Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Holly R, VP of Sales and Marketing at Acorn Sales, against chapter 44-06.1 of the North Dakota Century Code, chapter 11-18 on recording, and the Secretary of State’s notary guidance on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
North Dakota ties your stamp to a state-issued document: a vendor may supply a stamping device only on presentation of your Certificate of Authorization. The stamp itself is deliberately spare, carrying “State of North Dakota”, “Notary Public”, your name and your expiration date exactly as shown on your commission, inside a border. No commission number, no county, no decoration is permitted. Round and rectangular are both legal, within maximum sizes.
North Dakota notary stamp requirements at a glance
| Requirement | North Dakota rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp required | Yes | N.D. Cent. Code § 44-06.1-14(2) |
| Required wording | The words “State of North Dakota”; The words “Notary Public”; Your name exactly as shown on your commission; Your commission expiration date exactly as shown on your commission; A border surrounding the stamp | N.D. Cent. Code § 44-06.1-16(1) |
| Size and shape | Circular up to 1 and 5/8 inches in diameter, or rectangular up to 7/8 inch by 2 and 5/8 inches. | N.D. Cent. Code § 44-06.1-16(1) |
| Ink color | Not addressed. | N.D. Cent. Code ch. 44-06.1 (silent) |
| Embosser | The notary act does not address embossers, but the recording statute expressly accepts one: the notary seal on a document filed with a recorder “may be in either a stamped or an imprinted form” or an official stamp as defined in the notary act. | N.D. Cent. Code § 11-18-15 |
| Commission term | Terms run four years and the commission “expires at midnight on the commission expiration date”. You may file up to sixty days early, with a $7,500 surety bond and an oath signed before another notary. | N.D. Cent. Code §§ 44-06.1-16(1), 44-06.1-20(5), (9), 44-06.1-27 |
| Name or address change | Sixty days for both, which is longer than most states. | N.D. Cent. Code §§ 44-06.1-16(1), 44-06.1-20(5), (9), 44-06.1-27 |
| Lost or stolen stamp | Notify the Secretary of State promptly on discovering the device is lost or stolen. | N.D. Cent. Code § 44-06.1-16(2), (3), (4) |
| Commissioning authority | The North Dakota Secretary of State | chapter 44-06.1 of the North Dakota Century Code, chapter 11-18 on recording, |
Rules for other states are on notary stamp requirements by state.
Is a notary stamp required in North Dakota?
Yes, on every notarial act on a paper record: “If a notarial act is performed by a notary public regarding a tangible record, the notary public’s official stamp must be affixed to the certificate.” Read the rest of that subsection, because it is where the confusion starts: for a notarial officer other than a notary public, the same provision says a stamp may be affixed. Mandatory for you, optional for judges and clerks.
The governing text is N.D. Cent. Code § 44-06.1-14(2); §§ 44-06.1-15, 44-06.1-16.
What must appear on a North Dakota notary stamp?
- The words “State of North Dakota”
- The words “Notary Public”
- Your name exactly as shown on your commission
- Your commission expiration date exactly as shown on your commission
- A border surrounding the stamp
That list is closed, and North Dakota says so: the stamp “may not contain any other words, numbers, symbols, or a reproduction of the great seal of the state.” So no commission number, no county, no decoration. The device must also be approved by the Secretary of State, designed to leave a clear impression, and photographically reproducible. Note the emphasis on exactly as shown on the notary’s commission for both your name and your expiration date.
What size and shape must a North Dakota notary stamp be?
Circular up to 1 and 5/8 inches in diameter, or rectangular up to 7/8 inch by 2 and 5/8 inches. Both shapes are permitted and the statute says “up to or equal to”, so these are ceilings rather than fixed sizes. A smaller stamp complies, and the Secretary of State may permit a departure.
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 North Dakota notary stamp?
Not addressed. We word-searched the entire notary chapter: the words ink, black, blue, color, legible and emboss do not appear anywhere in it. What the statute requires instead is functional, namely a clear impression that is photographically reproducible and capable of being copied. The recording statute adds legibility and margin requirements and a minimum font size for the document, but imposes no ink-color rule, and the recorder’s judgment on legibility is the practical constraint on a faint stamp.
More on the trade-off in stamp ink color rules.
Is a notary embosser required or optional in North Dakota?
The notary act does not address embossers, but the recording statute expressly accepts one: the notary seal on a document filed with a recorder “may be in either a stamped or an imprinted form” or an official stamp as defined in the notary act. So an inked stamping device is what the notary act requires on the certificate, and an embossed impression is tolerated for recorded documents. Treat the embosser as optional rather than as a substitute.
Notary embossing seal kits and inked stamp kits cover both formats. See also notary stamp vs. embosser.
No North Dakota vendor may make your stamp without your Certificate of Authorization
North Dakota ties the stamp to a state-issued document, and the rule binds the seller: “A notary stamp vendor may provide a notary with an official stamping device only upon presentation by the notary of a certificate of authorization.”
The sequence matters, because your commission depends on finishing it. The Secretary of State issues the certificate once your fee, oath and bond are in. You take it to a vendor of your choice, and there is no approved-vendor list, so any supplier will do provided they ask for it. You then place an impression of your new stamp on the certificate and return it to the Secretary of State. Only when that impression is received, approved and filed does your commission issue. A North Dakota notary who never sends the certificate back is not commissioned, however good the stamp looks.
Two other North Dakota points that cut against habit. The stamp may not carry your commission number, your county, or any decoration: the statute bars any other words, numbers or symbols. And a round stamp is perfectly legal here, contrary to the widespread assumption that notary stamps must be rectangular.
Finally, the section headed “Journals” is a trap. It requires a journal only for acts performed for a remotely located individual. For ordinary in-person work North Dakota asks for no journal at all.
Do I need a new stamp when my commission is renewed or my name changes?
Terms run four years and the commission “expires at midnight on the commission expiration date”. You may file up to sixty days early, with a $7,500 surety bond and an oath signed before another notary. A new stamping device is required at renewal, because the device must carry your expiration date exactly as shown on your commission. The Secretary of State enforces it procedurally: a new Certificate of Authorization is issued, and you must return an impression of the new stamp before the new commission certificate is issued. One useful transition rule: you may keep using the old device until the expiration date of the old commission.
Sixty days for both, which is longer than most states. An address change is notified in writing to the Secretary of State, and moving to a bordering county requires appointing the Secretary as service agent. A name change also needs a rider to your surety bond stating both names and the effective date, plus a $10 fee, and a new stamping device obtained through a fresh certificate of authorization. In the interim you may keep using the old device and should note on certificates that you were formerly commissioned under the previous name.
What do I do if my North Dakota notary stamp is lost or stolen?
Notify the Secretary of State promptly on discovering the device is lost or stolen. No day count is set. A replacement runs through a new certificate of authorization, and the Secretary of State recommends obtaining a different type of stamp so the new one is visibly distinguishable from the missing one.
How do I dispose of an expired North Dakota notary stamp?
On resignation, revocation, expiration, or the expiration of the date set out in the device, “disable the stamping device by destroying, defacing, damaging, erasing, or securing it against use in a manner that renders it unusable.” Worth knowing separately: the device “is the property of the notary only and may not be retained or used by any other person, including an employer of a notary even if the employer purchased or paid for” it, and it must stay in your direct and exclusive control throughout your commission.
More on retiring an old device in how to dispose of an expired notary stamp.
Can I notarize electronically or remotely in North Dakota?
Both authorized by notification: before performing acts on electronic records or for remotely located individuals you notify the Secretary of State and identify the technology or software provider, filed as an amendment through the state portal. Audio-video recordings are kept at least ten years. The journal rule is narrower than its section heading suggests: a journal is required only for acts performed for a remotely located individual, not for ordinary in-person work, and the Secretary of State confirms it is optional otherwise. When it applies it is kept ten years after the last act chronicled, in a permanent bound register or a tamper-evident electronic form.
If you need your seal as an image file for electronic work, see electronic notary seal images.
Who is allowed to sell you a North Dakota notary seal?
North Dakota is one of the strictest states in the country on this, and the duty falls on the seller: a vendor “may provide a notary with an official stamping device only upon presentation by the notary of a certificate of authorization” issued by the Secretary of State. Send us your Certificate of Authorization with your order. When the stamp arrives, place an impression on that certificate and return it to the Secretary of State, because your commission does not issue until they have it.
Related North Dakota 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 contact us and we will check your wording against the statute before we make it.
Frequently asked questions about North Dakota notary seals
Do I need a Certificate of Authorization to buy a North Dakota stamp?
Yes, and the duty binds the seller: a notary stamp vendor may provide an official stamping device only upon presentation of a certificate of authorization. There is no approved-vendor list, so any supplier will do provided they ask for it. Send us yours with your order.
What happens after my North Dakota stamp arrives?
You place an impression of it on the Certificate of Authorization and return that certificate to the Secretary of State. Your commission does not issue until the impression is received, approved and filed. A notary who never sends it back is not commissioned, however good the stamp looks.
What has to appear on a North Dakota notary stamp?
The words “State of North Dakota” and “Notary Public”, your name and commission expiration date exactly as shown on your commission, and a surrounding border.
Can my commission number go on a North Dakota stamp?
No. The statute says the stamp may not contain any other words, numbers, symbols, or a reproduction of the great seal of the state. That rules out your commission number, your county and any decoration. It is one of the most closed element lists in the country.
Can a North Dakota notary stamp be round?
Yes, contrary to widespread assumption. Circular up to 1 and 5/8 inches in diameter, or rectangular up to 7/8 inch by 2 and 5/8 inches. The statute says “up to or equal to”, so these are ceilings and a smaller stamp complies.
What ink color does North Dakota require?
None. We word-searched the entire notary chapter: ink, black, blue, color and legible do not appear in it at all. The requirement is functional, namely a clear impression that is photographically reproducible.
Does North Dakota require a notary journal?
Only for remote acts, despite the section being headed “Journals”. It requires a journal for acts performed for a remotely located individual. For ordinary in-person work the Secretary of State confirms a journal is optional.
Can my employer keep my North Dakota stamp?
No. The device is the property of the notary only and may not be retained or used by anyone else, including an employer even if the employer purchased or paid for it. It must stay in your direct and exclusive control.
