Notary Public Underwriters Blog
What Should I Do When There's No Room for My Notary Stamp?
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- Published: June 17, 2024
This is a common notary problem… the document with a signature to be notarized has notarial certificate wording, but lacks space for the notary to sign the certificate and affix their official notary stamp or embossing seal.
Here are two good solutions for this problem, depending on the circumstances.
Begin by making these assessments:
Has the document already been signed by the named principal signer?
Be sure your state does not prohibit a notary from changing anything in a document after it has been signed by anyone. For example, Florida has this exact prohibition in its notary law. (See F.S. 117.07(7))
Remember that a document requiring an acknowledgement notarial act may be signed by the named principal signer before notarization, or in the notary’s presence during notarization. A document requiring a verification on oath or affirmation, or a signature witnessing, must be signed in the notary’s presence.
Can I tell which signature notarial act is meant to be performed, and does my state authorize me to perform that act?
As the officiating notary public, you may not choose the notarial act to perform… you must obtain that information from the certificate wording already on the document, or from the document signer, or from the party/parties relying on the signed document. Look for key words like “acknowledged,” for an acknowledgment notarial act; “sworn or affirmed” for a verification on oath or affirmation notarial act; or (in states that authorize it) “signed before me” or similar for a signature witnessing notarial act.
Take the appropriate steps:
Solution 1.
If there is enough room in the vicinity of the principal signer’s signature, you may hand-write or stamp the notarial certificate wording for the intended act onto the document. You may not change a document’s contents, but you may amend the notarial certificate wording if necessary. In this case, you are amending the notarial certificate to ensure the certificate format allows you to write all the required information about the notarization you will perform.
Your amended notarial certificate wording must substantially comply with the wording specified in the notary laws of your state where you are commissioned or appointed. You should also “cancel” the original, problematic notarial certificate wording by drawing a single, diagonal line through it and initialing the line.
Solution 2.
You may use and attach a pre-printed form containing the certificate wording for the intended notarial act. This notarial certificate wording must substantially comply with the wording specified in your state notary laws. “Cancel” the original notarial certificate by drawing a single, diagonal line through it and initialing the line. Attach the pre-printed notarial certificate form to the signature page of the document using a staple. This attachment method will leave a mark if the certificate page is removed and/or replaced (never use just a paper clip).
Check your state notary laws and rules for any additional requirements when using a pre-printed notarial certificate form.
TIP: Keep pre-printed, blank notarial certificate forms and certificate stamps in your notary toolkit, for the signature notarial acts you are authorized to perform… they are so handy!
FINAL STEP: Carefully record the details of this and every notarization in your record book (journal) of notarial acts. In the portion of the entry for “Comments,” write which technique you used to address the challenge of too-little space on a notarial certificate to accommodate your notary stamp or seal.
Related Article(s)
Should the Date on the Notarial Certificate Match the Date That the Notarized Document Was Signed?
What Do I Do With My Record Book (Journal) Entry When a Notarization Is Cancelled (Not Completed)?
May a Notary Correct Their Error or Omission on a Notarial Certificate?
How to Assess Signer Awareness or Coercion
What to Do When the Notary Certificate Is Missing?
Can I Notarize a Document That Is Already Signed?
Tips to Protect Your Notary Stamp and Journal