Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Holly R, VP of Sales and Marketing at Acorn Sales, against title 49 of the Oklahoma Statutes, OAC 655:25 and 19 O.S. § 298 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Oklahoma asks less of the face of your seal than any state we supply. Three elements: “State of Oklahoma”, “Notary Public” and your name. Your commission number and expiration date are not seal elements: the statute requires them beside your official signature and then says they “may be a part of the stamp or seal”. Leaving them off is legal and makes the stamp outlast the commission. What Oklahoma does insist on is filing an impression with the Secretary of State before you may work at all.
Oklahoma notary stamp requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Oklahoma rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp required | Yes | 49 O.S. §§ 2(A), 2(D), 5(A) |
| Required wording | The words “State of Oklahoma”, The words “Notary Public” and Your name | 49 O.S. § 5(A) |
| Size and shape | Not addressed. | 49 O.S. ch. 1 and OAC 655:25 (silent) |
| Ink color | Not in the notary act, where the only mention of ink is descriptive: the seal may be “a rubber stamp used in conjunction with a stamp pad and ink”, with no color named. | 49 O.S. § 5(A) (no color) |
| Embosser | Permitted as a full alternative: the seal “may be either a metal seal which leaves an embossed impression or a rubber stamp used in conjunction with a stamp pad and ink”, and the rules add an electronic seal as a third option. | 49 O.S. § 5(A) |
| Commission term | Terms run four years. | 49 O.S. §§ 1, 2(A), 11 |
| Name or address change | An address change must be reported to the Secretary of State in writing within 30 days. | 49 O.S. §§ 1, 2(A), 11 |
| Lost or stolen stamp | Send written notice to the Secretary of State stating the date you first discovered the seal missing, and notify law enforcement if it was stolen. | OAC 655:25-3-2, 655:25-5-3 |
| Commissioning authority | The Oklahoma Secretary of State | title 49 of the Oklahoma Statutes, OAC 655:25 |
Rules for other states are on notary stamp requirements by state.
Is a notary stamp required in Oklahoma?
Yes, to authenticate official acts: “Every notary shall obtain a notarial seal…” and “Each notary shall authenticate all official acts, attestations, and instruments with this seal.” But the provision that actually stops you working is elsewhere, in the filing section: you must file an impression of your official seal with the Secretary of State, and “A notary public shall not perform any notarial act until his or her bond, official seal, oath of office and loyalty oath…have been received and approved by the Secretary of State”.
The governing text is 49 O.S. §§ 2(A), 2(D), 5(A); OAC 655:25-5-2(c).
What must appear on an Oklahoma notary stamp?
- The words “State of Oklahoma”
- The words “Notary Public”
- Your name
Three elements, and that really is the whole list. Your commission number and expiration date are not seal elements. The statute requires you to “add to the notary’s official signature, the commission number of the notary and the date of expiration”, and then says “This date and commission number may be a part of the stamp or seal.” Putting them on the die is a permitted convenience rather than a requirement, and it is the sentence people stop reading halfway through. The administrative rules add nothing to the contents.
What size and shape must an Oklahoma notary stamp be?
Not addressed. The sources here are 49 O.S. §§ 1, 1.1, 2, 5, 11, 206 and 207 and the notary rules at OAC 655:25, and found no dimension, shape or border requirement anywhere. Oklahoma has the least prescriptive seal law of any state we supply.
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 Oklahoma notary stamp?
Not in the notary act, where the only mention of ink is descriptive: the seal may be “a rubber stamp used in conjunction with a stamp pad and ink”, with no color named. The rule that bites is in the recording statute, and it is one of the clearest in the country: documents presented to the county clerk must use “xerographically reproducible dark ink”, on paper of a reproducible color, with a top margin of at least two inches and other margins of at least one inch. That reaches your stamp on any recorded instrument, and the margin rule constrains where you can place it.
More on the trade-off in stamp ink color rules.
Is a notary embosser required or optional in Oklahoma?
Permitted as a full alternative: the seal “may be either a metal seal which leaves an embossed impression or a rubber stamp used in conjunction with a stamp pad and ink”, and the rules add an electronic seal as a third option. There is a serious practical catch, though. An uninked embossed impression is not “xerographically reproducible dark ink” under the recording statute, so an embosser-only notary cannot reliably get instruments recorded. Legal statewide, unusable for land records.
Notary embossing seal kits and inked stamp kits cover both formats. See also notary stamp vs. embosser.
Three elements, and a seal you must file before you can work
Oklahoma asks less of the face of your seal than any other state we supply, and more of the paperwork around it.
The seal needs three things: “State of Oklahoma”, “Notary Public” and your name. Your commission number and expiration date are not seal elements. They have to be added to your official signature, and the statute then says they “may be a part of the stamp or seal”. Many Oklahoma notaries read the first half of that and buy a die carrying a number and a date that will both be obsolete in four years. Leaving them off is legal, and it makes the stamp outlast the commission.
What Oklahoma does insist on is the filing. You send an impression of your seal to the Secretary of State within 60 days of your commission, and until your bond, seal, oath and loyalty oath have been received and approved, you may not perform any notarial act. That gate is in the filing section, not the seal section, and it is the one that actually stops people working.
One more, on ink. Oklahoma’s notary law names no color, so an embosser or a pale pad looks fine. The recording statute disagrees: anything going to a county clerk needs xerographically reproducible dark ink, with a two-inch top margin. A dry embossed impression will not record.
Do I need a new stamp when my commission is renewed or my name changes?
Terms run four years. Strictly speaking a new stamp is not required, because the three mandatory elements are your name, “State of Oklahoma” and “Notary Public”, none of which changes. Two things usually force one anyway. If you took the option of putting your commission number and expiration date on the die, both change and the stamp is then wrong. And you must file a fresh impression of your seal with the Secretary of State within 60 days of each new commission, and may not act until it is received and approved.
An address change must be reported to the Secretary of State in writing within 30 days. No new bond or seal is needed for a move, including between counties, because the county is not a seal element. A name change has no deadline, and you get a choice: keep using your former name until the current commission expires, or apply for a new commission with a new bond and seal and pay the fee. Neither the statute nor the rule says what to do with the old seal.
What do I do if my Oklahoma notary stamp is lost or stolen?
Send written notice to the Secretary of State stating the date you first discovered the seal missing, and notify law enforcement if it was stolen. No deadline in days is stated, which puts Oklahoma behind Pennsylvania at 15 days and Oregon at 10. When you buy a replacement, send written notice of the purchase date, and adding a character or symbol to distinguish the new seal from the missing one is described as advisable rather than required.
How do I dispose of an expired Oklahoma notary stamp?
On resignation the rule is explicit: “When a notarial commission is resigned, the notary shall destroy the official seal(s)”, with no deadline attached. On revocation, and on simple expiration, Oklahoma says nothing at all. The sources here are the revocation rule and the statutes on commissions and seals. Destroying an expired seal is sensible practice rather than a legal duty.
More on retiring an old device in how to dispose of an expired notary stamp.
Can I notarize electronically or remotely in Oklahoma?
In-person electronic notarization needs no separate registration, but it does still require the signer to appear in person, and the electronic seal must reproduce the same three required elements. Remote online notarization is different: it requires separate registration with the Secretary of State and written authorization before your first remote act, with a $25 fee and a description of your technology. Two traps. The remote authorization terminates when your commission expires and renewing the commission does not renew it. And while no journal is required for traditional acts, a remote notary keeps a tamper-evident electronic journal and an audio-visual recording of each act, both for at least ten years.
If you need your seal as an image file for electronic work, see electronic notary seal images.
Related Oklahoma guides
- Know About Using Your Oklahoma Notary Public Stamp and Seal
- Getting the Right Oklahoma Notary Supplies
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 Oklahoma notary seals
Is a notary seal required in Oklahoma?
Yes. Every notary shall obtain a notarial seal and shall authenticate all official acts with it. But the provision that actually stops you working is in the filing section: you may not perform any notarial act until your bond, official seal, oath of office and loyalty oath have been received and approved by the Secretary of State.
What has to appear on an Oklahoma notary seal?
Only three things: the words “State of Oklahoma”, the words “Notary Public”, and your name.
Does my commission number have to be on the Oklahoma stamp?
No. The statute requires you to add your commission number and expiration date to your official signature, and then says “This date and commission number may be a part of the stamp or seal.” Putting them on the die is a permitted convenience, not a requirement. Many Oklahoma notaries read only the first half of that and buy a stamp that goes obsolete in four years.
Do I need a new stamp when my Oklahoma commission is renewed?
Not strictly. The three mandatory elements never change. But if you chose to put your number and date on the die, both change and the stamp is then wrong. Either way you must file a fresh impression with the Secretary of State within 60 days of each new commission and may not act until it is approved.
What ink color does Oklahoma require?
The notary act names none. The rule that bites is in the recording statute: documents presented to the county clerk must use “xerographically reproducible dark ink”, with a two-inch top margin and one-inch margins elsewhere. That reaches your stamp on any recorded instrument and it constrains where you can place it.
Can I use an embosser in Oklahoma?
Legally yes, practically no. The statute permits either a metal seal leaving an embossed impression or a rubber stamp with a pad and ink. But an uninked embossed impression is not xerographically reproducible dark ink, so an embosser-only notary cannot reliably get instruments recorded. Legal statewide, unusable for land records.
Does Oklahoma require a notary journal?
Not for traditional acts. The journal rule was revoked. A journal is required only for remote online notarization, where you keep a tamper-evident electronic journal and an audio-visual recording of each act for at least ten years.
Does renewing my commission renew my Oklahoma remote authorization?
No, and this is a common trap. Remote online notarization requires separate registration and written authorization, and that authorization terminates when your commission expires. Renewing the commission does not renew it.
