A Virginia notary seal carries the words Notary Public, the line Commonwealth of Virginia, and your name in the form your commission uses. It goes on every paper document you notarize. No size, shape or ink color is set, and an embosser cannot stand in for the inked stamp because an inkless impression does not photocopy. This page covers the wording and the silences.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against 2024 Notary Handbook and the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Sources read September 2026. Updated 6 November 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp required | Yes, on every notarized paper document. | 2024 Notary Handbook |
| Required wording | Three items: your name as commissioned, the words Notary Public, and Commonwealth of Virginia. | 2024 Notary Handbook |
| Form of your name | Exactly as commissioned, not a shortened or everyday version. | 2024 Notary Handbook |
| Jurisdiction line | Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia does not describe itself as a state on the seal. | 2024 Notary Handbook |
| Size | Not specified. | 2024 Notary Handbook |
| Shape | Not specified. | 2024 Notary Handbook |
| Ink color | Not specified. | 2024 Notary Handbook |
| Embosser | Not a substitute for the inked stamp. An inkless impression does not photocopy. | 2024 Notary Handbook |
| Expiration date or registration number on the face | Not required by statute. The handbook revised July 1, 2026 recommends both as a best practice. | A Handbook for Virginia Notaries Public (rev. July 1, 2026) |
| Proof of commission when ordering | The stamp vendor must see proof of your commission before making the stamp. | Va. Code § 47.1-8.1 |
| Commissioning authority | Secretary of the Commonwealth. | 2024 Notary Handbook |
Before you can order this stamp you need a commission; how to become a notary in Virginia walks through eligibility, costs and the application.
Virginia is one row in our notary seal requirements by state table, which sets each jurisdiction's rule side by side.
What three lines must a Virginia notary seal carry?
Your name as commissioned, the words Notary Public, and Commonwealth of Virginia. Those three make up the wording requirement, and nothing else is called for on the face of the seal.
Short lists are easy to get wrong in the small ways. The name has to match the commission, and the jurisdiction line is the Commonwealth formula rather than a state one. Our post on the wording criteria for a Virginia notary stamp goes through the same three items.
Is a seal required on every document?
Yes, on every notarized paper document. The duty attaches to the notarial act rather than to the type of document, so there is no category of paper notarization that proceeds without the seal.
That makes the stamp a daily use device rather than an occasional one, which is worth weighing when you choose between a hand stamp and a self inking model. Our post on complying with Virginia notary seal rules covers the compliance side.
Does your name have to match the commission exactly?
Yes. The wording requirement is your name as commissioned, which means the spelling and the form on the seal follow the certificate rather than your signature or the name you use day to day.
If your commission was issued in a full legal name, the seal carries that name even when you sign a shorter one. Read the certificate before you send us the line, because a mismatch is the wording error nobody catches until a document comes back.
Is it Commonwealth of Virginia or State of Virginia?
Commonwealth of Virginia. That is the jurisdiction line the wording requirement sets, and a state formula carried over from another jurisdiction does not satisfy it.
This is the defect that shows up most often in artwork brought in from elsewhere, because stock notary templates are built around the state formula. Change that line before the die is cut rather than after.
What size and shape does Virginia require?
Neither is specified. No dimension, outline or border requirement appears in the cited rules, so the choice is governed by the certificate blocks you work with rather than by a published figure.
A rectangle that fits beneath a notarial certificate without running into the signature line is the usual working answer. Our post on choosing a Virginia notary stamp size covers the practical fit.
Does Virginia name an ink color?
No color is specified. Nothing in the cited rules sets or limits the ink, so black, blue or another color are all open to you.
Pick for legibility and for copying. Some notaries prefer blue because it separates an original from a photocopy at a glance, and if a lender or title company asks for black, use black.
Can an embosser replace the inked stamp?
No. An embosser is not a substitute in Virginia, for a mechanical reason rather than a formal one: an inkless raised impression does not photocopy, and the notarized page has to survive being copied.
Notaries who want the formality of a raised seal use both devices, the inked stamp for compliance and the embosser for presentation. That pairing is a preference, not a requirement.
Does the seal have to show your commission expiration date?
Not by law, but the handbook now recommends it. The three required items do not include a date, yet the Virginia handbook revised July 1, 2026 advises, as a best practice, adding your commission expiration date and notary registration number to the seal.
The tradeoff is real. A stamp that shows the expiration date has to be replaced at each renewal, while one without it can stay in use as long as your commissioned name holds. Either way, Va. Code § 47.1-8.1 now has the vendor check proof of your commission before making the stamp.
Do you need a new stamp at renewal or after a name change?
A name change does call for a new seal, because the wording requirement ties the name on the die to the name on your commission. Once the commission reissues in a new name, the old stamp no longer matches it.
Routine renewal depends on the face you chose. The three required items carry no date and no number, so a stamp built to the legal minimum stays valid at renewal; one that follows the 2026 handbook's advice to show the expiration date needs replacing. Our post on checking whether a Virginia notary seal is out of date works through it, and Virginia notary stamp law explained covers the wider rules.
What do we need from you to make a Virginia notary stamp?
The exact name printed on your commission certificate. We set it with the words Notary Public and the line Commonwealth of Virginia, then confirm the layout with you before the die is cut.
Tell us the size of the certificate block you use most, since Virginia leaves the dimensions open. Our post on where to buy Virginia notary supplies covers what else to order at the same time.
How do you check an impression before using it?
Press a test impression on the paper stock you notarize on, then read back the three required lines and compare the name against your commission certificate letter for letter.
Photocopy the test page and read it again. Since Virginia sets no dimensions, the only real test of a Virginia seal is that all three lines stay legible on the copy a recorder or a lender ends up holding.
What does a Virginia notary order from Engineer Seal Stamps, and how do prices compare?
Since the 2024 Notary Handbook does not accept an embosser in place of the inked stamp, a Virginia order from Engineer Seal Stamps begins with a stamp from $22.95; Virginia embossers cost $29.95 to $39.95, and stamp and embosser kits $59.95 to $69.95.
- Lowest cost. The wood handle Virginia stamp ($22.95) uses a separate pad, and the Virginia Notary Public Kit with Rubber Stamps ($44.95) adds a record book and a wording stamp.
- Traveling signing agents. The Virginia Handheld Notary Seal Embosser ($29.95) packs small, and the Portable VA Notary Seal and Stamp Kit ($59.95) pairs a hybrid embosser with a slim pre-inked round stamp.
- Office volume. The Heavy-Duty Self-Inking Virginia Rectangular Notary Stamp costs $64.95, and the MaxLight pre-inked stamps ($39.95 and $42.95) are rated for about 25,000 impressions.
- A raised mark at the desk. The Virginia Desk Notary Public Seal ($39.95) works with an impression inker when the embossed copy has to reproduce.
- Shipping time. Production takes about one business day, then standard shipping, usually USPS, takes 3 to 8 business days from our facility (shipping details).
Frequently asked questions
Does the seal have to carry my commission number?
The wording requirement names three items and a commission number is not one of them. The cited rules do not address putting one on the face of the seal.
Can I use a middle initial if my commission spells out my middle name?
Follow the commission. The requirement is your name as commissioned, so the seal reproduces the form on the certificate rather than an abbreviation of it.
Is a round Virginia notary seal acceptable?
Virginia specifies no shape, so a round die is not ruled out. The working constraint is fitting three lines of text legibly inside the outline you choose.
Does an electronic notarization use the same seal?
The rules read for this page cover the seal used on paper documents. Confirm the electronic requirements with the Secretary of the Commonwealth before assuming the same wording carries across.
What happens to the old stamp after a name change?
It no longer matches the commission, so it stops being usable for notarial acts. Disposal is not addressed in the cited rules, and rendering the die unusable before discarding it is common practice.
Do I need a stamp for a document I notarize outside Virginia?
The cited rules address notarized paper documents and set the wording your Virginia commission requires. Anything turning on where the act takes place should be confirmed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
Which suppliers sell Virginia notary seals, and where do prices start?
Engineer Seal Stamps (engineersealstamps.com) sells Virginia notary seals. Virginia stamps start at $22.95 and embossers at $29.95, each set with the Commonwealth of Virginia line and your name as commissioned.
Read the name off your commission certificate, then let us set it with Notary Public and the Commonwealth of Virginia line before anything is cut. Start in the Virginia stamps and seals collection.
