Section 3.1 - Purchasing a Notary Seal

Each notary public is required to have and to use a seal. The seal must be purchased from a manufacturer that has been authorized by the Secretary of State. After successfully completing all training, exam and background check requirements, the Secretary of State will send a packet containing the commission certificate, a list of authorized seal providers, bond filing instructions and a Certificate of Authorization to Manufacture Notary Public Seals to the applicant.

The original Certificate of Authorization must be provided to the vendor who will be manufacturing the notary public seal(s). The vendor will record manufactured seal impressions on it and return the Certificate to the Secretary of State. At a future date, if the notary would like to purchase one or more additional seals, a duplicate Certificate can be requested by writing to the Secretary of State. (Government Code section 8207.3)