A Florida notary seals notarized paper documents with a rubber stamp seal, and the statute fixes the wording and the ink rather than the size. The face shows your name, your commission number, your commission expiration date and the words Notary Public-State of Florida. The ink has to be black and reproduce photographically. This page covers each rule, its source, and what to check before your first notarization.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Fla. Stat. § 117.05(3)(a) and against Florida's commissioning authority, the Governor, with applications processed and commissions issued by the Department of State. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes, and the rubber stamp seal is the official seal for a notarized paper document. | Fla. Stat. § 117.05(3)(a) |
| Jurisdiction wording | The words Notary Public-State of Florida. | Fla. Stat. § 117.05(3)(a) |
| Name | The notary's name. | Fla. Stat. § 117.05(3)(a) |
| Commission expiration date | The date the commission expires appears on the seal. | Fla. Stat. § 117.05(3)(a) |
| Commission number | The commission number appears on the seal. | Fla. Stat. § 117.05(3)(a) |
| Ink | Black ink that reproduces photographically. | Fla. Stat. § 117.05(3)(a) |
| Impression size and shape | Not specified. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Impression seal | Allowed as an addition, never as a replacement for the rubber stamp on paper. | Fla. Stat. § 117.05(3)(a) |
| Lost or stolen seal | Written notice to the Department of State or the Governor, immediately, with no day count attached. | Florida notary rules read September 2026 |
| Name or address change | Within 60 days, ask the Secretary of State for an amended commission, enclosing the $25 fee, a notice of change form, a bond rider and your current commission. | Florida notary rules read September 2026 |
Not commissioned yet? Our guide to how to become a notary in Florida covers who can apply, the fees and each application step.
To compare Florida with every other jurisdiction, see our table of notary seal requirements by state.
Does Florida require a notary seal, and what kind?
Yes. A seal goes on notarized paper documents, and Florida names the rubber stamp as the official device for that purpose. Fla. Stat. § 117.05(3)(a) carries the requirement and the content rules in the same provision.
That single provision is where most ordering questions land. Our page on Florida notary public seal requirements works through the same wording in more depth.
What wording has to appear on the face?
Four items, and the statute names each one: the notary's name, the commission number, the commission expiration date, and the words Notary Public-State of Florida. Nothing on that list is optional and nothing on it is a stylistic choice.
Two of the four are tied to a particular commission. The expiration date and the commission number belong to the term you hold, not to you personally, which is what makes a Florida stamp term specific. Our piece on Florida notary stamp requirements explained covers the same four lines.
Does the statute set a size or a shape?
No. Size and shape are not specified. The rules read here fix what the seal says and what color it prints in, and they leave the dimensions and the outline of the impression open.
That makes legibility the working constraint rather than a stated measurement. Four lines of text have to sit in the notarial block on the page without crowding the signature or running off the margin, which is the reason most Florida notaries order a stamp in the usual desk sizes. See our notes on choosing Florida notary seal dimensions.
What ink does the seal have to print in?
Black, and it has to reproduce. The rubber stamp seal goes onto the notarized paper document in black ink that reproduces photographically, so an impression that copies as a gray smear does not do the job the statute asks of it.
Keep the pad in condition and the impression dark. A faint, half inked impression on a document that gets scanned or copied downstream is the most common practical failure, and it is the one the black ink requirement is written to prevent.
Can an impression seal be used as well?
Yes, alongside, and never instead. An impression type seal is permitted in addition to the rubber stamp, but it cannot be substituted for it, because the rubber stamp holds official status on a paper document.
Notaries who like the look of a raised impression can use both on the same page. Our guide to notary seal embossers in Florida sets out how the two devices work together.
What happens if the seal is lost or stolen?
Report it in writing at once. The duty covers a seal that is lost, one that is stolen, and one you believe has ended up with another person, and the notice goes to the Department of State or the Governor.
No number of days is attached to that duty. The word used is immediately, which is stricter than a deadline measured in days and leaves no window for waiting to see whether the device turns up.
What has to be done after a name or address change?
Within 60 days of a change, ask the Secretary of State for an amended commission. The request goes in with the $25 fee, a notice of change form, a bond rider and your current commission.
A name change reaches the stamp as well, since your name is one of the four required items on the face. An address change does not alter what the seal says, but it still carries the same 60 day filing duty.
Who commissions notaries in Florida?
The Governor. Applications are processed by the Department of State, which also issues the commission. Florida notaries are commissioned rather than licensed, and the vocabulary shows up on the stamp itself.
That is why the required items are a commission number and a commission expiration date rather than a license number. Getting those two lines right is the difference between a usable stamp and a reorder.
What should I have in front of me when ordering?
Three details: your name, your commission number and your commission expiration date. The jurisdiction wording is standard text on every Florida notary stamp, so the order turns on those three entries and on the choice of stamp body.
Read them off the commission document itself rather than from an old impression or a colleague's stamp. Our practical tips on Florida notary public seal guidelines cover the details worth double checking before you submit an order.
How do I check the impression before the first notarization?
Press one impression on plain white paper and read it against the statute line by line: your name, the commission number, the expiration date, and the Notary Public-State of Florida wording. Confirm the ink is black and fully inked across the whole impression.
Then photocopy the test sheet and look at the copy. If any character drops out, the impression is not doing what a photographically reproducible black ink seal is meant to do. Our page on how Florida notary seal expiration dates work explains why that date line deserves a second look.
Frequently asked questions
Does a new commission term mean a new stamp?
In practice yes. The expiration date and the commission number are both required on the face, and both change when a new commission is issued, so a stamp cut for an earlier term no longer states the current details.
Can I order the stamp before my commission is issued?
Not accurately. Two of the four required items, the commission number and the expiration date, only exist once the commission has been issued, so an order placed earlier is missing the information the face has to carry.
Is blue ink acceptable if it photocopies cleanly?
No. The statute names black ink for the rubber stamp seal on a notarized paper document, so reproducibility alone is not the test. The color is stated, and a blue impression does not meet it.
Does the statute set a font, a border or a layout?
None of those. What is fixed is the wording, the black reproducible ink and the rubber stamp format. Arrangement, typeface and any border are left to the maker, so long as all four required items appear and stay legible.
My seal is not lost, but someone else has it. Does the reporting duty apply?
Yes. The duty reaches a seal believed to be in another person's possession, not only one that is lost or stolen, and the written notice to the Department of State or the Governor is due immediately.
With your name, commission number and expiration date confirmed, order from our Florida stamps and seals collection.
