device. This page covers that wording, the silences, the renewal trigger and what to send a stamp maker.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Reviewed against Miss. Admin. Code Rule 1-5-3.1(A) and the Mississippi Secretary of State. Governing law: Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts, effective 1 July 2021. Sources consulted in September 2026. Updated 7 November 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp required | Yes. Holding a commission carries the duty to hold an official seal. | Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts |
| Wording on the face | Six items, listed here in the rule's order: "State of Mississippi"; your name matching the commission exactly; "Notary Public"; the county in which you keep an office; your current commission's expiration date; and that commission's assigned identification number. | Miss. Admin. Code Rule 1-5-3.1(A) |
| Size or outline | The current rules set none. Published diameters for Mississippi are mostly leftovers from superseded law. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Ink color | Not addressed for the stamp. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Embosser or crimper | Ruled out. A stamping device, as defined, excludes any non-inking embosser or crimper. | Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts |
| Reproducibility | The device has to place the seal so the document can still be copied, filmed, scanned or otherwise reproduced legibly. | Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts |
| Commission term and bond | Four years, backed by a bond of $5,000. | Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts |
| Stamp at renewal | A renewed commission calls for a new stamp. | Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts |
| Lost or stolen device | File a report, in writing or electronically, within ten calendar days of discovering the loss. State whether the device was lost or stolen, the circumstances, the date you learned of it, and confirm the device is out of your possession with its location unknown, and commit to reporting any recovery within ten days. | Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts |
| Name or address change | When the information on file changes, give the Secretary of State notice no later than 30 calendar days later. | Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts |
Mississippi is one row in our notary seal requirements by state table, which sets each jurisdiction's rule side by side.
Does Mississippi require a notary stamp at all?
Yes. The seal is part of holding the commission rather than an optional accessory, and the rules govern the device that applies it as well as the content of the impression.
The duty is content driven, so a stamp that prints cleanly but drops one of the six items still fails. The wider set of Mississippi notary requirements puts the seal in context with the rest of the commission.
Which six items must the impression show?
Six, in the order Rule 1-5-3.1(A) gives them. Each one is fixed, and a stamp carrying five of the six is not compliant however sharp the impression looks.
- "State of Mississippi", written out in full
- Your name exactly as the commission shows it
- "Notary Public"
- The county where you maintain an office
- The expiration date of your current commission
- Your commission identification number
Two of those six items move over the life of a commission, and both should be copied from the document rather than from memory. A closer look at Mississippi notary seal requirements works through the same list line by line.
Is there a required size or shape?
No. The rules read for this page set no diameter, no outline and no border. The figures still circulating for Mississippi seals come from law that has been replaced, which is why so much published guidance reads as confident and wrong.
Sizing is therefore a practical question rather than a legal one. Six lines of type need enough room to stay legible after a document is copied, and the county line plus the expiration date are usually the first to suffer on a die cut too small.
Can a non-inking embosser serve as the seal?
No. A stamping device, as the rules define it, excludes any non-inking embosser or crimper. Only an inking device can produce the Mississippi seal.
The reason sits in the reproduction standard. The impression has to survive copying, filming and scanning, and a raised uninked crimp does not. An embosser can sit on your desk as a decorative extra, but it cannot carry the seal.
Which ink color does the rule name?
No color is required. The rules reviewed for this page do not address stamp ink color. Only an indirect limit applies: the impression must reproduce legibly, and that excludes a faint pad more reliably than naming a color would.
Does a renewed commission need a new stamp?
Yes. Each term lasts four years and comes with a $5,000 bond, and a renewal requires a new stamp. Your current stamp shows why: its impression includes the expiration date of your present commission, so the old die is out of date from the first day of the new term.
Order the replacement from the new commission document, not the old stamp, because the identification number is on there too. What renewal does to a Mississippi notary stamp covers the timing in more detail.
What has to be reported if the stamp is lost or stolen?
A report within ten calendar days of discovery, in writing or electronically. The rules set out what it contains, and each element is separate.
- Whether the device was lost or whether it was stolen
- How that came about
- The date you found out
- That the device is not in your hands and its whereabouts are unknown
- An undertaking to report any recovery within ten days
Treat the report as the first step and the replacement stamp as the second. The provisions behind Mississippi notary stamp law set out the duties that attach to the device itself.
How quickly must a name or address change be reported?
Within 30 calendar days of the change to the information on file, to the Secretary of State. A name change reaches the stamp as well as the record, because the impression has to show your name as the commission shows it.
That makes the sequence matter. The record changes first, the commission document follows, and the new stamp is cut from what that document says.
What should I send when ordering a Mississippi notary stamp?
Everything that appears on the commission, copied character for character. A stamp maker cannot verify your county or your identification number, so the order is only as accurate as the lines you supply.
- Your name as printed on the commission
- The county where you maintain an office
- Your commission expiration date
- Your commission identification number
A Mississippi notary kit pairs the stamp with the record book and pad most notaries end up buying separately anyway.
How do I check the impression before using it?
Stamp a blank sheet, then photocopy and scan that sheet. Read the copy rather than the original, because the copy is what a recorder or a title company will hold.
Check all six items against the commission document, in order, and confirm the expiration date has not been transcribed from an earlier term. Notes on layout and spacing appear in the Mississippi notary public seal guidelines.
Frequently asked questions
Does the state seal of Mississippi belong on a notary stamp?
The rules read for this page list six items and no more. Nothing in them calls for a state emblem, so a compliant Mississippi stamp is built from the six required lines alone.
My old stamp is round and two inches across. Is it still valid?
Shape and size are not addressed at all, so the outline is not what decides it. Check the wording instead: if all six items appear in the order Rule 1-5-3.1(A) sets, the die is compliant whatever its outline.
Can I use a self-inking stamp rather than a hand stamp and pad?
Both are inking devices, so both satisfy the rule that excludes a non-inking embosser or crimper. Pick on impression quality and volume, since the standard the rules apply is whether the seal reproduces legibly.
Does the county on the stamp follow where I live?
No. The line names the county where you maintain an office. Those can be the same county, but the rule is worded around the office, so confirm it against your commission before ordering.
Can I order a replacement stamp before reporting a lost one?
The report carries its own ten day deadline and is a duty in its own right. Make the report first and treat the replacement as a separate step, so the record shows the sequence you actually followed.
Is a new stamp needed if only my address changes?
An address is not one of the six items on the face, so a move within the same county of office does not disturb the impression. The 30 day notice to the Secretary of State is still due.
Order from the commission document in front of you, and browse Mississippi notary stamps and seals when you are ready to have the six lines set.
