A Pennsylvania notary seal must be a rubber stamp, capped at 1 inch high and 3.5 inches wide, with a plain border and six items of text. Those items are the Commonwealth line, the words Notary Seal, your name with the title Notary Public, your office county, the expiry date and a seven digit identification number. This page covers each one and what to send when you order.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against 57 Pa.C.S. § 317(1) and the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 317(1) |
| Required wording | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, then Notary Seal, then your name with Notary Public, then the county where you keep an office, then the date your commission runs out, then your commission identification number, which has seven digits. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 317(1) |
| Maximum size | 1 inch high by 3.5 inches wide. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 317 |
| Border | A plain border. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 317 |
| Device | It has to be a rubber stamp. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 317 |
| Ink color | Not addressed. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Embosser | A supplement only. It may be used along with the rubber stamp seal, and it cannot take its place. | 57 Pa.C.S. § 317(1); Pennsylvania Department of State |
| Commission term | Four years. | Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation |
| New stamp at renewal | Required every term, because the expiration date and the commission identification number both sit on the seal. | Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation |
| Change of information | Report any change to the information on file to the Department of State within 30 days. | Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation |
Moving your commission to another state? Compare its rule in notary seal requirements by state.
What text has to appear on a Pennsylvania notary stamp?
Six items. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; the words Notary Seal; your name as it appears on your commission, together with Notary Public; the county where you maintain an office; the date your commission expires; and a commission identification number of seven digits.
Four of the six are personal to you, which is why Pennsylvania stamps are rarely interchangeable between notaries in the same office. The full element list with worked examples sits on Pennsylvania notary seal requirements line by line.
How large can a Pennsylvania notary stamp be?
The die tops out at 1 inch high and 3.5 inches wide, with a plain border around it. That is a wide, shallow rectangle, and the proportions follow from the six items that have to fit inside.
Those are ceilings rather than fixed measurements, so a smaller die is allowed. In practice the width is what you want, because squeezing six items into a narrower rectangle forces the type down to a size that fills in after a few hundred impressions.
Does the stamp have to be a rubber stamp?
Yes. The statute settles the device in four words: the seal must be a rubber stamp. No other format satisfies the requirement on its own, whatever else you keep in the drawer.
That single clause decides several questions at once. It rules out a metal embossing seal as your official device, and it means the compliant purchase in Pennsylvania is always an inked rubber stamp, whether self inking or a hand stamp with a separate pad. The formats are compared on Pennsylvania notary seal guidelines for buyers.
Where does an embosser fit in Pennsylvania?
Alongside the stamp and never instead of it. The Department of State allows an embosser in addition to the rubber stamp seal. The same guidance states that an embosser may not replace the rubber stamp seal.
So a Pennsylvania embosser is a finishing touch with no standing of its own under the rule. Some notaries like one for the raised impression on a certificate that will be handled in person. It changes nothing about your compliance either way, and the rubber stamp still has to be there.
Which county goes on the stamp?
The county where you maintain an office. The requirement is tied to your office rather than to where you live, which is the distinction that catches people who work in one county and live in another.
Because the county is on the face of the die, moving your office across a county line changes what the seal has to say. Treat an office move as a reorder, not just a records update.
Is an ink color set for Pennsylvania notary stamps?
No. Color is not addressed in the cited rules. There is no required shade and no prohibited one, so the choice sits with you and with the offices that receive your documents.
Black is what we ship by default and what most recipients expect from a scanned or copied certificate. If you want a different color, tell us before the order is made up rather than afterward.
How long is a Pennsylvania commission, and when do you need a new stamp?
Terms last four years, and every renewal calls for a new stamp. The seal carries the date your commission runs out, and by regulation it also carries your seven digit commission identification number. Both belong to the commission that issued them.
There is no way to carry a die across terms in Pennsylvania, which makes the renewal order predictable and easy to plan for. The timing and what to have ready are set out on Pennsylvania notary stamp renewal, and the reason the date matters is explained on why the expiration date on the seal matters.
What has to be reported when your details change?
Report any change to the information the Department of State holds on file, and do it within 30 days. That covers a change of name, and a change of office address behind the county line printed on your seal.
Two of those changes reach the die itself, since your name and your county are both printed on it. Update the record first, then order from the corrected information so the stamp and the file agree.
What do you do if the stamp is lost or stolen?
Notify the Department promptly once you find that the device is gone. The statute sets the duty without attaching a day count to it, so the standard is speed rather than a fixed number of days.
Act on the day you find it missing and there is nothing to calculate. Order the replacement from your commission certificate rather than from a remembered layout, so the identification number and date are taken from the source document.
What should you send a stamp maker?
Four details: your name exactly as your commission shows it, your office county, your expiration date, and your seven digit commission identification number. Send them typed, and check the number has all seven digits.
The Commonwealth line, the words Notary Seal and the title Notary Public are fixed, so we set those. Everything that goes wrong on a Pennsylvania order goes wrong in the four variable fields, most often in the identification number. More on the supply side is on Pennsylvania notary stamp law and supplies.
How do you check the impression before using it?
Press a test impression on plain paper and read the six items against your commission certificate. Confirm the county is the one where your office sits, the date is complete, and the identification number matches digit for digit.
Then check the plain border prints unbroken on all four sides and that no line of text runs into it. A stamp that is close to the 3.5 inch limit should be pressed flat and evenly, since the outer ends of a wide die are where light impressions show first. The details that most often need a second look are listed on Pennsylvania notary stamp requirements before you order.
Frequently asked questions
Can the stamp be smaller than the stated maximum?
Yes. The rule caps the die at 1 inch by 3.5 inches and does not set a minimum, so anything under that ceiling that still prints all six items clearly meets the requirement.
Does the county on the seal follow my home address?
No. The requirement names the county in which you maintain an office. Your residence is not what the rule asks about.
Is the commission identification number always seven digits?
The requirement is stated as a seven digit commission identification number, so that is the length to expect on the die. Read it off your commission paperwork rather than from memory when you order.
Can I keep using a stamp that has no identification number on it?
The number is part of the required wording in the cited rules, so a new stamp is made with it. Anything about existing devices outside that wording rule is not addressed in the sources read for this page.
Does a plain border mean an undecorated one?
The rule asks for a plain border and says nothing more about it. A simple single rule line around the rectangle is what that describes, with no ornament required or expected.
Is a Pennsylvania notary commissioned or licensed?
Commissioned. The appointment comes from the Department of State, and the wording on your seal reflects a commission rather than a license. That is why the die carries an expiration date for the commission itself.
When your commission certificate is in front of you, order from the Pennsylvania notary stamps and seals range and send the four variable lines with it.
