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The Importance of Including Your Notary's Commission Expiration Date on Notarized Documents

by the American Association of Notaries

A notarial certificate indicates what actions the document's preparer wants the notary to perform. The venue states that the notarization took place in a particular location that lies within the jurisdiction of the notary public. The presence of a notary commission expiration date shows that the document was notarized at a time when the notary held authority to notarize.


Your state may not require that your notary's commission expiration date be part of the required element of your notary seal or be present on the document in order for it to be valid. For instance, in Tennessee, the notarization is not invalidated if the commission expiration date is missing, but, if it is later determined that your commission had expired or been suspended or revoked at the time the document was notarized, the notarization would be invalid.

If there is not a line designated for the expiration date, you can simply print "My Commission Expires on" and the date under or near your signature. Unless your state law says otherwise, a rubber stamp with the relevant information may be used instead of printing by hand.

Even if a notary's commission expiration date is not required by law, many document recipients will reject the notarization if the expiration date is absent. It is considered a best practice to always include the notary commission expiration date on every document that you notarize.


This article is part of the series that began with What Does a Notary Public Do?

-- Tim Gatewood is a Contributing Writer with the American Association of Notaries

Steps to a Proper Notarization Maintaining Your Notary Commission Notary Commission What Does a Notary Do?

Legal Disclaimer: The American Association of Notaries seeks to provide timely articles for notaries to assist them with information for managing their notary businesses, enhancing their notary education, and securing their notary stamp and notary supplies. Every effort is made to provide accurate and complete information in the American Association of Notaries newsletters. However, we make no warrant, expressed or implied, and we do not represent, undertake, or guarantee that the information in the newsletter is correct, accurate, complete, or non-misleading. Information in this article is not intended as legal advice. We are not attorneys. We do not pretend to be attorneys. Though we will sometimes provide information regarding notaries' best practices, federal laws and statutes, and the laws and statutes of each state, we have gathered this information from a variety of sources and do not warrant its accuracy. In no event shall the American Association of Notaries, its employees, or contractors be liable to you for any claims, penalties, loss, damage, or expenses, howsoever arising, including, and without limitation, direct or indirect loss or consequential loss out of or in connection with the use of the information contained in the American Association of Notaries newsletters. It is your responsibility to know the appropriate notary laws governing your state. Notaries are advised to seek the advice of their states' notary authorities or attorneys in their state if they have legal questions. If a section of this disclaimer is determined by any court or other competent authority to be unlawful and/or unenforceable, the other sections of this disclaimer continue in effect.

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