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 456 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, Haw. Admin. R. chapter 5-11 as amended in February 2022, and the Attorney General’s Notary Public Manual on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Hawaii's seal rule is a closed list, and the word that matters is only. Your seal shows only your name, your commission number, and the words “notary public” and “State of Hawaii”. That means no expiration date, which in turn means renewal alone does not cost you a new stamp. It must be a rubber stamp, circular with a serrated or milled border, between one and two inches. Hawaii removed the embosser option in 2022, and you may not keep a spare.
Hawaii notary stamp requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Hawaii rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp required | Yes | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 456-3, 456-21(a)(2), (b), (d) |
| Required wording | Your name, Your commission number, The words “notary public” and The words “State of Hawaii” | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 456-3 |
| Size and shape | Circular, with a serrated or milled edge border, between one inch and two inches in diameter, under Haw. | Haw. Admin. R. § 5-11-5(c) |
| Ink color | Not addressed. | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 456-3, 502-31(e) |
| Embosser | Not permitted, and this changed in February 2022. The old rule allowed a seal of one type, either an engraved seal or a rubber stamp facsimile seal. | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 456-3 |
| Commission term | Terms run four years, and here Hawaii is the opposite of most states: renewal alone does not require a new seal. | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 456-1, 456-4, 456-5 |
| Name or address change | Notify the Attorney General in writing within 30 days of a change of name, employer, residence or business address, phone, email or occupation. | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 456-1, 456-4, 456-5 |
| Lost or stolen stamp | Ten days. | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 456-3 |
| Commissioning authority | The Department of the Attorney General, not the Secretary of State | chapter 456 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, Haw. Admin. R. chapter 5-11 as amended in February 2022, |
Rules for other states are on notary stamp requirements by state.
Is a notary stamp required in Hawaii?
Yes, and Hawaii is emphatic about it: “Every notary public shall constantly keep a rubber stamp notary seal which shall clearly show, when stamped or impressed upon a tangible document… only the notary public’s name, the notary public’s commission number, and the words, ‘notary public’ and ‘State of Hawaii’.” Two further sections reinforce it, and omitting the stamp from a certificate is a misdemeanor that carries automatic revocation of the commission on conviction.
The governing text is Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 456-3, 456-21(a)(2), (b), (d); Haw. Admin. R. § 5-11-5(a).
What must appear on a Hawaii notary stamp?
- Your name
- Your commission number
- The words “notary public”
- The words “State of Hawaii”
Read that list as closed, because the statute says the seal shall show only those four things. The consequence catches almost everyone: your commission expiration date must not appear on a Hawaii seal. It belongs on the certificate instead, alongside your typed or printed name. The circular shape, the border and the diameter are separate again, coming from the administrative rule rather than the statute.
What size and shape must a Hawaii notary stamp be?
Circular, with a serrated or milled edge border, between one inch and two inches in diameter, under Haw. Admin. R. § 5-11-5(c). We should flag a live conflict rather than paper over it: the Attorney General’s current Notary Public Manual, dated April 2023, still describes the seal as circular and “not over two inches” in diameter, with no one-inch floor. The 2022 rule controls and the manual lags it. The safe specification is circular, serrated or milled border, at least one inch and no more than two.
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 Hawaii notary stamp?
Not addressed. The words ink, color, black and indelible do not appear anywhere in chapter 456 or in the whole of Haw. Admin. R. chapter 5-11. What does apply is a reproducibility gate rather than a color rule: the statute requires the seal to be “capable of being copied together with the document”, and the Bureau of Conveyances may refuse instruments that “will not reproduce legibly under photographic, electronic, or electrostatic methods.” In practice that means a dark, opaque, non-fading ink and no pastels on anything recordable.
More on the trade-off in stamp ink color rules.
Is a notary embosser required or optional in Hawaii?
Not permitted, and this changed in February 2022. The old rule allowed a seal of one type, either an engraved seal or a rubber stamp facsimile seal. That language was struck and replaced with “a rubber stamp notary seal”, and the statute uses the same phrase. An embosser is not a lawful Hawaii notary seal, and it cannot serve as a supplement either, because Hawaii separately forbids holding more than one seal at a time. Suppliers are still selling Hawaii embossers. Do not buy one.
Notary embossing seal kits and inked stamp kits cover both formats. See also notary stamp vs. embosser.
No expiration date, no embosser, and no spare
Three Hawaii rules run against what almost every other state teaches, and all three affect what you should order.
Your expiration date must not be on the seal. The statute says the seal shows only your name, your commission number, “notary public” and “State of Hawaii”. Adding a date is not a harmless extra, it breaks the closed list. The date goes on the certificate instead. The happy consequence is that a Hawaii seal does not expire with your commission, so renewal on its own does not cost you a new stamp.
The embosser option was removed in February 2022. The rule used to allow an engraved seal or a rubber stamp; now it says rubber stamp, and so does the statute. Plenty of suppliers have not caught up.
And you may not keep a spare. A notary public “shall not possess more than one rubber stamp notary seal at a time.” When you do replace one, you send an impression of the new seal to the Attorney General and turn the old one in.
One more, because the penalty is unusual: in Hawaii, omitting the stamp from a notarial certificate is a misdemeanor, and a conviction revokes your commission automatically.
Do I need a new stamp when my commission is renewed or my name changes?
Terms run four years, and here Hawaii is the opposite of most states: renewal alone does not require a new seal. Because the statutory list is closed and contains no expiration date, nothing on a Hawaii seal goes stale when your commission renews. You need a new one only if your name or your commission number changes. We cannot tell you whether Hawaii carries a commission number across renewals, because the Attorney General does not publish that, so check the number on your new commission before deciding. If you do get a new seal, you must send an impression to the Attorney General and turn in the old stamp.
Notify the Attorney General in writing within 30 days of a change of name, employer, residence or business address, phone, email or occupation. A name change must give the old and new names, the effective date, legal documentation and your new signature. Separately, note the filing that catches new Hawaii notaries out: an impression of your seal, a copy of your commission and a specimen signature are filed with the clerk of the circuit court, and your $1,000 bond is approved by a circuit judge.
What do I do if my Hawaii notary stamp is lost or stolen?
Ten days. Within ten days after the loss, misplacement or theft of your notary seal or journal or both, you must transmit written notification to the Attorney General.
How do I dispose of an expired Hawaii notary stamp?
You surrender it to the Attorney General within 90 days of resignation, revocation, abandonment, or expiration without renewal. Failing to do so carries a $200 administrative fine, and the statute provides for forfeiture of up to $200. On death the personal representative delivers it. An electronic device is instead disabled, with a declaration filed with the Attorney General stating the date and manner, also within 90 days.
More on retiring an old device in how to dispose of an expired notary stamp.
Can I notarize electronically or remotely in Hawaii?
Both are authorized, and they are two separate steps. Before a first electronic notarial act you notify the Attorney General of your intent and your chosen technology. A remote online notary commission is applied for separately, and a remote notary must also file a copy of the commission with the circuit court clerk. The electronic seal carries the same four elements, must use an X.509 standard digital certificate, and must come from a third-party provider. Hawaii’s journal rules are among the strictest in the country: a journal is mandatory, kept ten years, in a permanent bound register with numbered pages, with your name in the top-left corner and your commission number in the top-right corner of every set of transaction pages. Audio-video recordings are kept ten years.
If you need your seal as an image file for electronic work, see electronic notary seal images.
Related Hawaii 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 Hawaii notary seals
Is a notary seal required in Hawaii?
Yes, emphatically. Every notary public “shall constantly keep a rubber stamp notary seal”, and omitting the stamp from a notarial certificate is a misdemeanor that carries automatic revocation of your commission on conviction. Hawaii is one of very few states that criminalizes a defective certificate.
Can my Hawaii seal show my commission expiration date?
No. The statute says the seal shows only the four listed elements, so adding a date breaks the closed list. Your expiration date goes on the certificate instead, alongside your typed or printed name.
Do I need a new seal when my Hawaii commission is renewed?
Usually not, and this is the opposite of most states. Since no date appears on a Hawaii seal, nothing on it goes stale at renewal. You need a new one only if your name or your commission number changes. Check the number on your new commission before ordering, because Hawaii does not publish whether numbers carry across renewals.
Can I use an embosser in Hawaii?
No, not since February 2022. The rule that allowed either an engraved seal or a rubber stamp was struck and replaced with “a rubber stamp notary seal”. An embosser cannot serve as a supplement either, because Hawaii forbids possessing more than one seal at a time. Suppliers are still selling Hawaii embossers.
Can I keep a spare Hawaii notary stamp?
No. A notary public “shall not possess more than one rubber stamp notary seal at a time.” When you replace one you send an impression of the new seal to the Attorney General and turn the old one in.
What size must a Hawaii notary seal be?
Circular with a serrated or milled edge border, between one and two inches in diameter. One caution worth flagging: the Attorney General's current manual still describes it as circular and not over two inches, with no one-inch floor. The 2022 rule controls and the manual lags it.
What do I do with my Hawaii seal when my commission ends?
You surrender it to the Attorney General within 90 days of resignation, revocation, abandonment or expiration without renewal. Failing to do so carries a $200 fine.
What if my Hawaii notary seal is lost or stolen?
Written notification to the Attorney General within ten days after the loss, misplacement or theft of your seal or journal or both.
Who commissions notaries in Hawaii?
The Department of the Attorney General, not the Secretary of State. You also file an impression of your seal, a copy of your commission and a specimen signature with the clerk of the circuit court, and your $1,000 bond is approved by a circuit judge.
