Notary Public Equipment

Seal/Stamping Device

Notaries public commissioned in Pennsylvania are required to use an official stamp to authenticate all the acts, instruments and attestations of the notary public. For paper (versus electronic) notarizations, this is a rubber stamp seal which must have a maximum height of 1 inch and a width of 3 ½ inches with a plain border.

The stamp/seal must contain, in the following order:

• The words “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania”
• The words “Notary Seal”
• The name as it appears on the commission of the notary public and the words “Notary Public”
• The name of the county in which the notary public maintains an office
• The date the notary public's commission expires
• The notary commission number

This is an example of a compliant stamp:

Words and terms on the official stamp may not be abbreviated, except for name suffixes.

Notaries may use an embosser in addition to the rubber stamp seal. However, the embosser is optional and may not replace the rubber stamp seal.

In performing a notarization, a notary public must ensure that the rubber stamp seal is stamped in a prominent place on the notarial certificate near the notary public's signature in such a manner as to be capable of photographic reproduction. The notary public's stamping device is the exclusive property of the notary public to whom it is issued. The notary public is responsible for the custody and control of the stamping device at all times and shall not permit the use of his/her seal by another person. The use of a notary public seal by a person who is not the notary public on the seal will be deemed an impersonation of a notary public and the individual will be subject to criminal penalties.

Upon resignation or on the expiration of the date set forth in the stamping device or on the death or adjudication of incompetency of a notary public, the notary public or the notary’s personal representative shall disable the stamping device by destroying, defacing, damaging, erasing or securing it against use in a manner which renders it unusable.

DO NOT send your old notary stamp to the Department unless your commission has been suspended or revoked or if you have been instructed or ordered to do so.

Journal

Formerly called the notary register, the notary journal is where the notary public records all notarial acts that the notary performs in chronological order.

A journal may be created on a tangible medium or in an electronic format. A notary public may maintain a separate journal for tangible records and for electronic records. If the journal is maintained on a tangible medium (i.e. on paper), it must be a bound register with numbered pages. If the journal is maintained in an electronic format, it must be in a tamper-evident electronic format complying with the regulations of the Department at 4 Pa. Code. §167.34.

Journal entries shall be made contemporaneously with performance of the notarial act and contain all of the following information:

• The date and time of the notarial act.
• A description of the record, if any, and type of notarial act.
• The full name and full address (street and number, city and state) of each individual for whom the notarial act is performed.
• If identity of the individual is based on personal knowledge, a statement to that effect.
• If identity of the individual is based on satisfactory evidence, a brief description of the method of identification and any identification credential presented, including the date of issuance and expiration of an identification credential.
• The fee charged by the notary public.

A notary public must permit inspection of the journal to any person requesting to view the journal.  The request for inspection may be oral or in writing. The inspection must occur in the presence of the notary public. A notary public must give a certified copy of the journal to any person that applies for it. Requests for certified copies of the journal may be oral or in writing and shall specify the particular entry or time period sought.  The notary public must provide the certified copy within 15 days of receipt of the request.

Example of Notary Public Journal

Loss or Theft of Notary Equipment

If a stamping device or journal is lost or stolen, the notary public shall notify the Department within 15 days of discovering the loss or theft. The term "loss" includes equipment that is misplaced, destroyed or otherwise made unavailable. The notification must include a statement that the notary public does not possess the stamping device and/or journal and the date the notary public discovered that the stamping device and/or journal was lost or stolen. A notary may wish to file a police report for stolen items.

Report of Loss Theft of Notary Equipment Form