Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Molly, VP Marketing at Acorn Sales, against Alaska Statutes chapter 44.50 and the certificate provisions at AS 09.63.030 and 09.63.040, with the Lieutenant Governor’s published notary guidance on 20 September 2026 · Updated 20 September 2026
Alaska asks for less on the seal than almost anywhere: your name exactly as commissioned, the words “Notary Public” and “State of Alaska”. That is the complete list. Your commission number and expiration date are optional, which means a plain Alaska seal has nothing on it that changes and can survive renewal after renewal. But read the next part carefully, because the expiration date still has to reach the document by some other means.
Alaska notary stamp requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Alaska rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp required | Yes | Alaska Stat. §§ 44.50.064(a), 44.50.065(a) |
| Required wording | Your name exactly as indicated on your commission certificate, The words “Notary Public” and The words “State of Alaska” | Alaska Stat. § 44.50.064(b)(1) |
| Size and shape | Circular up to 2 inches in diameter, or rectangular up to 1 inch by 2.5 inches, or an electronic form authorized by regulation. | Alaska Stat. § 44.50.064(b)(2) |
| Ink color | Not addressed. | Alaska Stat. §§ 44.50.064, 44.50.065(a) (no color) |
| Embosser | Supplement only, and Alaska says so more clearly than any other state: “An embossed seal impression that is not photographically reproducible may be used in addition to, but not in place of, the seal impression or depiction required by (a) of this section.” The Lieutenant Governor’s guidance recommends an inking seal as the primary device for exactly that reason. | Alaska Stat. § 44.50.065(c) |
| Commission term | Terms run four years, and a renewing Alaska notary usually does not need a new seal, which makes Alaska one of the cheapest states to stay commissioned in. | Alaska Stat. §§ 44.50.010, 44.50.038, 44.50.064(e)(3), 44.50.066(a), (c), (d) |
| Name or address change | Notify the Lieutenant Governor within 30 days of a change of name, mailing address or physical address, on the office’s form and signed by you. | Alaska Stat. §§ 44.50.010, 44.50.038, 44.50.064(e)(3), 44.50.066(a), (c), (d) |
| Lost or stolen stamp | Ten days, and this one is a hard statutory deadline rather than a promptness standard: within ten days after your seal is stolen or lost, or the security of your electronic seal is compromised, you must give the Lieutenant Governor written notification. | Alaska Stat. §§ 44.50.063(c), 44.50.064(d), (e) |
| Commissioning authority | The Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, not the Secretary of State. Alaska is also not a Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts state | Alaska Statutes chapter 44.50 |
Rules for other states are on notary stamp requirements by state.
Is a notary stamp required in Alaska?
Yes, on every notarial act, and Alaska imposes the duty twice. You “shall keep an official seal, which is the exclusive property of the notary public”, and separately “a sharp, legible, photographically reproducible impression or depiction of a notary public’s official seal shall be affixed… on the notarial certificate near the notary public’s official signature… and only at the time the notarial act is performed”.
The governing text is Alaska Stat. §§ 44.50.064(a), 44.50.065(a); §§ 09.63.030(c)(1)(A), 09.63.040(d)(1)(A).
What must appear on an Alaska notary stamp?
- Your name exactly as indicated on your commission certificate
- The words “Notary Public”
- The words “State of Alaska”
That is the complete mandatory list, and the consequence is worth understanding before you order. Your commission number and expiration date are optional: the Lieutenant Governor’s guidance says seals “may be embellished with your commission number and/or commission expiration date but this is not a requirement.” Leave them off and nothing on your seal changes at renewal. But note the separate duty that follows from that: because the expiration date is not on the seal, you must affix the date of expiration of your commission on the document itself, every time.
What size and shape must an Alaska notary stamp be?
Circular up to 2 inches in diameter, or rectangular up to 1 inch by 2.5 inches, or an electronic form authorized by regulation. Both physical shapes are permitted and these are ceilings rather than specifications.
Notary public stamps are made to these conventions, and we check your lines against the statutory wording before we make the stamp.
What ink color is required for an Alaska notary stamp?
Not addressed. There is no color mandate anywhere in the Alaska notary statutes, and we checked the seal, signature, certificate and electronic sections. What governs instead is the quality of the impression: it must be “sharp, legible, photographically reproducible.” The recording statute takes the same approach, requiring a document to be legible or convertible to legible form and capable of being copied, with no color rule.
More on the trade-off in stamp ink color rules.
Is a notary embosser required or optional in Alaska?
Supplement only, and Alaska says so more clearly than any other state: “An embossed seal impression that is not photographically reproducible may be used in addition to, but not in place of, the seal impression or depiction required by (a) of this section.” The Lieutenant Governor’s guidance recommends an inking seal as the primary device for exactly that reason.
Notary embossing seal kits and inked stamp kits cover both formats. See also notary stamp vs. embosser.
The Alaska seal has three lines, and the date goes on the document
Alaska asks for less on the seal than almost anywhere: your name exactly as commissioned, the words “Notary Public”, and the words “State of Alaska”. That is the entire mandatory list. Your commission number and expiration date may be added, and the Lieutenant Governor is explicit that they are not required.
That creates a real choice. A plain three-line Alaska seal has nothing on it that changes, so it survives renewal after renewal, and the destruction duty is written to allow exactly that: you destroy the seal when your term ends only if you have not received a new commission. Add the expiration date and you have turned a lasting seal into a four-year consumable.
But do not stop there, because the date does not simply disappear. Alaska’s certificate statutes separately require you to affix the date of expiration of your commission on the document. With a plain seal that means writing or stamping it every time, which is why a small separate date stamp is worth having. This is the most-missed duty in Alaska.
Two more: an embosser may be used in addition to but not in place of your inked seal, and a lost or stolen seal must be reported in writing within ten days, which is a real deadline rather than a promptness standard.
Do I need a new stamp when my commission is renewed or my name changes?
Terms run four years, and a renewing Alaska notary usually does not need a new seal, which makes Alaska one of the cheapest states to stay commissioned in. The three mandatory elements do not change, and the destruction duty applies only “when the notary public’s term of commission ends if the notary public has not received a new commission”. The exception is self-inflicted: if you added the optional commission number or expiration date, that seal is stale at renewal and has to be replaced.
Notify the Lieutenant Governor within 30 days of a change of name, mailing address or physical address, on the office’s form and signed by you. A name change has a hard sequence attached: you must keep using your former name for notarial acts until you have notified your bond surety, received the replacement certificate of commission, and “obtained a new seal reflecting the name change.”
What do I do if my Alaska notary stamp is lost or stolen?
Ten days, and this one is a hard statutory deadline rather than a promptness standard: within ten days after your seal is stolen or lost, or the security of your electronic seal is compromised, you must give the Lieutenant Governor written notification. A parallel ten-day rule covers a compromised electronic signature.
How do I dispose of an expired Alaska notary stamp?
The seal “shall be destroyed or defaced” on resignation or death, on revocation or termination of the commission, or when the term ends if you have not received a new commission. That last condition is what lets a renewing notary keep the seal.
More on retiring an old device in how to dispose of an expired notary stamp.
Can I notarize electronically or remotely in Alaska?
An electronic seal is permitted as authorized by regulation, and must be affixed only at the time the notarial act is performed. The Lieutenant Governor requires you to notify the office and be approved before performing such acts. Remote notarization is governed by its own section, with identity established by personal knowledge, a credible witness, or a government ID plus credential analysis and identity proofing, an audio-video recording retained at least ten years, and a certificate stating that the act involved communication technology. One caveat we will state rather than paper over: the Lieutenant Governor’s website labels a link to that section as covering journal requirements, but the section text is the remote-notarization provision. Confirm with the office before relying on any claim that Alaska requires a journal for in-person acts.
If you need your seal as an image file for electronic work, see electronic notary seal images.
Who is allowed to sell you a Alaska notary seal?
Alaska imposes no legal restriction on who may sell a notary seal, but the Lieutenant Governor’s guidance tells notaries that vendors “should require identification and evidence that you are an actively commissioned Alaska notary public.” That is advisory rather than binding, and the office publishes a courtesy vendor list that includes out-of-state sellers.
Related Alaska guides
Next step
Have your commission details in front of you before you order, because they go on the stamp and a wrong line means a reorder. Then browse notary public stamps, or call 804-359-0505 and we will check your wording against the statute before we make it.
Frequently asked questions about Alaska notary seals
Is a notary seal required in Alaska?
Yes, and the duty appears twice: you shall keep an official seal that is your exclusive property, and a sharp, legible, photographically reproducible impression shall be affixed on the notarial certificate near your signature, only at the time the act is performed.
What has to appear on an Alaska notary seal?
Three things: your name exactly as indicated on your commission certificate, the words “Notary Public”, and the words “State of Alaska”. Nothing else is required.
Should I add my commission expiration date to an Alaska seal?
Probably not. The Lieutenant Governor's guidance says seals may be embellished with your commission number or expiration date but that neither is required. Leave them off and the seal outlives your commission. Add them and you have created a four-year consumable for no legal benefit.
If the date is not on the seal, where does it go?
On the document, every time. Alaska's certificate statutes separately require you to affix the date of expiration of your commission on the record. This is the most-missed duty in Alaska, and it is the reason a small separate date stamp is worth carrying alongside a plain seal.
Do I need a new seal when my Alaska commission is renewed?
Usually not, which makes Alaska one of the cheapest states to stay commissioned in. The destruction duty applies only when your term ends if you have not received a new commission. The exception is self-inflicted: a seal carrying the optional number or date is stale at renewal.
Can I use an embosser in Alaska?
Only alongside your inked seal. Alaska says it more clearly than any other state: an embossed seal impression that is not photographically reproducible may be used in addition to, but not in place of, the required impression.
What size must an Alaska notary seal be?
Circular up to 2 inches in diameter, or rectangular up to 1 inch by 2.5 inches. Both are permitted and these are maximums.
What if my Alaska notary seal is lost or stolen?
Ten days, and this is a hard statutory deadline. Within ten days after your seal is stolen or lost, or the security of your electronic seal is compromised, give the Lieutenant Governor written notification.
Who commissions notaries in Alaska?
The Lieutenant Governor, not the Secretary of State. Alaska is also not a Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts state, so guidance written for RULONA jurisdictions does not transfer.
