5.3 Seal and Stamp Requirements

A State Where the Seal Is Optional

Connecticut is one of the few states that does not legally require a notary to obtain or use a seal or rubber stamp. This surprises candidates who trained elsewhere. But "optional" does not mean "no information needed" — the statute simply gives you two paths, and you must follow one of them on every notarized document.

The exam tests both branches: what you must write if you have no seal, and what the seal must contain if you do use one. Frame the rule in your mind as a single obligation with two acceptable methods of satisfying it — the required authenticating information must reach the document somehow, either impressed by a seal or written by hand. The state does not care which method you choose, but it does care that the information is present and legible. Candidates who treat "no seal required" as "no information required" walk straight into the most common trap in this section.

If You Do NOT Use a Seal

When no seal is used, you must legibly print or type, near your signature, on every document:

Omitting any of these on a seal-less notarization is a defective certificate and a classic wrong-answer distractor that claims "nothing additional is required."

If You DO Use a Seal

Even though the seal is optional, state law prescribes its format. A Connecticut seal must contain:

• The notary's name as it appears on the Certificate of Appointment
• The words "Notary Public"
• The word "Connecticut"

The commission expiration date is not a required seal element (it is recommended), and the seal does not contain a county, commission number, or any identification number — a frequent trap, since other states do require those.

Seal Types

Proper Placement and Signature

Lost or Stolen Seal

Because a seal can be misused to forge notarizations, the manual directs prompt action:

1. File a report with local police to create a record.
2. Notify the Office of the Secretary of the State.
3. Obtain a replacement seal bearing your commissioned name.

Name Changes

If your legal name changes, you must update your commission and your seal:

1. Pay the $15 name-change fee when invoiced.
2. Receive an updated Certificate of Appointment.
3. Obtain a new seal reflecting the new legal name.
4. Destroy the old seal to prevent misuse.

The Seal Does Not Replace Your Signature

A frequent misconception is that stamping a seal is the act of notarization. It is not. The notarial act is completed by your signature and the proper certificate wording; the seal (or, absent a seal, the printed name-title-expiration block) is merely the authentication that accompanies the signature. A seal impression with no signature is meaningless, and a seal can never be applied to a document the notary did not personally sign and complete. This is why the placement rule matters: the seal sits near the signature precisely because it authenticates that specific signature.

Treat the seal as a companion to your signature, never a substitute for it.

Avoiding Defective Notarizations

Many rejected notarizations in practice come from small seal and signature defects rather than substantive errors. A smudged or partial impression that obscures "Connecticut" or your name can cause a recording office to bounce a deed. Stamping across printed text or across your own signature does the same. To avoid this, keep your stamp inked and test it on scratch paper, leave white space in the notarial block for the impression, and confirm all three required elements — your commissioned name, "Notary Public," and "Connecticut" — are fully legible before handing the document back.

If you operate without a seal, double-check that you have printed every required element, because the seal-less branch is where candidates most often forget the commission-expiration line.

Why Most Notaries Use a Seal Anyway

Despite being optional, a seal is widely used because (1) some recipients — especially out-of-state title companies and courts — expect one; (2) it is faster than hand-printing your name, title, and expiration on every page; and (3) an impression is harder to forge than handwriting. The pragmatic best practice is to use a seal and still sign and print your name exactly as commissioned, so the document carries both the authenticating impression and a matching, legible signature.

Consistency among your seal, your printed name, and your signature is what makes a notarization easy for any recipient — in or out of state — to accept without question.