A Massachusetts notary public must keep an official seal, and four things have to appear on it. Those are your name as the commission shows it, the words notary public with either Commonwealth of Massachusetts or Massachusetts, a facsimile of the seal of the commonwealth, and the line "My commission expires ___". Where the seal uses ink, that ink is black. This page covers wording, devices, renewal and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against M.G.L. c. 222 § 8(b)(1) and the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes. A notary public keeps an official notarial seal. | M.G.L. c. 222 § 8(b)(1) |
| Required wording | Four elements: your name as indicated on the commission; a facsimile of the seal of the commonwealth; the words notary public together with either Commonwealth of Massachusetts or Massachusetts; and the expiration line. | M.G.L. c. 222 § 8(b)(1) |
| Name form | As indicated on the commission, not a shortened or informal version. | M.G.L. c. 222 § 8(b)(1) |
| Expiration line | In these exact words: "My commission expires ___". | M.G.L. c. 222 § 8(b)(1) |
| State seal image | One of the four required elements is a facsimile of the seal of the commonwealth, so an image is needed as well as wording. | M.G.L. c. 222 § 8(b)(1) |
| Dimensions and outline | Not specified. No diameter, border or orientation is set. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Ink color | Black, where the seal uses ink: "black ink shall be used". | M.G.L. c. 222 |
| Embosser | Permitted. | M.G.L. c. 222 |
| New seal at renewal | Required on renewal, on receipt of a new commission, and on a change of name, with no exception where the wording is identical. A Massachusetts term is seven years long. | M.G.L. c. 222 § 8(b)(1) |
| Lost or stolen seal | No reporting duty is imposed and no deadline is set. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
If you are still applying, read how to become a notary in Massachusetts for the qualifications, training, fees and filing steps.
Moving your commission to another state? Compare its rule in notary seal requirements by state.
Does Massachusetts require a notary seal?
Yes. A Massachusetts notary public keeps an official notarial seal, and unlike states that treat the device as optional, there is no version of the job here that runs without one. The seal is a requirement, not a convenience.
That makes the ordering decision a compliance decision. Every element below is set by statute, so a seal that reads almost correctly is a seal you replace. Our longer treatment of Massachusetts notary stamp law sets out the surrounding provisions.
What must a Massachusetts notary seal show?
Four elements, all of them fixed by statute. Three are wording and the fourth is an image, and each one is named in the statutory description of the seal rather than left to the die maker.
- Your name as indicated on the commission
- The words notary public, together with either Commonwealth of Massachusetts or Massachusetts
- A facsimile of the seal of the commonwealth
- Your expiration line, in the exact form "My commission expires ___"
Note the choice in the second element. You may carry the full Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the shorter Massachusetts, which is the one lever you have when the layout is tight. A Massachusetts stamp format sample shows how the four elements usually sit together.
How must the expiration line read?
In the words the statute gives: "My commission expires ___". The phrasing is set, so a die reading Commission expiration or Expires does not match what is required.
The blank after it is where the date goes. Because a new seal is required at each renewal in any event, the date can be set into the die for the current term, and many Massachusetts notaries do exactly that. How the date behaves across a term is covered in our piece on the Massachusetts notary seal expiration date.
Does the seal have to include a facsimile of the state seal?
Yes. A facsimile of the seal of the commonwealth is one of the four required elements, which puts Massachusetts among the few states asking for an image rather than wording alone.
That image is what makes a generic out of state die unusable here. A stamp bought on the assumption that any notary seal will do arrives without it, and the missing element is not something you can add afterwards.
Does Massachusetts set a size or shape for the seal?
Not specified. The cited rules set no diameter, no outline, no border and no orientation, so a round, oval or rectangular device all sit outside any stated restriction.
Size is therefore driven by the content. Four elements, one of them an image of the state seal, need enough area for the image to stay recognizable and the wording to stay readable at full size. Our overview of the Massachusetts notary seal goes through the layout question in more depth.
What ink color does Massachusetts require?
Black, and the rule is written conditionally. Where a notarial seal that requires ink is used, "black ink shall be used", so an inked stamp is black.
The condition is doing real work. It reaches an inked device and leaves a seal that needs no ink outside its terms, which is why the embosser question below matters more here than in most states.
Is an embosser allowed in Massachusetts?
Yes, an embosser is permitted. The ink rule is conditional on ink being used at all, so a raised impression is not caught by the black ink requirement.
Many Massachusetts notaries carry both, using the inked stamp for documents that will be copied or scanned and the embosser where a raised impression is expected. Both formats appear in our range of Massachusetts notary embossers and stamps.
Does renewal mean buying a new seal in Massachusetts?
Yes, every time. A new seal is required on renewal of the commission, on receipt of a new commission, and where your name has changed, and there is no exception for a seal whose wording is unchanged.
So even a seal that still reads perfectly is replaced at renewal. Treat the reorder as part of the renewal itself rather than something to assess afterwards, and order it with the new commission details in hand.
How long does a Massachusetts commission run?
Seven years. Paired with the new seal rule above, that means a predictable reorder roughly once every seven years for as long as you hold a commission.
Seven years is also long enough that a worn stamp may need replacing before the term is out. Appointments themselves are made by the Governor, acting with the advice and consent of the Governor's Council, and the Secretary of the Commonwealth maintains them. What a notary keeps on the desk across a term is covered in our list of Massachusetts notary supplies.
What must I report when my name or address changes?
A signed notice to the state secretary within 10 days. It has to give both the old information and the new, and it covers a change of name, residence, business address or mailing address.
A name change does double duty, because it also triggers the new seal requirement. An address change on its own does not, since no address appears among the four required elements.
Is a lost or stolen Massachusetts seal reportable?
No reporting duty applies. The cited rules impose none and set no deadline, which is unusual among states that require a seal in the first place.
Report any theft to local law enforcement even so, and order a replacement promptly, because Massachusetts requires the seal for the work itself. Being without one is not a position you can notarize from.
What should I send us, and how do I check the first impression?
Send your name exactly as the commission shows it, your expiration date, and whether you want the full Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the shorter Massachusetts on the die. Tell us as well whether you want an inked stamp, an embosser or both.
When it arrives, press it once on plain white paper and check the four elements in order: the name against the commission, the notary public wording with the state name, the expiration line in its exact form, and the facsimile of the state seal coming up clean rather than filled in. Photocopy the test sheet and read it again, since a copy is what most receiving parties will hold.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my old seal if none of the wording changed at renewal?
No. The requirement is triggered by renewal, by a new commission, and by a change of name, and it carries no exception for identical wording. The trigger is the event, not whether the die is out of date.
Does the black ink rule apply to an embossed seal?
No. The rule is framed around a notarial seal that requires ink, so a raised impression with no ink in it falls outside the condition entirely.
Is Commonwealth of Massachusetts required, or will Massachusetts do?
Either is acceptable. The element is the words notary public together with Commonwealth of Massachusetts or Massachusetts, so the shorter form is a legitimate choice when space is tight.
Can I use a nickname or a shortened first name on the seal?
No. The name element is your name as indicated on the commission, so the seal follows the commission rather than everyday usage.
Does an address change mean a new seal?
No. No address appears among the four required elements, so the die is unaffected. The 10 day notice to the state secretary is still owed.
What if my old seal turns up after I have replaced it at renewal?
It belongs to a commission that has ended, so it no longer carries the wording the current commission requires. Keep it out of use rather than holding it as a spare.
Have your commission in front of you when you order, then choose an inked stamp, an embosser or both from our Massachusetts notary stamps and seals range and we will set the four elements to match it.
