TEXAS NOTARIES – What New Stamp Requirement Means for You
The Texas notary law that requires a notary seal to contain the notary’s ID number goes into effect on January 1, 2016. We posted about the new law in July 2015 and you can read the entire bill at House Bill 1683.
When initially drafted, the bill was not intended to affect current notaries, but only to affect new and renewing notaries commissioned after January 1st. Therefore, the Secretary of State’s office is NOT requiring existing notaries to obtain a notary seal with ID number until they renew their commission.
After reviewing the wording of the bill, the State Bar’s Real Estate, Probate & Trust Law Section “REPTL” announced that current notaries would be smart to replace their notary seals preemptively. The ambiguous wording of the bill could potentially put notarizations performed by current notaries at risk for legal challenges if their seals are not up-to-date with the new standards. Read the REPTL October announcement here.
To avoid having the legitimacy of future notarizations called into question, the State Bar of Texas is urging notaries to replace their current notary seals, if the seals do not already list their identification numbers. This could ultimately save you and your clients time, money, and worry.
In summary, current Texas notaries are NOT required to obtain a seal with an ID number until renewal, but have been advised by the State Bar’s Real Estate, Probate & Trust Law section that it would be the safest course of action.
Notary Public Underwriters has been including the notary ID number on all notary stamps and seals for more than a couple months now. If you would like to purchase a new stamp or seal, please visit our Texas Notary Supplies section. You will also find a link to the Texas Notary Search on each stamp/seal page if you need to determine your notary ID number.
As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Care Team at 800.821.0822 or by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..