Michigan does not require a notary stamp or seal. What the state requires is a block of information placed near your signature on every record you notarize, and one item in it is the date the act was performed. A stamp is allowed if it carries everything that block needs. This page sets out the wording, the device rules and what to send us.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against MCL 55.287(2) and the Michigan Secretary of State, acting through its Office of the Great Seal. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp required | No. The duty falls on the information, not on a device. | MCL 55.287(2) |
| What the block must carry | Six items: the date of the act; your name as on your commission application; the line "Notary public, State of Michigan, County of ______."; the line "My commission expires ______."; the line "Acting in the County of ______." when you act outside your county of commission; and a disclosure where a section 26a or section 26b system was used. | MCL 55.287(2) |
| Date of the notarial act | Required on the face of the record, act by act. | MCL 55.287(2) |
| Acts outside your county | The block must add the line "Acting in the County of ______." | MCL 55.287(2) |
| Electronic and remote disclosure | Where one was used, the block must say whether a section 26a system or a section 26b platform performed the act. | MCL 55.287(2) |
| Size and shape | Not addressed. No diameter, no outline and no border is set. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Ink color | Not addressed in the notary act. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Embosser | Allowed alongside an imprint that reproduces. Barred when it is the only device. | MCL 55.287 |
| Lost or stolen stamp | The sections read do not cover it, so no report and no deadline is set. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Name or address change | Apply immediately for a corrected commission. No day count is given. | Michigan Secretary of State |
To compare Michigan with every other jurisdiction, see our table of notary seal requirements by state.
Does Michigan require a notary stamp at all?
No. Michigan puts the duty on the information rather than on a device, so a commissioned notary can work without buying a stamp. What the rule demands is a fixed block of items sitting near your signature on each record you notarize.
A stamp is still allowed, and most Michigan notaries keep one, but only where it carries everything that block calls for. The provisions behind it are set out in our guide to Michigan notary stamp law.
What must appear near your signature on a Michigan notarization?
Six items, and they belong close to your signature on the record itself. Five are wording you can prepare in advance. The sixth is the date of the act, which is different every time you sign.
- The date on which you performed the act
- Your name, spelled as it appears on your commission application
- The line "Notary public, State of Michigan, County of ______."
- The line "My commission expires ______."
- The line "Acting in the County of ______." whenever the act takes place outside the county you were commissioned in
- Whether a section 26a electronic notarization system or a section 26b remote electronic notarization platform was used, where one was
A line by line walk through the same list is in our piece on Michigan notary stamp wording.
Which of those six items can a stamp actually carry?
Four of them hold still and two do not. Your name, the state and county line, and the expiration line are the same on every act, so they belong in the die. The date changes each time, and the out-of-county line applies only sometimes.
Build the die around what is fixed and leave open lines for the rest. A stamp with a date cut into it is wrong the day after it is made, and one with no room for the county line leaves you writing in the margin. The errors this causes are collected in our notes on common Michigan seal wording mistakes.
What size and shape does Michigan set for a notary stamp?
Neither is fixed anywhere in the cited rules. No diameter, outline, border or aspect ratio appears, so a rectangle and an oval sit on the same footing.
That leaves the size decision to the block. Six items of wording, two of them needing writable blanks, want a footprint wide enough to read at full size. Our overview of Michigan notary seal requirements works through the same trade-off.
What ink color does Michigan require?
Not addressed in the notary act. No color is named for a notary stamp anywhere in the provisions read here, so black, blue and any other color stand on equal footing as far as the act is concerned.
A receiving office may set its own requirements for the sheet. Those sit outside the notary act, which says nothing about them.
Can a Michigan notary use an embosser?
Yes, but never on its own. An embosser is allowed alongside an imprint that reproduces, and barred where it is the only device applied. A raised impression with no inked counterpart does not satisfy the rule.
The usual arrangement is an inked stamp for the block, with an embosser as an extra where a receiving party expects a raised impression. Relying on the embosser alone is not an option.
Who commissions Michigan notaries?
The Michigan Secretary of State, acting through its Office of the Great Seal, after your bond and your oath have been filed with a county clerk. The county clerk step comes first; the commission itself issues at the state level.
The county named in your block is your county of commission, which is why a move between counties matters to your wording. Our overview of how Michigan notary law fits together covers the appointment path.
How long does a Michigan commission run?
Michigan commission terms do not all run the same number of years, so the six-year figure repeated in much notary advice is not something to plan around. Read the expiration date printed on your own commission.
This matters at order time, because the expiration line is a blank rather than a fixed date. What changes at the end of a term is covered in our guide to Michigan notary stamp renewal.
What do I do when my name or address changes?
Apply for a corrected commission straight away. Michigan sets no day count here and uses one word instead. A notary "shall immediately apply to the secretary" once a correction is needed, and what issues is a corrected commission.
Three situations trigger it: a name change, a change of residence or business address, and a commission issued with an error in it. A name change also puts your stamp out of date, since the block shows your name as it appears on the application.
Is a lost or stolen Michigan stamp reportable?
The sections read do not address it. No reporting duty is written into them, no office is named to notify and no deadline is set, so the silence here is complete rather than partial.
Treat a theft as a police matter even so, and order a replacement. Nothing in the cited rules stops you working while you wait, since the stamp was never the requirement.
What should I send when ordering a Michigan notary stamp?
Three things get the order right first time: your name exactly as it appears on your commission application, your county of commission, and whether you want open lines for the date and the out-of-county statement.
Tell us as well if you want an embosser alongside the inked stamp, and send exact characters rather than a description, since we set what you send.
How do I check the impression before I use it?
Press it once on plain white paper and read the block at arm's length. Every line should come up solid, with no filled letters and no broken strokes.
Then check three specifics: the name matches the spelling on your commission application, the county line names your county of commission, and the blanks take a handwritten date and county without crowding. Photocopy the test page and read it again, since an imprint that survives copying is what a receiving office sees.
Frequently asked questions
Should the commission expiration date be cut into the die or left as a blank line?
Leave it as a blank line. The required wording is "My commission expires ______." with a space to complete, and Michigan terms are not a uniform length, so a fixed date ties the stamp to one term.
Why is an embosser on its own not enough in Michigan?
Because the rule pairs the embosser with an imprint that reproduces, and bars it when it stands alone. A raised impression carries no ink, so a copy shows nothing where the block should be.
If no stamp is required, what makes one worth ordering?
Speed and consistency. Five of the six required items are the same on every act, and a stamp puts all five down in one press with the same spelling each time.
Does the Michigan block change when the act is done electronically or remotely?
Yes. Where a section 26a electronic notarization system or a section 26b remote electronic notarization platform was used, the block has to say so. A stamp made for paper work carries no such disclosure, so it comes from elsewhere on the record.
Can one stamp cover acts in more than one Michigan county?
Yes, provided it has room for the out-of-county line. The die shows your county of commission, and the line "Acting in the County of ______." is completed whenever the act happens elsewhere.
What happens to a stamp made with the wrong name?
It has to be replaced. The block must show your name as it appears on your commission application, so a misspelling or an added middle initial puts the imprint outside the required wording.
Have your commission application spelling and your county of commission in front of you, then order from our Michigan notary stamps and seals range and we will set your block to the wording above.
