Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Molly, VP Marketing at Acorn Sales, against chapter 33 of the Connecticut General Statutes and the Secretary of the State’s Notary Public Manual on 20 September 2026 · Updated 20 September 2026
Connecticut requires no notary seal. The statute says a notary “may keep and use” one, and the seal section is written entirely in the conditional. If you skip the seal, you print two things near your signature: the words “Notary Public” and “My commission expires (date)”. If you do use a seal, it needs your name as appointed, “Notary Public” and “Connecticut”, plus that expiration phrase. And the statute lets you put the date on a separate stamp, which is the single most useful thing to know before you order in Connecticut.
Connecticut notary stamp requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Connecticut rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp required | No | Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 3-94j(a), 3-94k |
| Required wording | Your name exactly as it appears on your certificate of appointment; The words “Notary Public” and “Connecticut”; The words “My commission expires (commission expiration date)” | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 3-94k |
| Size and shape | Not specified. | Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 3-94a to 3-95a (silent) |
| Ink color | Not specified. | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 3-94k |
| Embosser | Not addressed by name. | Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 3-94j(a), 3-94k |
| Commission term | Terms run five years, ending on the last day of the month of appointment. | Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 3-94c(a), 3-94d, 3-94k, 3-94n, 3-94o |
| Name or address change | Both a name change and an address change must be reported to the Secretary of the State within 30 days, each with a $15 fee. | Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 3-94c(a), 3-94d, 3-94k, 3-94n, 3-94o |
| Lost or stolen stamp | Not addressed by statute. | Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 3-94j(a), (b), 3-94q |
| Commissioning authority | The Connecticut Secretary of the State, with a second step most applicants miss: within 30 days of receiving the certificate of appointment you must record it, and your oath of office, with the town clerk where you live | chapter 33 of the Connecticut General Statutes |
Rules for other states are on notary stamp requirements by state.
Is a notary stamp required in Connecticut?
No. Connecticut does not require a notary seal. The statute is permissive on its face, saying a notary “may keep and use an official notarial seal”, and the section governing seals is written entirely in the conditional: “If a notary public utilizes a notarial seal…”. What Connecticut requires instead, when you do not use one, is narrow: “the words ‘Notary Public’ and ‘My commission expires (commission expiration date)’ shall be typed or printed legibly by the notary near the notary’s official signature”
The governing text is Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 3-94j(a), 3-94k.
What must appear on a Connecticut notary stamp?
- Your name exactly as it appears on your certificate of appointment
- The words “Notary Public” and “Connecticut”
- The words “My commission expires (commission expiration date)”
Those elements bind only a seal you choose to use. Note the wording is “Connecticut”, not “State of Connecticut”. And note the escape hatch in the same sentence: you “may elect to have the words in subdivision (3) appear on a stamp instead of such seal”, which is the most useful sentence in the Connecticut notary act. In the no-seal case the statute asks only for the two phrases and does not require your printed name, though the Secretary of the State’s manual advises printing it anyway.
What size and shape must a Connecticut notary stamp be?
Not specified. We checked the definitions, the signature section, the seal sections and the whole run of §§ 3-94a through 3-95a. The words size, inch, border, circular and rectangular do not appear, and the manual gives no dimensions. A Connecticut seal has no legal size limit.
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 Connecticut notary stamp?
Not specified. The word ink does not appear anywhere in §§ 3-94a through 3-95a, and neither does black or color. The only appearance standard is the word “legibly” in the no-seal fallback. We also read the town clerk recording statute in full: it sets a three-quarter inch blank margin and a return address, and it handles illegibility rather than preventing it, directing the clerk to record an illegible instrument and note it as such. No ink-color rule reaches a Connecticut notary stamp from anywhere.
More on the trade-off in stamp ink color rules.
Is a notary embosser required or optional in Connecticut?
Not addressed by name. The word emboss appears nowhere in the act. But the statutory verb points that way: you “affix an impression of the notarial seal”, language that covers an embosser comfortably, and since no seal is required at all there is nothing to prohibit one. Treat it as permitted rather than as expressly authorized, and make sure the required words come out legible.
Notary embossing seal kits and inked stamp kits cover both formats. See also notary stamp vs. embosser.
Buy two stamps in Connecticut and the expensive one never expires
Connecticut does not require a notary seal at all. Most Connecticut notaries buy one anyway, because a receiving party expects it, and that is a reasonable choice. What almost nobody does is read the second half of the sentence that sets out what the seal must say.
Three elements are required on a Connecticut seal: your name as appointed, the words “Notary Public” and “Connecticut”, and the phrase “My commission expires (date)”. The date is the only one that ever changes, and the statute expressly allows it to sit somewhere else: you “may elect to have the words in subdivision (3) appear on a stamp instead of such seal.”
So order the seal with your name, “Notary Public” and “Connecticut”, and put the expiration date on a cheap separate stamp. Your commission runs five years. Every renewal after that costs you a small date stamp instead of a new seal, and the seal you actually care about keeps working until you change your name. Nothing in Connecticut law pushes you toward this. It is simply what the statute permits, and it is worth knowing before you order.
Two other Connecticut points. Every Connecticut attorney in good standing can already take acknowledgments without being a notary at all, as a commissioner of the Superior Court. And Connecticut’s remote notarization cannot be used for a power of attorney or a real estate closing, which are the two things most people want it for.
Do I need a new stamp when my commission is renewed or my name changes?
Terms run five years, ending on the last day of the month of appointment. The Secretary sends a reappointment notice 90 days out and the renewal fee is $60. Whether you need a new seal depends on how you bought it: the expiration date is a required element, but the statute lets you put that phrase on a separate stamp instead of on the seal. Do that and the seal itself, carrying only your name, “Notary Public” and “Connecticut”, never expires.
Both a name change and an address change must be reported to the Secretary of the State within 30 days, each with a $15 fee. After a name change you must then record the replacement certificate with the town clerk where the original was recorded, within 30 days and for a further $15, and from the date it issues you must sign the new name and “use only a notarial seal that contains the notary’s new name.” Failure to record never invalidates an act.
What do I do if my Connecticut notary stamp is lost or stolen?
Not addressed by statute. No sentence in the act mentions a lost, stolen or compromised seal, and no deadline exists. The Secretary of the State’s manual advises that a notary “should notify both the local police and the Office of the Secretary of the State”, which is guidance rather than a rule.
How do I dispose of an expired Connecticut notary stamp?
Destroy it, and note how broad the trigger is: “A notary shall immediately destroy the notary’s notarial seal upon resigning as a notary or upon the revocation, lapse or expiration of such person’s appointment.” Letting a commission quietly run out counts. You also may not surrender the seal to an employer on termination. On death, the personal representative destroys it as soon as possible and files written notice with the Secretary.
More on retiring an old device in how to dispose of an expired notary stamp.
Can I notarize electronically or remotely in Connecticut?
Connecticut authorizes remote notarization with no separate registration of any kind, which is unusual. It is also a hybrid rather than a fully electronic transaction, and that is the trap: once the signer has signed, “the individual shall mail or otherwise cause to be delivered the signed original copy of the record to the notary public for certification and execution with the notary’s commission signature and official stamp or seal.” The paper has to travel. A long list of documents is excluded outright, including wills, trusts, health care instructions, powers of attorney and real estate closings, and a remote acknowledgment on one of those is ineffective for any purpose. Electronic records generally are handled by Connecticut’s Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, which prescribes no seal contents. No journal is required and no recording is required, so no retention period applies.
If you need your seal as an image file for electronic work, see electronic notary seal images.
Related Connecticut 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 Connecticut notary seals
Is a notary seal required in Connecticut?
No. The statute is permissive, saying a notary may keep and use an official notarial seal, and the section governing seals begins “If a notary public utilizes a notarial seal…”. Connecticut is one of a handful of states with no seal requirement.
If I do not use a seal, what must appear on the document?
Two phrases, typed or printed legibly near your signature: the words “Notary Public” and “My commission expires (commission expiration date)”. The statute does not separately require your printed name in the no-seal case, although the Secretary of the State's manual advises printing it anyway.
What must a Connecticut seal say if I choose to use one?
Your name exactly as it appears on your certificate of appointment, the words “Notary Public” and “Connecticut”, and the words “My commission expires (date)”. Note it is “Connecticut”, not “State of Connecticut”.
Can I put the expiration date on a separate stamp in Connecticut?
Yes, and you probably should. The statute expressly lets you elect to have the expiration wording appear on a stamp instead of on the seal. Order a seal with your name, “Notary Public” and “Connecticut”, plus a cheap date stamp, and every five-year renewal costs you only the date stamp.
How long does a Connecticut notary commission last?
Five years, ending on the last day of the month of appointment. The Secretary sends a reappointment notice ninety days out.
What size and ink color does Connecticut require?
Neither is specified. The words size, inch and border do not appear in the act, and neither do ink, black or color. The only appearance standard is that the no-seal wording be printed “legibly”.
Can I notarize remotely in Connecticut?
Yes, and with no separate registration, which is unusual. But it is a hybrid rather than a fully electronic process: after the signer signs, the original paper must be mailed to you for your signature and seal. Wills, trusts, powers of attorney and real estate closings are excluded outright.
When must I destroy my Connecticut notary seal?
Immediately on resignation, revocation, lapse or expiration of your appointment. Note how broad that is: letting a commission quietly run out triggers the destruction duty. You also may not hand your seal to an employer when you leave a job.
