Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Molly, VP Marketing at Acorn Sales, against chapter 103 of title 26 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated, the Administrative Rules for Notaries Public at Code Vt. R. 04-030-015, and the Office of Professional Regulation’s published guidance on 20 September 2026 · Updated 20 September 2026
Vermont does not require a notary stamp. The Office of Professional Regulation says so directly: you may use a stamp, or print or type the certificate information instead. If you do use one, it carries your name, the word “Vermont”, the title “Notary Public” and your commission number, and it may not carry the Vermont State Seal. None of those four elements is a date, which is the key to buying well here: commissions run only two years, so leaving the date off means never replacing the stamp.
Vermont notary stamp requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Vermont rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp required | No | Vt. Admin. Code Rule 5-3 |
| Required wording | Your name, the same name you signed on the notarized oath of office, The word “Vermont”, The title “Notary Public” and Your commission number | Vt. Admin. Code Rule 5-3(b)(iii)(B) |
| Size and shape | Not addressed, and expressly left to you. | 26 V.S.A. §§ 5367 to 5370 and Vt. Admin. Code 04-030-015 (silent) |
| Ink color | Not addressed. | Vt. Admin. Code Rule 5-3(b)(i), (ii) |
| Embosser | Permitted as a full alternative, which makes Vermont the opposite of Mississippi and Hawaii. | Vt. Admin. Code Rules 1-16, 5-3(b)(i), (ii) |
| Commission term | Terms run two years on a fixed statewide cycle, expiring 31 January of odd-numbered years rather than on your own anniversary, and renewal requires up to two hours of approved continuing education. | 26 V.S.A. § 5343 |
| Name or address change | Report a change of name, address or email to the Office within 30 days by updating your online file. | 26 V.S.A. § 5343 |
| Lost or stolen stamp | Promptly, with no day count: if the stamping device is lost or stolen, the notary or the notary’s personal representative or guardian shall notify the Office promptly on discovering it. | 26 V.S.A. § 5370(a), (b) |
| Commissioning authority | The Secretary of State’s Office of Professional Regulation, which took notaries over from the town clerks when Vermont adopted the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts in 2019 | chapter 103 of title 26 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated, the Administrative Rules for Notaries Public at Code Vt. R. 04-030-015, |
Rules for other states are on notary stamp requirements by state.
Is a notary stamp required in Vermont?
No. Vermont does not require a stamp. The Office says so in its own rule: “Notaries public are not required to use a physical official stamp. To complete a certificate of a notarial act, a notary public may use a physical official stamp, may print or type the certificate information, or may use a combination of these methods.” But read the statute as an either/or rather than as a pure exemption, because the second half is where people stop too early: an official stamp shall be affixed “or, in the alternative, the notary shall clearly print or type the notary public’s name and commission number on the certificate”. Something has to appear either way
The governing text is Vt. Admin. Code Rule 5-3; 26 V.S.A. § 5367(b)(1).
What must appear on a Vermont notary stamp?
- Your name, the same name you signed on the notarized oath of office
- The word “Vermont”
- The title “Notary Public”
- Your commission number
Those four are the minimum if you use a stamp. The stamp may not include the Vermont State Seal, and anything else the certificate needs that is not on the stamp has to be printed or typed. If you choose not to use a stamp, note that the rule asks for more than the statute does: you must print or type your name, your commission number and your commission expiration date. A notary who drops the stamp and prints only the name and number, which is all the statute names, is short of the rule.
What size and shape must a Vermont notary stamp be?
Not addressed, and expressly left to you. We checked the statute and the whole of the administrative rules for the words size, inch, border and shape, and none appears. The Office states it directly, that “the shape and style of the stamp may be determined by each notary”, and illustrates both circular and rectangular examples. Vermont is the most permissive state we supply on form factor.
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 a Vermont notary stamp?
Not addressed. The only occurrence of the word ink in the Vermont rules concerns the type of device rather than its color: “the physical official stamp must be an ink stamp or an embosser.” The recording statute requires the town clerk to record by accurate, legible copy and sets no color either. The only constraint that reaches your stamp is that it be “capable of being copied together with the record”. Black remains the sensible choice; Vermont does not command it.
More on the trade-off in stamp ink color rules.
Is a notary embosser required or optional in Vermont?
Permitted as a full alternative, which makes Vermont the opposite of Mississippi and Hawaii. The rule says the physical official stamp “must be an ink stamp or an embosser”, and the statute speaks of a stamp affixed to or embossed on the certificate. The practical caution still applies, because an embosser must also be capable of being copied together with the record, and a blind uninked crimp on a document headed for a scanner is a failure point even though Vermont permits the device.
Notary embossing seal kits and inked stamp kits cover both formats. See also notary stamp vs. embosser.
Vermont does not require a stamp, and adding a date to one costs you every two years
Vermont is one of a handful of states where a notary stamp is a convenience rather than a legal necessity. The Office of Professional Regulation says it plainly: notaries public are not required to use a physical official stamp. You may print or type the certificate information instead.
If you take that route, be careful which list you follow. The statute asks only for your name and commission number. The rule asks for your name, your commission number and your expiration date. A notary who reads the statute alone and prints two of the three is out of compliance with the rule.
If you do buy a stamp, the decision that matters is whether to put your expiration date on it. Vermont commissions run two years, expiring 31 January of odd-numbered years on a fixed statewide cycle. The four required elements contain no date, so an undated stamp lasts indefinitely. A dated one triggers the replacement rule every two years. Leave the date off, print it on the certificate, and buy one stamp instead of five over a decade.
One more thing not to buy: Vermont requires no journal. There is no journal provision anywhere in the statute or the rules. If someone sells you a Vermont starter kit with a mandatory journal in it, the journal is not mandatory.
Do I need a new stamp when my commission is renewed or my name changes?
Terms run two years on a fixed statewide cycle, expiring 31 January of odd-numbered years rather than on your own anniversary, and renewal requires up to two hours of approved continuing education. Whether you need a new stamp is a choice you make when you order. The four required elements contain no date, so a stamp without an expiration date never needs replacing at renewal. Add the date and the rule bites: on expiry you must either replace the stamp with one showing an updated date or no date, or stop using a stamp altogether. Putting the date on a Vermont stamp is the most common self-inflicted cost in the state.
Report a change of name, address or email to the Office within 30 days by updating your online file. A name change additionally requires court documentation and an updated notarized oath of office signed with your new signature, and it comes with a hard stop: “Notaries public shall not perform notarial acts after a name change until the updated oath is submitted.” Because your stamp must carry the same name you signed on that oath, a name change forces a new stamp for anyone who uses one.
What do I do if my Vermont notary stamp is lost or stolen?
Promptly, with no day count: if the stamping device is lost or stolen, the notary or the notary’s personal representative or guardian shall notify the Office promptly on discovering it. Do not publish a number for Vermont. The theft of an electronic signature, electronic stamp or digital certificate is different and must be reported immediately.
How do I dispose of an expired Vermont notary stamp?
Not addressed for a physical stamp, and we should be precise about that rather than inventing a duty. Vermont did not enact the disposal subsection that most states took from the uniform act: the security section covers only keeping the device safe and reporting a loss. The nearest thing is the expiry rule, which requires only that a date-bearing stamp be replaced or its use discontinued. Destroying an expired stamp remains good practice rather than a legal command. The electronic signature and stamp are different and must be destroyed and disabled on resignation, revocation or expiration.
More on retiring an old device in how to dispose of an expired notary stamp.
Can I notarize electronically or remotely in Vermont?
Both are authorized and each sits behind its own Special Endorsement from the Office, which is a separate application rather than something your commission includes. Your electronic signature and electronic stamp must be unique to you. For remote acts an audiovisual recording must be made and retained at least ten years, and the certificate must indicate that communication technology was used. Note that Vermont requires no journal at all: there is no journal provision anywhere in the statute or the rules, and the ten-year recording retention is the only recordkeeping duty that exists. Be careful with the Office’s public FAQ, which still carries pandemic-era language suggesting remote notarization is open to all notaries; the permanent rules now require the endorsement.
If you need your seal as an image file for electronic work, see electronic notary seal images.
Related Vermont guides
- How to Select a Durable VT Notary Seal for Your Needs
- Do You Know Which Vermont Notary Supplies You Require?
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 Vermont notary seals
Is a notary stamp required in Vermont?
No. The rule states that notaries public are not required to use a physical official stamp, and that you may print or type the certificate information instead. Read the statute as an either/or rather than a pure exemption, though: something must appear either way.
If I do not use a stamp, what must I print?
Follow the rule rather than the statute, because they differ. The statute names your name and commission number. The rule adds your commission expiration date. A notary who prints only the two items the statute lists is short of the rule.
What must a Vermont stamp say if I use one?
Your name, the same name you signed on your notarized oath of office; the word “Vermont”; the title “Notary Public”; and your commission number. The stamp may not include the Vermont State Seal.
Should I put my expiration date on a Vermont stamp?
Almost certainly not. Vermont commissions run two years, expiring 31 January of odd-numbered years on a fixed statewide cycle. None of the four required elements is a date, so an undated stamp lasts indefinitely. Add the date and you must replace the stamp or stop using one at every expiry. It is the most common self-inflicted cost in the state.
What size and shape must a Vermont stamp be?
Neither is specified. The Office states that the shape and style may be determined by each notary, and illustrates both circular and rectangular examples. Vermont is the most permissive state we supply on form factor.
Can I use an embosser in Vermont?
Yes, as a full alternative: the rule says the physical official stamp must be an ink stamp or an embosser. The practical caution is that it must still be capable of being copied together with the record, so a blind uninked crimp is a poor choice for anything headed to a scanner.
Does Vermont require a notary journal?
No. There is no journal provision anywhere in the statute or the rules. If someone sells you a Vermont starter kit with a journal described as mandatory, it is not. The only recordkeeping duty in Vermont is the ten-year retention of audiovisual recordings for remote acts.
What happens to my Vermont stamp when my commission ends?
Vermont did not adopt the disposal duty most states took from the uniform act, so there is no legal command to destroy a physical stamp. The only rule on expiry is that a stamp bearing a date must be replaced or its use discontinued. Destroying it anyway is good practice.
