A New Mexico notary stamp must carry your name, your commission number and expiration date, the phrases State of New Mexico and Notary Public, and the great seal of the State of New Mexico. No size, shape or color is set. The ink must be permanent and the impression must photocopy, so an embosser used alone falls short on paper. Below: wording, devices, ink, term, notices and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against NMSA 1978 §§ 14-14A-16(A), 14-14A-2(L) and the New Mexico Secretary of State. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Your name | Printed on the stamp face. | NMSA 1978 §§ 14-14A-16(A), 14-14A-2(L) |
| Commission number and expiration date | Both appear on the face, taken from your commission. | NMSA 1978 §§ 14-14A-16(A), 14-14A-2(L) |
| State seal image | New Mexico's great seal forms part of the face. | NMSA 1978 §§ 14-14A-16(A), 14-14A-2(L) |
| Fixed phrases | State of New Mexico, plus Notary Public. | NMSA 1978 §§ 14-14A-16(A), 14-14A-2(L) |
| Dimensions and outline | Neither one is given. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Ink | No color is named. The ink has to be permanent and the mark has to photocopy. | The New Mexico Secretary of State |
| Signer's pen | It falls to you to see that the signer writes in permanent ink, in a color that shows up on a photocopy. | The New Mexico Secretary of State |
| Embosser used by itself | Falls short on a paper record, since a raised mark carries no ink and will not photocopy. | The New Mexico Secretary of State |
| Term | Four years. A further term takes a fresh application made like the first, plus a $10,000 assurance. | The New Mexico Secretary of State |
| Notices | Name, address, stamp or surety bond changes within 30 days; a lost or stolen stamp promptly, with no day count. | The New Mexico Secretary of State |
For the same rule in the other 53 jurisdictions, read notary seal requirements by state.
What does a New Mexico notary stamp have to show?
Five items, under NMSA 1978 §§ 14-14A-16(A), 14-14A-2(L): your name, your commission number, the date your commission expires, the phrases State of New Mexico and Notary Public, and the great seal of the State of New Mexico.
Three of those are personal to you and come off your commission paperwork. The other two are identical for every New Mexico notary, so a stamp made for another state, or a text-only stamp with no seal image, leaves a required item off the face.
Our overview of New Mexico notary seal requirements works through the same items, and the New Mexico notary stamp format sample shows how a finished face can look.
Does the great seal really go on the stamp?
Yes. New Mexico's great seal is one of the listed items in the cited sections, so it belongs on the face next to your personal details. It is a required part of the stamp, not an optional graphic.
That puts an image on the stamp as well as text. When you review a proof, check that the seal is present and sharp before you move on to spelling, then confirm both fixed phrases and your three personal entries.
Can an embosser take the place of the inked stamp?
Not on a paper record. The statute allows a stamp to be affixed or embossed, but the rule for tangible records calls for permanent ink and a photocopiable mark, and a raised impression with no ink meets neither.
So the inked stamp is the device that satisfies New Mexico on paper, and an embossed mark on its own does not. Our guide to New Mexico notary public seal guidelines has more on the seal itself.
Which ink colors are acceptable?
No color is named. What the rule does fix is performance: the stamp goes on in permanent ink, and the impression has to be capable of being photocopied. Any color that passes both tests fits the rule as written.
A dark ink gives the copy test the widest margin, while a pale shade can fade out on a copier. Our shopping notes on New Mexico notary stamp law cover choosing supplies.
Does the signer's ink matter too?
Yes. A related New Mexico rule makes you responsible for seeing that the person signing uses permanent ink in a color that reproduces in a photocopy. The signature is held to the same kind of standard as your stamp.
Keep a pen with permanent, dark ink at your table and hand it to the signer rather than relying on whatever they carry. That way the signature and your impression both survive when the document is copied later.
How large can the stamp be, and what outline should it have?
New Mexico leaves both to you. The cited rules give no measurement and name no outline, so the choice turns on fitting a seal image and several lines of text while keeping the impression clear enough to photocopy.
In practice a very small face is the risk. Fine seal detail can blur, and a crowded commission number is easy to misread on a copy. Size the stamp so the smallest line still reads comfortably after a trip through the copier.
What if your stamp is lost or stolen?
Tell the New Mexico Secretary of State promptly. The statute asks for prompt notice without attaching a number of days, so act as soon as you realize the stamp is gone rather than counting days.
Order a replacement before your next appointment. A replacement is a change to your official stamp, which brings it inside the 30-day reporting rule as well.
Which changes must you report within 30 days?
Four kinds: a change to your name, your address, your official stamp or your surety bond. Each must reach the New Mexico Secretary of State no later than 30 days after it happens.
Two of those touch the stamp directly. A new name leaves the name on your stamp out of date, and switching to a new stamp is itself a reportable change, so keep a note of the date the replacement goes into use.
How long does a commission last, and what does a new term mean for the stamp?
A New Mexico commission runs four years. Reappointment works like a first application: you apply the same way you did originally and provide a $10,000 assurance.
Your expiration date sits on the stamp face, so a stamp made for one term shows the wrong date once the next term starts. Order the new stamp when the new commission details are in hand. Our notes on applying for a New Mexico notary commission cover the application side.
Who commissions notaries in New Mexico?
The New Mexico Secretary of State. The same office receives your 30-day change notices and your report of a missing stamp, so every notice described on this page goes to one place.
If you are still at the start, our guide to becoming a notary in New Mexico sets out the path to a first commission.
What should you have ready when you order?
Your name, your commission number and your commission expiration date. The two fixed phrases and the great seal image are the same for every New Mexico notary, so those three personal details are what make the stamp yours.
Decide on ink with the photocopy requirement in mind, and pick a face large enough to keep the seal image readable. Since no dimension is set, the size is your call.
How do you check a new stamp before its first use?
Stamp a blank sheet, confirm all five items are there, then photocopy the sheet. Every line and the seal image should still be legible on the copy, not only on the original.
Check your name, commission number and expiration date character by character against your commission. If anything is wrong, or the seal smudges on the copy, sort it out before the stamp goes near a client's document.
Frequently asked questions
Does moving to a new address mean a new stamp?
Not for the face, because your address is not among the items the stamp must show. The move itself still has to be reported, and the 30-day window applies to it.
Does a change to my surety bond affect the stamp?
The bond does not appear on the stamp, so the face stays the same. A surety bond change is one of the four changes you report within 30 days, though, so file that notice.
Can I order before my commission is issued?
It is better to wait. Your commission number and expiration date both have to be on the face, and you only have them once the commission is issued.
Does the stamp need a border?
A border is not among the items listed in NMSA 1978 §§ 14-14A-16(A), 14-14A-2(L), and no outline is prescribed, so the rule as summarized here does not call for one.
Is a self-inking stamp acceptable?
The cited rules do not name a mechanism. They test the result instead: whatever device you use, the ink has to be permanent and the impression has to photocopy.
Once your commission details are in hand, order your stamp from our New Mexico stamps and seals collection.
