Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Molly, VP Marketing at Acorn Sales, against Indiana Code article 33-42, 75 IAC article 7 and the Secretary of State’s Indiana Notary Public Guide on 20 September 2026 · Updated 20 September 2026
Indiana requires a notary seal on every notarization, and the 2024 amendment did not change that, whatever you may have read. Your stamp must carry the words “notary public” and “state of Indiana”, your name exactly as commissioned, “commission number” followed by your number, and “my commission expires” with the date. What changed on 1 July 2024 is narrow: the stamp no longer has to include the word “seal”. Indiana sets no size, shape or ink color.
Indiana notary stamp requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Indiana rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp required | Yes | Ind. Code § 33-42-9-12(b)(1), (d)(2) |
| Required wording | The words “notary public”; The words “state of Indiana”; Your name exactly as it appears on your commission certificate; The words “commission number” followed by your commission number; The words “my commission expires” followed by your expiration date | Ind. Code § 33-42-10-2(a) |
| Size and shape | Not addressed. | Ind. Code § 33-42-10-2(b) |
| Ink color | Not addressed. | Ind. Code art. 33-42 (silent) |
| Embosser | Expressly permitted, and Indiana is unusually clear about it: the statute speaks of a notary who will “affix, display, or emboss” the official seal, and defines a stamping device as one capable of affixing or embossing. | Ind. Code §§ 33-42-9-12(b)(1), 33-42-0.5-21(a)(1), 33-42-0.5-31(1), 33-42-10-2(a), (b) |
| Commission term | Terms run eight years, the longest of any state we supply. | Ind. Code §§ 33-42-12-1(f), 33-42-12-2, 33-42-12-3(a), (b), (c) |
| Name or address change | Notify the Secretary of State within 30 days of a change of name, mailing address, email address, telephone number, or your employer’s details. | Ind. Code §§ 33-42-12-1(f), 33-42-12-2, 33-42-12-3(a), (b), (c) |
| Lost or stolen stamp | Notify the Secretary of State promptly on learning of the loss or theft. | Ind. Code § 33-42-10-3(a)-(e) |
| Commissioning authority | The Indiana Secretary of State, through INBiz | Indiana Code article 33-42, 75 IAC article 7 |
Rules for other states are on notary stamp requirements by state.
Is a notary stamp required in Indiana?
Yes, on every notarization. The requirement is not in the chapter titled “Official Seals and Stamping Devices” but in the chapter on notarial acts: a notary performing notarial acts on tangible records must “affix, display, or emboss the notary public’s official seal”. For electronic records the electronic seal must be attached to or associated with the certificate.
The governing text is Ind. Code § 33-42-9-12(b)(1), (d)(2).
What must appear on an Indiana notary stamp?
- The words “notary public”
- The words “state of Indiana”
- Your name exactly as it appears on your commission certificate
- The words “commission number” followed by your commission number
- The words “my commission expires” followed by your expiration date
The seal must also be “capable of being copied together with the record”, and you may add any other information you choose. One addition is worth making: the county is required on the notarial certificate but is not on the statutory seal list, so unless your stamp carries it you will be writing it by hand on every certificate.
What size and shape must an Indiana notary stamp be?
Not addressed. Indiana sets no dimension, no shape, no border. We checked the definitions chapter, the seal chapter, the notarial-acts chapter and all of 75 IAC Article 7. The only functional constraint is that the seal must be capable of being copied together with the record.
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 Indiana notary stamp?
Not addressed. There is no ink-color rule for an Indiana notary stamp anywhere in the notary code or in 75 IAC Article 7. Do not be misled by the black-ink rule you may have heard of: that one governs the document being recorded, requiring instruments presented to a county recorder to be typewritten or computer generated in black ink in at least 10 point type. It does not reach your stamp. Practically, the copyability requirement points to black or a dark blue.
More on the trade-off in stamp ink color rules.
Is a notary embosser required or optional in Indiana?
Expressly permitted, and Indiana is unusually clear about it: the statute speaks of a notary who will “affix, display, or emboss” the official seal, and defines a stamping device as one capable of affixing or embossing. The catch is that an embossed seal must still carry all five required elements and still be capable of being copied with the record. A plain raised impression does not photocopy, so an embosser is safe as a supplement to an inked stamp and risky as your only seal.
Notary embossing seal kits and inked stamp kits cover both formats. See also notary stamp vs. embosser.
What actually changed in Indiana in 2024
There is a persistent misreading of the 2024 amendment worth clearing up, because it runs in both directions and both are wrong.
Indiana still requires a notary seal. Public Law 130-2024 did not make it optional. What it did was narrower: it removed the word “seal” from the list of things the seal must say. Effective 1 July 2024, your stamp no longer has to carry that word. Everything else on the list stayed, and the requirement to use a seal, which lives in the notarial-acts chapter rather than the seal chapter, was not touched at all.
The practical effect is small and entirely in your favor. An existing stamp that says “Seal” is still perfectly valid, because the statute lets you include any other information you choose. A new stamp simply does not need it. If you are reading the Secretary of State’s Notary Public Guide and find the word still sitting in the required list, look for the parenthetical beside it noting the July 2024 change.
Two other Indiana points people miss. The county has to appear on your notarial certificate but is not a required element of the stamp, so adding it to the stamp saves you writing it out every time. And an imperfect impression can never be fixed: “Changes or corrections may never be made to the impression of an official seal.” If it smudges, stamp it again. Do not touch it up.
Do I need a new stamp when my commission is renewed or my name changes?
Terms run eight years, the longest of any state we supply. That length comes with a trap: continuing education is due every two years, three times across the term, and failing to complete it expires your commission automatically. Renewal opens 90 days before expiry, and if the commission expires first you cannot renew at all, you apply as a new applicant. A new stamp is needed at each renewal, because the expiration date on it changes.
Notify the Secretary of State within 30 days of a change of name, mailing address, email address, telephone number, or your employer’s details. A name change also requires a rider from your surety and a sample of your new official signature, and it means a new stamp, since the seal carries your name exactly as commissioned. Separately, a felony or fraud-related conviction or out-of-state notary discipline must be reported within 14 days.
What do I do if my Indiana notary stamp is lost or stolen?
Notify the Secretary of State promptly on learning of the loss or theft. No day count is given. Contrast the electronic journal, where a loss or compromise must be reported within 15 days, so a remote notary who loses a laptop may have triggered both duties on different clocks.
How do I dispose of an expired Indiana notary stamp?
On expiry, resignation or revocation you must “damage, deface, destroy, erase, or secure the stamping device in a manner that precludes any further use”. Note that securing it is one of the four options: Indiana does not insist on physical destruction. On death or adjudication of incompetency your guardian or personal representative does the same. You are responsible for the device’s security and may not let anyone else use it.
More on retiring an old device in how to dispose of an expired notary stamp.
Can I notarize electronically or remotely in Indiana?
Electronic notarization with the signer physically present needs nothing beyond an active commission and an electronic seal meeting the same five-element rule. Remote notarization is a separate registration with the Secretary of State, with an exam, an approved technology vendor, and a requirement that you be physically in Indiana. Every remote act must be captured by an audiovisual recording “regardless of whether the requested remote notarial act is completed”, and the electronic journal must be kept at least ten years. Indiana sets no express retention period for the recording itself, so treat any “ten years for recordings” claim as inference rather than law.
If you need your seal as an image file for electronic work, see electronic notary seal images.
Related Indiana 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 Indiana notary seals
Is a notary seal still required in Indiana after the 2024 change?
Yes. This is widely misreported. Public Law 130-2024 did not make the seal optional. A notary performing notarial acts on tangible records must “affix, display, or emboss the notary public's official seal”, and that requirement was not touched by the amendment.
What did Indiana actually change in 2024?
One thing: it removed the word “seal” from the list of items the stamp must contain. Effective 1 July 2024, your stamp no longer has to carry that word. An existing stamp that says “Seal” remains perfectly valid, because the statute lets you include any other information you choose.
What has to appear on an Indiana notary stamp?
Five things: the words “notary public”; the words “state of Indiana”; your name exactly as it appears on your commission certificate; the words “commission number” followed by your commission number; and the words “my commission expires” followed by your expiration date. The seal must also be capable of being copied together with the record.
Does my Indiana stamp need to show my county?
Not on the stamp, but the county has to appear on the notarial certificate. Since Indiana lets you add any other information you choose to the seal, putting the county on the stamp saves you writing it by hand on every certificate.
What size and ink color does Indiana require?
Neither is addressed. Indiana sets no dimension, shape or border, and there is no ink-color rule for the stamp anywhere in the notary code. Do not be misled by the black-ink rule you may have heard of: that governs documents presented to a county recorder, not your stamp. The one functional constraint is that the seal must copy with the record.
Can I use an embosser in Indiana?
Yes. The statute speaks of a notary who will “affix, display, or emboss” the official seal. The catch is that an embossed seal must still carry all five required elements and still be capable of being copied with the record, so a plain raised impression is risky as your only seal and safe as a supplement.
What if my Indiana notary stamp is smudged or crooked?
Stamp it again and never touch it up. Indiana is blunt about this: “Changes or corrections may never be made to the impression of an official seal.” You may correct information in the certificate itself, but the seal impression is untouchable.
How long does an Indiana notary commission last?
Eight years, the longest term of any state we supply. That length comes with a trap: continuing education is due every two years, three times across the term, and failing to complete it expires your commission automatically. Once expired you cannot renew, you apply as a new applicant.
What if my Indiana notary stamp is lost or stolen?
Notify the Secretary of State promptly on learning of the loss or theft. No day count is given. Contrast the electronic journal, where a loss or compromise must be reported within 15 days, so a remote notary who loses a laptop may have triggered both duties on different clocks.
