Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals in Richmond, Virginia since 1964 · Product facts checked against the Acorn notary range (279 published SKUs) on 22 September 2026 · Updated 22 September 2026
Apostille facts taken only from these primary sources, each fetched 22 September 2026: HCCH Apostille Section, https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/specialised-sections/apostille · HCCH, full text of the Convention of 5 October 1961, https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/full-text/?cid=41 · HCCH, Practical Handbook on the Apostille Convention, https://assets.hcch.net/docs/a19ae90b-27bf-4596-b5ee-0140858abeaa.pdf · HCCH status table, https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41 · US Department of State, Preparing a Document for an Apostille, https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/records-and-authentications/authenticate-your-document/apostille-requirements.html · Same office, Preparing a Document for an Authentication, https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/replace-certify-docs/authenticate-your-document/authentication-certificate-requirements.html · Same office, Authenticate Your Document, https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/replace-certify-docs/authenticate-your-document.html · Same office, Office of Authentications, https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/records-and-authentications/authenticate-your-document/office-of-authentications.html · Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth, Authentications, https://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/official-documents/authentications/ · Same office, Document Rejection, https://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/official-documents/authentications/document-rejection/ · Minnesota Secretary of State, Common Problems with Authentication, https://sos.mn.gov/notary-apostille/apostille/common-problems-with-authentication/ · Same office, Apostille Authentication, https://sos.mn.gov/notary-apostille/apostille-authentication/ · California Secretary of State, Authentication of Documents, https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/authentication · Same office, Apostille FAQs, https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/apostille-faqs · Texas Secretary of State, Apostille and Authentication, https://www.sos.texas.gov/authinfo.shtml · Colorado Secretary of State, Apostilles and Authentications, https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/apostilles/general.html · New York Department of State, Apostille or Certificate of Authentication, https://dos.ny.gov/apostille-certificate-authentication · Connecticut Secretary of the State, Authentication and the Apostille, https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Legislative-Services/Authentication-of-Documents-and-the-Apostille · Michigan Department of State, Document authentication and apostille, https://www.michigan.gov/sos/all-services/document-authentication-and-apostille · Arizona Secretary of State, Authentication, https://azsos.gov/services/apostille-document-authentication · Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Apostilles and Certification, https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/commissions/apostilles.htm · Florida Department of State, Notarial or Apostille Certification, https://notaries.dos.fl.gov/notproc7.html · Indiana Secretary of State, Authentications, https://www.in.gov/sos/business/apostilleauthentication/ · Utah Authentications FAQ, https://authentications.utah.gov/?p=39 · North Carolina Secretary of State, Authentication and Authority Certificates, https://sosnc.gov/divisions/authentications/Obtaining_Auth_Certificate · Washington Secretary of State, Apostille FAQ, https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/apostilles-program/apostille-frequently-asked-questions · Tennessee Secretary of State, requirements for Notary Seals, https://sos.tn.gov/businesses/faqs/what-are-the-requirements-for-notary-seals · Pages for Ohio, Georgia, Oregon, Missouri, Nevada, Illinois and Pennsylvania could not be fetched, and no statement about those states appears here · No government fee is reproduced here; offices charge a per-document fee set by the issuing office · Product information and general research, not legal advice; requirements are set by the issuing authority and the destination · Updated 22 September 2026.
An apostille is a certificate issued under the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. The Hague Conference on Private International Law describes it as certifying "the authenticity of the origin of a public document": the signature, the capacity in which the person signing acted, and the identity of the seal or stamp. It says nothing about the contents. The HCCH Apostille Handbook is blunt: "An Apostille does not relate in any way to the content of the underlying public document." For a document notarized in a US state the apostille comes from that state, normally the secretary of state; for a federal document it comes from the US Department of State. If the destination is not a party to the Convention, the document takes a longer chain instead. The part a notary controls is the notarization, and that is where documents fail. Virginia’s authentication office publishes a rejection list covering a missing venue, a missing or incorrect notary stamp, a stamp that is not an exact match to the commissioned name, and a photocopy. Acorn does not issue apostilles and is not an apostille service. Acorn makes the seal the notarization is made with. This is general research, not legal advice.What these are for
Two questions collide when a notarized document heads abroad. The first is procedural and belongs to a government office: which certificate the destination wants and which authority issues it. Acorn has no standing there and states nothing beyond what the sources say. The second is mechanical and belongs to the notary: whether the notarization survives a clerk who has to read the seal, match the name against a commission record, and confirm the commission was live on the date of the act. If you are still getting commissioned, start with how to become a notary public. For what your state requires on the face of the seal, see notary stamp requirements by state.
The ranges we stock
What an apostille is, and exactly what it certifies
The treaty is the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. The HCCH states that its purpose "is to abolish the traditional requirement of legalisation, replacing the often long and costly legalisation process with the issuance of a single Apostille certificate." Article 1 brings notarial acts inside the definition of a public document. Article 3 provides that the only formality that may be required to certify a signature, the capacity in which the person signing acted and the identity of the seal or stamp is the certificate described in Article 4. The Handbook calls it "the Certificate issued under Article 3(1) of the Convention to certify the authenticity of the origin of a public document," and defines a Competent Authority as one "designated by a Contracting Party under Article 6." The status table shows 130 Contracting Parties, with the Convention in force for the United States since 15 October 1981.
What an apostille does not do
Three limits, all stated by the issuing side. The Apostille Handbook says an apostille "does not relate in any way to the content of the underlying public document," and "does not enhance, or add any legal significance to, the legal effect that the signature / seal / stamp would produce without an Apostille." California: "The Apostille does not validate the contents." Third, the Handbook states that the Convention "does not affect the right of the State of destination to determine the admissibility and probative value of foreign public documents." An apostille is not a guarantee of acceptance, and nobody on the US side can tell you a foreign registry will take your document.
Apostille or chain legalization, and what decides which
The destination decides, not the document. Connecticut draws the line: an apostille is for "countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention," while an authentication is for documents "intended for use in countries that are not part of the Hague Apostille Convention," which "may require further legalization by the U.S. State Department or the embassy." New York issues its certificate of authentication for use "in any country which is not a member of the 1961 Hague Convention," and the US Department of State uses the same split. A non-Convention destination means a chain, each link certifying the one below it. Minnesota issues "a single Apostille for documents to be used outside of the United States, regardless of the Hague Convention."
Which office issues it, state or federal
For a document notarized by a state-commissioned notary, the issuing office is in that state. California’s Secretary of State "provides an Apostille to authenticate California public officials’ signatures on documents to be used outside the United States of America." Virginia’s office verifies that the notary or clerk of court "is listed in our system, and they have notarized or issued your document correctly." It has to be the right state: Minnesota says "The state that produced the original document needs to certify the document." Federal documents go elsewhere, and Florida says that "Federal documents must be processed by the United States Department of State." New York adds an in-state link: "Notarized documents must be certified by the County Clerk of the County where the notary is certified to notarize."
What the authentication office reads on your notarization
Several offices publish what they look for, and the lists agree. Minnesota requires the jurisdiction where the notarization took place, an acknowledgment or notarial statement, the title stated as Notary Public, the date, the signature and the stamp, and states that "The expiration date on the notary stamp must match the expiration date on the notary’s commission." Colorado asks for "Original signatures - not stamped or photocopied" and "A complete notary statement, including the state and county where the notarization took place and the date." Michigan also requires "the county of execution if different than county of commission."
The rejection reasons an office has published
Virginia publishes the fullest list of any office fetched here. Its notarized-document rejections include "not having a proper acknowledgement on each document presented"; "the State and city/county where the document is being executed is not indicated"; "the notary’s registration number is either missing or incorrect"; "the notary’s expiration date is either missing or incorrect"; "the notary stamp or seal is either missing or incorrect"; "the stamp/seal for the notary is not an exact match to their commissioned name"; and "document is a photo copy of a notarization." Minnesota adds that "a notarial act must be evidenced by a certificate" and that "Name on Notary stamp must match Notary database." Texas rejects documents containing "Notario Publico."
Originals, copies and the commission record
Originality is the other constant. California: the document "must be signed by a California public official or be an original notarized and/or certified document. A photocopy is not acceptable." Arizona: "A photocopy is unacceptable." Massachusetts: "Photocopied signatures can’t be certified." Utah asks for "The original document with original signature(s) (not photocopied)." North Carolina states that using a copy "will require a notarized Affidavit saying that the document is a 'true copy' of the original," and Washington that a certificate "can only be issued for an Original (unaltered) or Certified Copy of the vital record." Behind it sits the commission record. The office matches your impression against a database entry, which is why Minnesota rejects on inactive status, a name mismatch or an expired commission. An impression a clerk cannot read cannot be matched.
Legibility: what the offices say, and where the rule lives
Be precise here, because the internet is not. None of the state authentication pages fetched for this page uses the word illegible about a notary seal. What they set up is a matching test the impression must survive. Virginia rejects when "the notary stamp or seal is either missing or incorrect" and when "the stamp/seal for the notary is not an exact match to their commissioned name," and rejects a court document when "the name of the court clerk/deputy clerk is not legible." Indiana asks the notary to print "his/her name in clear and legible block letters." The explicit seal rule sits in state notary law: Tennessee requires a stamp imprinted "in some color, not black or yellow, that is clearly legible and appears black when copied on a non-color copier."
Does the notary have to do anything after the notarization
On the evidence of the sources fetched here, no. None of these offices asks the notary to file, appear or certify anything after the notarial act. The document holder assembles the document, the request form and the fee, and submits it; in New York the holder first takes it to the county clerk where the notary is qualified. What the notary owes is upstream: an active commission on the day of the act, a stamp whose expiration matches the record, a name on the seal matching the commissioned name, a complete certificate, and a venue. Two of those are seal problems, which is the argument for replacing a seal after renewal or name change before the old die is used again.
Now the catalog half: what Acorn actually sells
The limit first. Acorn does not issue apostilles, does not submit documents to any authentication office, is not an apostille or courier service, and does not advise on whether a destination will accept anything. Acorn manufactures the seal and the stamps. Across the 279 published notary products prices run from $3.95 to $2,095.00 with a median of $74.95, and the items bearing on an authenticated document sit at the cheap end: a Regular Rubber Stamp of Notary Public Seal at $22.95, a MaxLight Pre-Inked Stamp of Notary Public Seal at $34.95, or a Regular State Seal Notary Stamp at $22.95 where the grand seal is allowed. The record of the act is an Official Notary Public Record Book at $12.95. The wider range is in notary supplies: stamps, seals, journals and kits.
The stamps that supply the wording, and the inkers that rescue an embosser
The supplemental stamps map onto the elements those authentication lists name. A Regular Acknowledgment Notary Stamp is $11.95, and the listing gives the reason: notary statements "are not always part of the document." A Self Inking Jurat Notary Stamp is $22.95. A Regular Name and Expiration Stamp at $11.95 is a supplement carrying "your name, state, and commission expiration date," not a seal. Number and expiration together runs $19.95 self-inking and $24.95 PSI pre-inked. Then the embosser problem: a raised impression can vanish on a copier, and the catalog notes that "The stamped seal shows up better than an embossed seal in PDFs and images." The Notary Seal Impression Inker at $15.95 is a blank stamp "used to ink over a raised or embossed impression," sized to 1-5/8″.
Sizes and dimensions
The catalog publishes a small set of impression sizes and repeats them. The round notary seal impression is 1-5/8″ in diameter, stated on the embosser listings and on the Notary Seal Impression Inker. The rectangular format differs: the Regular State Seal Notary Stamp is listed at 7/8″ tall by 2-3/8″ wide, and the electronic seal listing gives the standard shapes as "typically 1-5/8″ in diameter for the round or 7/8″ x 2-1/4″ for the rectangular," with size dependent on "your state specifications." Supplemental stamps are smaller: the MaxLight bodies are listed at 9/16″ tall by 1-1/2″ wide. Embosser reach runs about 2-1/2″ on long reach models and 4-1/2″ on extended long reach models.
How many impressions you get
Impression counts are published per family and they are consistent. Regular wood-handled rubber stamps use a separate pad and the listings describe unlimited impressions. Self-inking bodies carry an internal pad rated at up to 5,000 impressions before re-inking. Slim and PSI pre-inked bodies are rated at up to 15,000, stated on the PSI Pre-Inked Acknowledgment Notary Stamp at $29.95 among others. MaxLight bodies run highest, with listings stating up to 15,000 on some items and up to 20,000 on others, including the MaxLight Pre-Inked Stamp of Notary Public Seal at $34.95. The Notary Heavy Duty Standard Reach Electric Embosser at $1,795.00 is rated separately at an estimated life of at least 200,000 impressions.
Ink and colors
Ink color is a state decision, not a house one, and the catalog says so: the Regular Rubber Stamp of Notary Public Seal listing tells you to "make sure you use the ink color required by your state." Within that limit, formats differ. Self-inking bodies use water-based ink in 11 ink colors, on items such as the Self Inking Notary Scales of Justice at $26.00. Pre-inked bodies use oil-based ink absorbed by a die plate rather than a pad, come in 5 ink colors on the MaxLight, and the listings credit the absence of a pad with "crisp, clean impressions." Tennessee’s rule that the imprint be "clearly legible and appears black when copied on a non-color copier" is a color rule as much as a clarity rule.
What you can customize
Every official notary seal and stamp here is engraved to order, because the die carries facts that do not exist until the commission is issued: the name as commissioned, the state, the registration number where the state requires one, and the expiration date. The listings state the stamps are "made to your state specifications." Dies are laser engraved, and the catalog credits deep cuts with raised edges for a precise imprint. Date formats are a published option on most bodies: a full date, a partial date with a line to complete, or a blank line, which one listing calls "evergreen" so a change of expiration does not force a new stamp. That meets the authentication check head on, since Minnesota requires the stamp expiration to match the commission record.
The cheapest failure in the whole process is an impression nobody can read
Look at what the authentication offices are doing. Virginia confirms the notary "is listed in our system," and rejects when the stamp "is not an exact match to their commissioned name." Minnesota requires that the "Name on Notary stamp must match Notary database." That is a clerk comparing characters on an inked impression against characters in a record. If the impression is faint, doubled, half off the page or worn until a number is ambiguous, there is no match to make and the document goes back. Nothing about that failure is legal. It happens at the stamp.
This is where a stamp manufacturer has something to say, and should say only that. Acorn cannot get a document apostilled. What it can do is put a die on the page a stranger can read: laser engraved with deep cuts, an ink format matched to the state’s color rule, a body rated for the volume so the impression does not fade partway through a stack, and, where the seal is embossed, an impression inker at $15.95 so the raised seal reproduces at all. The rubber seal stamp is $22.95. Against a document that has to cross an ocean twice, that is the least expensive part of the exercise.
Ordering, proofs and delivery
Official notary seals and stamps are made to order, so nothing ships from stock. Listings across the range state shipping in 24 to 48 hours. Request a PDF proof at the point of ordering if you want to check the layout before the die is cut; on an official seal the catalog advises verifying the information before production. Order against the commission document rather than from memory, because the name, the number and the expiration all have to match a state record later. If your commission has just been renewed or your name has changed, order the new die first. For layout questions, contact us.
Care and longevity
A faded stamp produces an impression a clerk may not be able to match, so treat re-inking as maintenance rather than repair. Self-inking bodies are rated at about 5,000 impressions, and the listings describe sliding the pad out and dripping ink onto it. Pre-inked bodies have no pad: the die plate absorbs the ink, at up to 15,000 impressions on Slim and PSI bodies and up to 20,000 on several MaxLight. Keep the die clean, because ink dried in the engraving turns a sharp character into a blur. Warranty terms are published: seals carry two years and stamps six months.
Products in this range
Browse the full range: Notary Public Stamps and Seals, Notary Public Embossing Seal Kits, Notary Public Inked Stamp Kits, Notary Public Stamp and Notary Public Seal Supplies.
Related guides
- Notary Supplies: Stamps, Seals, Journals and Kits
- Notary Journals and Record Books: What They Are and What Goes In Them
- Replacing a Seal After a Renewal, Expiration or Name Change
- Remote Online Notarization and What It Means for Your Seal
- Notary Bonds and Errors and Omissions Insurance: What Each One Protects
- Notary Stamp vs. Embosser: Which Do You Need?
- Notary Stamp Requirements by State
- How to Become a Notary Public
- Replacing a Seal After a Renewal or Name Change
Frequently asked questions
What is an apostille?
A certificate issued under the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. The HCCH Apostille Handbook describes it as "the Certificate issued under Article 3(1) of the Convention to certify the authenticity of the origin of a public document," covering the signature, the capacity in which the person signing acted, and the identity of the seal or stamp. General research, not legal advice.
Does an apostille say my document is true or valid?
No. The Apostille Handbook states that an apostille "does not relate in any way to the content of the underlying public document," and California that "The Apostille does not validate the contents of the document." The Handbook adds that the Convention "does not affect the right of the State of destination to determine the admissibility and probative value of foreign public documents," so nobody can promise acceptance.
What is the difference between an apostille and legalization?
The destination country. Connecticut states that an apostille is for "countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention" and an authentication for documents used in countries "not part of the Hague Apostille Convention," which "may require further legalization by the U.S. State Department or the embassy." A non-Convention destination means a chain rather than one certificate.
Which office issues the apostille for a document my notary signed?
The state whose commission the notary holds. California states that its Secretary of State "provides an Apostille to authenticate California public officials’ signatures on documents to be used outside the United States of America." Virginia verifies that the notary "is listed in our system." Acorn does not issue apostilles.
Who issues the apostille for a federal document?
The US Department of State. Minnesota states that "Original Federal documents are not authenticated at the state level," and Florida that "Federal documents must be processed by the United States Department of State." The federal guidance warns: "Do not notarize your original document."
What gets a notarized document rejected at the authentication office?
Virginia publishes a list. It includes "the State and city/county where the document is being executed is not indicated"; "the notary’s expiration date is either missing or incorrect"; "the notary stamp or seal is either missing or incorrect"; and "the stamp/seal for the notary is not an exact match to their commissioned name."
Does a missing venue really get a document rejected?
Virginia lists as a rejection reason that "the State and city/county where the document is being executed is not indicated." Colorado requires "A complete notary statement, including the state and county where the notarization took place and the date." Minnesota lists "Jurisdiction where the notarization took place" among its required elements.
What if my commission expired before the document was submitted?
The offices check the act against a live record. Minnesota states that "The commission must be valid and up to date and the expiration date on the notary stamp must be accurate," and lists inactive status, mismatched names and expired commissions among its grounds for rejection. Virginia rejects a notarization "more than 12 months old."
Can a photocopy be apostilled?
Every office fetched for this page says no. California: "A photocopy is not acceptable." Arizona: "A photocopy is unacceptable." Massachusetts: "Photocopied signatures can’t be certified." Virginia lists "document is a photo copy of a notarization" as a rejection reason.
Does the notary have to do anything after notarizing the document?
Nothing in any source fetched for this page asks the notary to act afterward. The document holder submits it. New York adds a step for the holder, not the notary: "Notarized documents must be certified by the County Clerk of the County where the notary is certified to notarize."
Does an illegible seal get the document rejected?
Be careful with that claim. The state authentication pages fetched here do not use the word illegible about a notary seal. They set a matching test instead. Virginia rejects when the stamp "is not an exact match to their commissioned name," and Minnesota requires that the "Name on Notary stamp must match Notary database." An impression a clerk cannot read cannot be matched.
Is an embossed seal a problem for an apostille?
This page states no rule on that, because none of the fetched authentication pages addresses embossers; ask your own state office. What the catalog says is that a raised impression reproduces poorly: the Regular Rubber Stamp of Notary Public Seal at $22.95 states that "The stamped seal shows up better than an embossed seal in PDFs and images." The Notary Seal Impression Inker is $15.95.
Does Acorn get documents apostilled?
No. Acorn does not issue apostilles, does not submit documents to any authentication office, is not an apostille service or a courier, and gives no legal advice about your document or destination. Acorn manufactures notary seals and stamps in Richmond, Virginia, and has done since 1964.
What does a notary seal stamp cost here?
A Regular Rubber Stamp of Notary Public Seal is $22.95 and needs a separate pad. The MaxLight Pre-Inked Stamp of Notary Public Seal is $34.95, rated at up to 20,000 impressions before ink is added. A Regular State Seal Notary Stamp is $22.95. Across the 279 published notary products the median is $74.95.
Which supplemental stamps are worth having for documents going abroad?
The ones supplying the elements the authentication offices name. Acknowledgment and jurat wording, from $11.95 for a Regular Acknowledgment Notary Stamp and $22.95 for a Self Inking Jurat Notary Stamp. Name and expiration, $11.95. Number and expiration, $19.95 self-inking. An Official Notary Public Record Book is $12.95.
