Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Holly R, VP of Sales and Marketing at Acorn Sales, against article 5a of chapter 53 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated, article 7-43 of the Kansas Administrative Regulations, K.S.A. 28-115 and the Secretary of State’s Kansas Notary Handbook on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Kansas requires a notary stamp on the certificate of every notarial act on a paper record. It carries your name as it appears on your application, the words “notary public” and “State of Kansas”, and the detail that saves you money: a space for you to write in your expiration date, not a date cut into the die. A Kansas stamp ordered correctly survives every four-year renewal. There is a second gate too: you may not use the stamp until an impression of it has been filed with the Secretary of State.
Kansas notary stamp requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Kansas rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp required | Yes | K.S.A. 53-5a16(b) |
| Required wording | Your name exactly as it appears on your application for commission; The words “notary public”; The words “State of Kansas”; A space for you to write in your commission expiration date | K.S.A. 53-5a18(a) |
| Size and shape | Not addressed for a tangible stamp. | K.S.A. 53-5a02, 53-5a16, 53-5a18, 53-5a19 and K.A.R. 7-43-13 (all silent) |
| Ink color | Not addressed. | K.S.A. 53-5a02, 53-5a16, 53-5a18 to 53-5a21, 53-5a25 and K.A.R. 7-43-13, 7-43-14, 7-43-15, 7-43-20 (all silent) |
| Embosser | Treat the rubber stamp as required and the embosser as decoration only. | K.S.A. 53-105 (repealed effective 1 January 2022) |
| Commission term | Terms run four years and nothing happens automatically: “A notary public’s commission may not be automatically renewed. | K.S.A. 53-5a22(a), (f), (h), (i), (k) |
| Name or address change | A name change forces a new stamp, and the deadline is behavioral rather than numeric: “Prior to performing any acts as a notary public after such change, the notary shall mail or deliver to the secretary of state notice of the change of name and shall include a specimen of the new stamp and a specimen of the notary’s new official signature.” There is no day count, so the safe reading is that you stop notarizing until the notice is in. | K.S.A. 53-5a22(a), (f), (h), (i), (k) |
| Lost or stolen stamp | Notify the Secretary of State promptly upon discovery. | K.S.A. 53-5a19(a), (b) |
| Commissioning authority | The Kansas Secretary of State | article 5a of chapter 53 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated, article 7-43 of the Kansas Administrative Regulations, K.S.A. 28-115 |
Rules for other states are on notary stamp requirements by state.
Is a notary stamp required in Kansas?
Yes, on the certificate of every notarial act involving a tangible record, and the command sits in the certificate section rather than the section describing the stamp: where a notarial act regarding a tangible record is performed, an official stamp must be affixed to the certificate, and for an electronic record the stamp may be attached to or logically associated with it. Kansas adopted the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts effective 1 January 2022, and the act adds a second gate that catches new notaries out: “No notary public shall use such stamp unless an impression thereof has been filed in the office of the secretary of state.” Buying the stamp is not the last step. Filing the impression is.
The governing text is K.S.A. 53-5a16(b); K.S.A. 53-5a18(a).
What must appear on a Kansas notary stamp?
- Your name exactly as it appears on your application for commission
- The words “notary public”
- The words “State of Kansas”
- A space for you to write in your commission expiration date
Read the fourth item carefully, because it is the whole Kansas product decision. The administrative rule asks that the stamp “provide a space for the notary public to record the notary public’s commission expiration date”, which is a blank line to write the date into, not the date cut into the die. The date itself is a duty of the certificate, not of the stamp, and neglecting to attach it is a class C nonperson misdemeanor. An electronic stamp is governed separately and is stricter: it must add your commission number and your expiration date alongside “State of Kansas” and “Notary Public”, and be clear, legible and photographically reproducible.
What size and shape must a Kansas notary stamp be?
Not addressed for a tangible stamp. The sources here are the stamp section, the disposal section, the certificate section, the definitions and the administrative rules, plus page 11 of the Secretary of State’s handbook, and no dimension, shape, border or diameter appears anywhere. The only size language in Kansas law is a carve-out pointing the other way, for electronic records: “An official stamp shall not be required to be within a minimum or maximum size when photographically reproduced on an electronic record.”
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 Kansas notary stamp?
Not addressed. The sources here are the definitions, the certificate, stamp, disposal, journal, electronic and prohibited-acts sections of the act, four administrative regulations and the handbook. The only ink-adjacent constraint is the statutory requirement that the stamp be “capable of being copied together with the record to which it is affixed.” The recording statute is silent on color too and asks only that a document be “of sufficient legibility so as to produce a clear and legible reproduction.” It does impose one duty on you that lives nowhere near the notary chapter: for a recorded instrument, the name of any notary must be plainly typed or printed under the signature.
More on the trade-off in stamp ink color rules.
Is a notary embosser required or optional in Kansas?
Treat the rubber stamp as required and the embosser as decoration only. You will still find suppliers repeating that Kansas allows either a rubber stamp or an embosser. That rule came from K.S.A. 53-105, and the whole of article 1 of chapter 53 was repealed when the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts took effect on 1 January 2022. Under current law the definition of a stamping device does cover “a physical device capable of affixing to or embossing on a tangible record an official stamp”, so embossing is not categorically excluded. But the same act requires the stamp to be capable of being copied together with the record, which a bare raised impression is not, and requires an impression to be on file with the Secretary of State. The handbook describes ink stamps and gives no embosser guidance at all. Kansas offers no seal-highlighter workaround of the kind Rhode Island publishes.
Notary embossing seal kits and inked stamp kits cover both formats. See also notary stamp vs. embosser.
Two Kansas rules that most suppliers still have wrong
First, the embosser rule you have read is from a repealed statute. The old either-or rule lived in K.S.A. 53-105, and the whole of article 1 of chapter 53 was repealed when Kansas adopted the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts on 1 January 2022. The current act defines a stamping device broadly enough to cover embossing, then requires the impression to be capable of being copied together with the record, which a dry raised impression is not. Buy an ink stamp. Keep an embosser as decoration if you like it.
Second, never buy a Kansas stamp with the expiration date printed on it. The rule asks for a space to record the expiration date, not the date itself. A stamp built with a write-in line carries across every renewal, because your name, “notary public” and “State of Kansas” do not change. A stamp with the date cut in is a four-year consumable for no legal benefit.
Two more Kansas points worth holding on to. Using a brand new stamp before the impression is on file with the Secretary of State is unlawful on the face of the statute, so file first and notarize second. And if your stamp is lost or stolen, the replacement must be a visibly different style from the one that went missing, which is a design instruction, not a formality. Tell us it is a replacement when you order.
Do I need a new stamp when my commission is renewed or my name changes?
Terms run four years and nothing happens automatically: “A notary public’s commission may not be automatically renewed. A notary public who desires to renew a commission shall be qualified and apply for a new commission.” The application wants a stamp impression, an oath, a $12,000 surety bond, proof of coursework and exam, and a $10 fee. Whether you need a new stamp depends entirely on how the old one was built. The required elements do not change from term to term, and the rule asks only for a blank space for the expiration date, so a Kansas stamp with a write-in date line survives renewal and can simply be re-impressed on the new application. A Kansas stamp with the expiration date cut into the die is dead the day the commission ends. Order the write-in version.
A name change forces a new stamp, and the deadline is behavioral rather than numeric: “Prior to performing any acts as a notary public after such change, the notary shall mail or deliver to the secretary of state notice of the change of name and shall include a specimen of the new stamp and a specimen of the notary’s new official signature.” There is no day count, so the safe reading is that you stop notarizing until the notice is in. Separately, any new stamp for any reason triggers a filing: notify the Secretary of State and include an impression of the new stamp. An address change is not addressed in the commissioning section.
What do I do if my Kansas notary stamp is lost or stolen?
Notify the Secretary of State promptly upon discovery. There is no day count. The replacement is where Kansas is unusual, and it is a direct instruction to whoever cuts your new die: a replacement for a lost or stolen device must be “a different style of official stamp to ensure that the new official stamp looks different from the prior official stamp.” You cannot reorder the identical stamp. Notice goes in on Form NC.
How do I dispose of an expired Kansas notary stamp?
On resignation, revocation, expiration, or the expiration date shown on the device itself, disable it by destroying, defacing, damaging, erasing or securing it against use. On death or incompetency the personal representative, guardian, or anyone holding the device does the same. The administrative rule adds two points the statute does not: you may hold more than one stamping device, and a prior device must be destroyed or rendered unusable when you obtain a new one unless the old one is still in use.
More on retiring an old device in how to dispose of an expired notary stamp.
Can I notarize electronically or remotely in Kansas?
Both are authorized, and each needs a separate notification before your first electronic act: notify the Secretary of State, identify the tamper-evident technology, show you completed the required coursework and exam, and pay a fee of no more than $25. For remote acts the rule that trips people is locational: you may not perform one unless you are physically located in Kansas, and the certificate has to state that communication technology was used. Audio-visual recordings are kept “for a period of at least 10 years after the recording is made”, and the recording is required in addition to a journal, not instead of one. A journal is required for all acts, not only electronic ones: a tangible journal must be a permanent bound register with numbered pages, entries made contemporaneously, kept 10 years after the last entry.
If you need your seal as an image file for electronic work, see electronic notary seal images.
Related Kansas guides
- How to Find the Perfect Kansas Notary Public Seal for You
- Our Top Picks for the Best Kansas Notary Stamp Today
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 Kansas notary seals
Is a notary stamp required in Kansas?
Yes for paper records, and the mandate is in the certificate section rather than the stamp section. There is also a second gate that trips new notaries: “No notary public shall use such stamp unless an impression thereof has been filed in the office of the secretary of state.”
Should my Kansas stamp have the expiration date printed on it?
No. The regulation requires only a space for the notary to record the expiration date, not a printed date. Order it with a write-in line and the same stamp carries you through renewal after renewal. A printed date turns a permanent stamp into a four-year consumable for no legal benefit.
What has to appear on a Kansas notary stamp?
Your name exactly as on your application, the words “notary public”, the words “State of Kansas”, and a space for the expiration date.
Can I use an embosser in Kansas?
Be careful with what you will read elsewhere. The familiar Kansas rule allowing either a rubber stamp or an embosser came from a statute that was repealed when Kansas adopted the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts on 1 January 2022. The safe practical answer today is an ink stamp, with an embosser at most a supplement.
What size must a Kansas notary stamp be?
No size or shape is specified for a paper stamp. The sources here are the stamp section, the certificate section, the definitions, the administrative regulations and the state's notary handbook.
What ink color does Kansas require?
None is specified anywhere in the act or the regulations. Choose a color that copies cleanly.
Do I need a new stamp when my Kansas commission is renewed?
Not if you ordered it with a write-in space for the date. Nothing else on a Kansas stamp changes at renewal. Note that renewal is not automatic: a Kansas commission is not renewed unless you apply and qualify again.
What do I do with my Kansas stamp when my commission ends?
Disable it so it cannot be used again. Because an impression is on file with the Secretary of State, do not leave a working stamp in circulation after your commission ends.
