Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Molly, VP Marketing at Acorn Sales, against subchapters 1 through 3 of chapter 14 of title 21 of the Arkansas Code, and the Secretary of State’s 2024 Notary Public and eNotary Handbook on 20 September 2026 · Updated 20 September 2026
Arkansas legislates the ink color, which few states do: your seal must be provided in blue or black ink, and it must be clear, legible and capable of photographic reproduction. It carries your name exactly as you sign, the county where your bond is filed, the words “notary public” and “Arkansas”, your expiration date and your commission number. The state seal and any outline of the state are expressly banned. Commissions run ten years.
Arkansas notary stamp requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Arkansas rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp required | Yes | A.C.A. § 21-14-107(b)(1), (f)(1)(B)(ii), (f)(2)(B) |
| Required wording | Your name exactly as you write your official signature; The name of the county where your bond is filed; The words “notary public” and “Arkansas”; The date your commission expires; Your commission number issued by the Secretary of State | A.C.A. § 21-14-107(b)(2) |
| Size and shape | Not addressed. | A.C.A. §§ 21-14-101 to 21-14-314 (silent) |
| Ink color | Blue or black, by statute. | A.C.A. § 21-14-107(a)(1), (b)(1) |
| Embosser | Permitted as a full alternative to a rubber stamp, but it has to be inked. | A.C.A. § 21-14-107(b)(1) |
| Commission term | Terms run ten years, among the longest in the country, and the renewal timing is the thing people get wrong: you must submit a new application “sixty (60) calendar days prior to the expiration” of your commission, not within sixty days after it. | A.C.A. §§ 21-14-101(b), 21-14-102, 21-14-103, 21-14-108(c) |
| Name or address change | Notify both the Secretary of State and the circuit clerk for your county within 30 calendar days. | A.C.A. §§ 21-14-101(b), 21-14-102, 21-14-103, 21-14-108(c) |
| Lost or stolen stamp | No deadline is specified, but the consequence is unusual and worth planning for. | A.C.A. § 21-14-107(d), (e) |
| Commissioning authority | The Arkansas Secretary of State, with a $7,500 surety bond filed with the county recorder | subchapters 1 through 3 of chapter 14 of title 21 of the Arkansas Code, |
Rules for other states are on notary stamp requirements by state.
Is a notary stamp required in Arkansas?
Yes, on every notary certificate, and Arkansas puts the ink color right in the same sentence: “Under or near a notary public’s official signature on every notary certificate, the notary public shall provide a seal of his or her office in blue or black ink, which shall be either a rubber stamp seal or a seal embosser. The seal shall be clear and legible and capable of photographic reproduction.” A certificate is treated as incomplete if you affix your signature or seal to one that is deficient.
The governing text is A.C.A. § 21-14-107(b)(1), (f)(1)(B)(ii), (f)(2)(B).
What must appear on an Arkansas notary stamp?
- Your name exactly as you write your official signature
- The name of the county where your bond is filed
- The words “notary public” and “Arkansas”
- The date your commission expires
- Your commission number issued by the Secretary of State
Two things are expressly banned from an Arkansas seal: “A notary seal shall not include the Seal of the State of Arkansas or an outline of the state.” Note also that the county on the seal is the county where your bond is filed, which is not always the county where you work. Every element here is statutory; the handbook restates them and adds nothing.
What size and shape must an Arkansas notary stamp be?
Not addressed. We checked all three subchapters of the Arkansas notary law, the 2024 Notary Public and eNotary Handbook and the Secretary of State’s FAQs. No dimension, shape, diameter or border requirement exists. The only physical standards are that the seal be “clear and legible and capable of photographic reproduction.”
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 Arkansas notary stamp?
Blue or black, by statute. Arkansas is one of the few states to legislate the color rather than leave it to a recording standard: the seal must be provided “in blue or black ink”. Your signature is governed separately and identically, since at the time of notarization you must sign your official signature “in blue or black ink” on every certificate. The Secretary of State confirms that since 2013 all stamps must use blue or black. The recording statute adds paper size and margins but no color, because the notary act already covers it.
More on the trade-off in stamp ink color rules.
Is a notary embosser required or optional in Arkansas?
Permitted as a full alternative to a rubber stamp, but it has to be inked. The statute offers either device, and then requires in the same sentence that the seal be in blue or black ink and capable of photographic reproduction. The Secretary of State resolves the tension directly, confirming that the blue-or-black requirement “applies to rubber stamps as well as embossers”, and the handbook instructs that when using an embosser you must use blue or black ink with it so it can be photocopied. A dry embossed impression is non-compliant in Arkansas.
Notary embossing seal kits and inked stamp kits cover both formats. See also notary stamp vs. embosser.
A ten-year commission, and a lost seal that changes your number
Arkansas commissions run ten years, so an Arkansas notary orders a stamp about as often as they replace a mattress. Two consequences follow, and both are worth knowing before you order.
First, renewal paperwork is due sixty days before your commission expires, not after. Miss that and you are dealing with a lapse rather than a renewal. Because the seal carries both your expiration date and your commission number, a renewal always means a new stamp.
Second, and this has no equivalent nearby: if your seal is lost or stolen, Arkansas issues you a new commission number. Since the number is a required element, you cannot simply order the same stamp again. You report the loss in writing, receive a new number, and order a stamp built to it. That is a different process from every neighboring state, where a replacement is a like-for-like reorder.
One more Arkansas rule that surprises people: an embosser must be inked. The statute permits an embosser as a full alternative to a rubber stamp, then requires blue or black ink and photographic reproducibility in the same sentence, and the Secretary of State confirms both apply to embossers. A dry raised impression does not comply.
Do I need a new stamp when my commission is renewed or my name changes?
Terms run ten years, among the longest in the country, and the renewal timing is the thing people get wrong: you must submit a new application “sixty (60) calendar days prior to the expiration” of your commission, not within sixty days after it. A new stamp is required at every renewal, because the seal carries both your expiration date and your Secretary of State commission number, and both change. The Secretary of State says so outright.
Notify both the Secretary of State and the circuit clerk for your county within 30 calendar days. A court-ordered change needs a certified copy of the order; a marriage name change needs a certified copy of the marriage certificate. Either a name change or a county move forces a new seal, since the name must match your official signature and the seal names the county where your bond is filed.
What do I do if my Arkansas notary stamp is lost or stolen?
No deadline is specified, but the consequence is unusual and worth planning for. You notify the Secretary of State in writing, and the office will then issue you a new commission number. Since the commission number is a required seal element, a lost seal in Arkansas means a new number and therefore a new stamp, not a like-for-like replacement.
How do I dispose of an expired Arkansas notary stamp?
The handbook is the source here rather than the statute: when you obtain a new seal because your information changed, or you resign before your commission expires, you should immediately destroy the previous seal. Your seal is also your own property and “shall not be surrendered to an employer upon termination of employment, regardless of whether or not the employer paid for the seal or for the commission.”
More on retiring an old device in how to dispose of an expired notary stamp.
Can I notarize electronically or remotely in Arkansas?
Electronic notarization is a separate commission in Arkansas, not an endorsement: you complete eNotary-specific training through the Secretary of State and pass an exam, with refresher training every two years. In-person electronic acts still require the signer to appear in person. Remote online notarization is separately authorized, requires you to be physically located in Arkansas, and requires credential analysis plus identity proofing and an audiovisual recording. Retention is the short one: records including the audio and video copy are kept at least five years, where Colorado, New Hampshire and DC all say ten. A journal is not required for traditional acts, though the handbook recommends one.
If you need your seal as an image file for electronic work, see electronic notary seal images.
Related Arkansas 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 Arkansas notary seals
Is a notary seal required in Arkansas?
Yes. Under or near your official signature on every notary certificate you must provide a seal of office in blue or black ink, either a rubber stamp seal or a seal embosser, clear and legible and capable of photographic reproduction.
What ink color does Arkansas require?
Blue or black, by statute. Arkansas is one of the few states to legislate the color rather than leave it to a recording standard. Your signature is governed identically: you must sign your official signature in blue or black ink on every certificate.
What has to appear on an Arkansas notary seal?
Your name exactly as you write your official signature, the county where your bond is filed, the words “notary public” and “Arkansas”, your expiration date, and your commission number. The Seal of the State of Arkansas and any outline of the state are expressly prohibited.
Can I use an embosser in Arkansas?
Yes as a full alternative, but it must be inked. The statute permits either device and then requires blue or black ink and photographic reproducibility in the same sentence. The Secretary of State confirms the ink requirement applies to embossers as well as rubber stamps, so a dry raised impression is non-compliant.
How long does an Arkansas notary commission last?
Ten years, among the longest in the country. Note the renewal timing, which people get backwards: your new application is due sixty days before your commission expires, not within sixty days after.
Do I need a new stamp when my Arkansas commission is renewed?
Yes. The seal carries both your expiration date and your Secretary of State commission number, and both change at renewal.
What if my Arkansas notary seal is lost or stolen?
Notify the Secretary of State in writing. No deadline is specified, but the consequence is unusual: the office will issue you a new commission number. Since the number is a required seal element, a lost seal in Arkansas means a new stamp built to a new number rather than a like-for-like replacement.
Can my employer keep my Arkansas notary seal?
No. Your seal and commission certificate are your exclusive property and must not be surrendered to an employer on termination, regardless of whether the employer paid for the seal or the commission.
