Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Molly, VP Marketing at Acorn Sales, against the Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts at Miss. Code Ann. title 25 chapter 34 and Miss. Admin. Code title 1 part 5 on 20 September 2026 · Updated 20 September 2026
Mississippi replaced its notary law in 2021, and the change caught most published guidance out. The famous circular seal of 1.5 to 2.5 inches is dead law: the current rules set no shape, size or border at all. What they set instead is exacting content. Six elements, in a mandated order, with no abbreviations: “State of Mississippi”, your name, “Notary Public”, the county where you keep an office, your expiration date and your commission ID number. The state seal is banned.
Mississippi notary stamp requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Mississippi rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp required | Yes | Miss. Code Ann. §§ 25-34-31(2), 25-34-33(1) |
| Required wording | The words “State of Mississippi”; Your name as it appears on the commission; The words “Notary Public”; The county in which you maintain an office; Your current commission expiration date; Your commission identification number | Miss. Admin. Code Rule 1-5-3.1(A) |
| Size and shape | Not addressed in current law, and this is where most published guidance is out of date. | Miss. Admin. Code title 1 part 5 ch. 3 and Miss. Code Ann. §§ 25-34-31, 25-34-33, 25-34-35 (all silent) |
| Ink color | Not addressed for the stamp. | Miss. Code Ann. § 89-5-24(1)(c) to (e) |
| Embosser | Excluded outright as a stamping device: “A stamping device… does not include a non-inking embosser or crimper.” The device must be capable of affixing the seal so the document may be copied, filmed, scanned or otherwise legibly reproduced. | Miss. Admin. Code Rule 1-5-3.2(B), (C) |
| Commission term | Terms run four years with a $5,000 bond, and a new stamp is required at every renewal. | Miss. Code Ann. § 25-34-41(4), (5) |
| Name or address change | Notify the Secretary of State within 30 calendar days of any change to the information on file. | Miss. Code Ann. § 25-34-41(4), (5) |
| Lost or stolen stamp | Ten calendar days after discovery, in writing or electronically, stating whether it was lost or stolen, how it happened, the date of discovery, that you do not have it and do not know where it is, and undertaking to report recovery within ten days. | Miss. Code Ann. §§ 25-34-33(3), 25-34-35(1), (2) |
| Commissioning authority | The Mississippi Secretary of State, under the Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts in force since 1 July 2021 | the Revised Mississippi Law on Notarial Acts at Miss. Code Ann. title 25 chapter 34 |
Rules for other states are on notary stamp requirements by state.
Is a notary stamp required in Mississippi?
Yes, and the duty appears twice: “Every notary public appointed and commissioned must procure, at his own expense, a suitable official seal”, and separately, if a notarial act regarding a tangible record is performed, the official seal “must be affixed to the certificate”.
The governing text is Miss. Code Ann. §§ 25-34-31(2), 25-34-33(1).
What must appear on a Mississippi notary stamp?
- The words “State of Mississippi”
- Your name as it appears on the commission
- The words “Notary Public”
- The county in which you maintain an office
- Your current commission expiration date
- Your commission identification number
Three things about that list are strict. It is order-mandatory: the rule says the stamp must show all of it “clearly in the following order.” Nothing may be abbreviated except a name suffix, so “MS” and “Comm. exp.” both fail and line one must read the full phrase “State of Mississippi”. And the stamp “must not contain the Mississippi state seal.” Note also that the county is the one where you maintain an office, which the superseded rule used to define as residence.
What size and shape must a Mississippi notary stamp be?
Not addressed in current law, and this is where most published guidance is out of date. Mississippi’s well-known circular seal of one and a half to two and a half inches came from Rule 5.20 under the pre-2021 law, which has been superseded. We checked the current statute and the whole of Miss. Admin. Code title 1 part 5 chapter 3: there is no shape, diameter, border or size requirement at all. The governing constraints are content, order, no abbreviation, no state seal, and reproducibility.
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 Mississippi notary stamp?
Not addressed for the stamp. Neither the statute nor the notary rules name a color. The rule that does bite sits in the recording statute and reaches your signature rather than your stamp: “All signatures on a document or instrument shall be in black or blue ink and of sufficient color and clarity to ensure that the signatures are of sufficient legibility to produce a clear reproduction.” Non-conforming documents are still recorded but carry a $10 surcharge. Put that together with the statutory requirement that the seal be capable of being copied, and black is the defensible choice.
More on the trade-off in stamp ink color rules.
Is a notary embosser required or optional in Mississippi?
Excluded outright as a stamping device: “A stamping device… does not include a non-inking embosser or crimper.” The device must be capable of affixing the seal so the document may be copied, filmed, scanned or otherwise legibly reproduced. An embosser may be a decorative extra in Mississippi, but it can never be the seal.
Notary embossing seal kits and inked stamp kits cover both formats. See also notary stamp vs. embosser.
The Mississippi circle everyone quotes is dead law
Search for Mississippi notary seal dimensions and you will be told, confidently and almost everywhere, that it must be circular and between one and a half and two and a half inches across. That was Rule 5.20 under the law Mississippi replaced on 1 July 2021. The current rules set no shape, no diameter and no border at all.
What replaced the dimensional rule is a far more exacting content rule. Six elements, in a mandated order, with no abbreviations except a name suffix, and the Mississippi state seal expressly excluded. Line one has to read “State of Mississippi” in full. The county is where you keep an office, not where you live, which is itself a change from the old rule.
Two more Mississippi rules with direct consequences for ordering. You may procure a stamping device only after your commission issues, and you must give your vendor a copy of the commission certificate. And if your stamp is lost or stolen, the replacement “must contain some variance from the original”, so a reorder cannot be an identical reprint. Tell us what you want changed, or we will propose something.
Finally, do not buy a Mississippi remote notarization package from anyone. Mississippi requires the signer to appear physically in person, with no exception.
Do I need a new stamp when my commission is renewed or my name changes?
Terms run four years with a $5,000 bond, and a new stamp is required at every renewal. The reason is on the face of the rule: the stamp must show your current commission expiration date, so a renewed commission makes the printed date stale and the stamp non-compliant. Your commission identification number is on there too. The transitional allowance that let notaries keep a pre-2021 stamp has now run out, so every current Mississippi stamp should meet the six-element ordered format.
Notify the Secretary of State within 30 calendar days of any change to the information on file. A name change has a sequence you must follow in order: keep using your former name until your notice is delivered, a Replacement Commission is issued, and a new seal bearing the new name exactly as it appears on that Replacement Commission has been obtained. Only then do you switch.
What do I do if my Mississippi notary stamp is lost or stolen?
Ten calendar days after discovery, in writing or electronically, stating whether it was lost or stolen, how it happened, the date of discovery, that you do not have it and do not know where it is, and undertaking to report recovery within ten days. Two follow-on rules matter when you reorder: no replacement may be obtained until the Secretary of State has been properly notified, and “a replacement stamping device must contain some variance from the original stamping device.” A Mississippi replacement cannot be an identical reprint.
How do I dispose of an expired Mississippi notary stamp?
On resignation, revocation, expiration, or the device’s own expiration date, render the device unusable by destroying, defacing, damaging, erasing or securing it. On suspension or revocation there is a harder rule: deliver the stamping device to the Secretary of State within 10 calendar days after notice. Your stamping device is also your exclusive property and “shall not be surrendered to an employer upon termination of employment, regardless of whether the employer paid” for it.
More on retiring an old device in how to dispose of an expired notary stamp.
Can I notarize electronically or remotely in Mississippi?
In-person electronic notarization is authorized and requires a separate registration with the Secretary of State after your commission is granted, using an approved vendor. Remote online notarization is not authorized in Mississippi. The statute is unqualified: the individual making the statement or executing the signature “must appear physically in person before the notarial officer at the time of the notarial act”, and the rules chapter is titled for in-person electronic notarization. A journal is mandatory, only one at a time, and Mississippi adds a duty almost no other state has: ten years after the last act chronicled, the journal “must be destroyed by shredding” or otherwise made illegible.
If you need your seal as an image file for electronic work, see electronic notary seal images.
Who is allowed to sell you a Mississippi notary seal?
Mississippi ties the purchase to your commission, and the rule is drafted onto you rather than onto us: “A notary public may procure a stamping device only after receiving the notary public’s commission from the Secretary of State and must provide a copy of the certificate evidencing commission to their chosen vendor as part of procuring the stamping device.” In practice that means a Mississippi order cannot be filled without a copy of your commission certificate, so have it ready.
Related Mississippi 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 Mississippi notary seals
Is a notary seal required in Mississippi?
Yes, and the duty appears twice: every notary must procure a suitable official seal at their own expense, and the seal must be affixed to the certificate for any notarial act on a tangible record.
Does Mississippi still require a 1.5 to 2.5 inch circular seal?
No. That was the rule under the law Mississippi replaced on 1 July 2021, and it is repeated all over the internet as if it were current. The rules in force now impose no shape, diameter, border or size requirement at all.
What has to appear on a Mississippi notary seal?
Six things in this order: “State of Mississippi”; your name as it appears on the commission; “Notary Public”; the county in which you maintain an office; your current commission expiration date; and your commission identification number.
Can I abbreviate anything on a Mississippi seal?
No, except a name suffix. “MS” and “Comm. exp.” both fail, and line one must read the full phrase “State of Mississippi”. The Mississippi state seal is also expressly banned from the stamp.
Which county goes on a Mississippi seal?
The county where you maintain an office. The superseded rule used county of residence, so this is a live change rather than a technicality.
Can I use an embosser in Mississippi?
Not as your seal. The rules exclude a non-inking embosser or crimper from the definition of a stamping device outright. An embosser can be a decorative extra, never the seal.
Can I notarize remotely in Mississippi?
No. The statute requires the signer to appear physically in person before the notarial officer, with no exception. In-person electronic notarization is available with a separate registration, but remote online notarization is not authorized in Mississippi.
What if my Mississippi stamp is lost or stolen?
Report it within ten calendar days of discovery, and note two follow-on rules: you may not obtain a replacement until the Secretary of State has been notified, and the replacement “must contain some variance from the original stamping device.” A Mississippi replacement cannot be an identical reprint.
Do I need to show my commission to buy a Mississippi stamp?
Yes. The rule is drafted onto you rather than the seller: you may procure a stamping device only after receiving your commission, and you must provide a copy of the commission certificate to your chosen vendor.
