Electronic notary seal requirements

Your electronic seal is the one part of a remote act the signer actually sees, and the part states describe in the most detail. Here is what it has to say in each state that spells it out, how it differs from the digital certificate behind it, and where you file it. The journal and recording rules are beside it under journals, records and e-seals.

Rules last read 2026-10-23

Fig. 1

The seal sits at the foot of the certificate; the digital certificate is what keeps the page from changing.

Seal, signature and certificate

The words get used loosely, and vendors sell them in bundles, so start with what each one is. The seal is the picture of who you are. The certificate is what makes the document tamper-evident. A seal image on a PDF does not, on its own, make the document tamper-evident.

Electronic seal, electronic signature and digital certificate compared
Item	What it is	What it proves
Electronic seal	An image, or text, carrying the information on your physical stamp: name, title, state, number, expiration.	Who the notary is and that the commission was current.
Electronic signature	Your signature attached to the electronic record, attributable to you.	That you, the notary, signed the certificate.
Digital certificate	A credential from a certificate authority (Texas and Virginia name X.509) that seals the file cryptographically.	That nothing in the document changed after you signed.

Kansas is the one list state whose Secretary of State says a digital certificate is required to use a RON platform. Texas requires one issued by a third-party provider, using PKI and X.509 compliant, so that any later change to the document is evident, and its Secretary of State recommends no provider. Where a state names no certificate standard, the platform's tamper-evident technology does that job. The digital certificate providers comparison covers who issues them.

What the seal must say, state by state

Five of the states read here list the seal's contents outright. They agree on name, number and expiration date; they differ on the title words, and on whether a border or a shape is part of it.

Electronic seal contents by state
Element	TX	MO	NE	VA	FL
Your name	Name	Name	Name as commissioned	Commissioned name	Full commissioned name
Title words	Notary Public, State of Texas	Electronic Notary Public	Online Notary Public	Electronic Notary Public	Notary Public State of Florida
The state	In the title words	Commissioning jurisdiction	Nebraska	Commonwealth of Virginia	In the title words
Number	Notary ID number	Commission or registration number	Identifying number	Registration number	Commission number
Commission expiration date	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Border	Serrated or milled edge	—	A border	—	—
Also	The words around a five-point star	—	—	Seal image or text, with the X.509 certificate	Carried in the electronic signature
Rule	Tex. Gov't Code § 406.109(d); 1 TAC §§ 87.4(b)(7)(B), 87.41(j)	RSMo §§ 486.1165(2), 486.1170	433 NAC ch. 8, §§ 006-007	Virginia Electronic Notarization Assurance Standard § 2.1(b)-(e); Va. Code § 47.1-16(D)-(E)	§§ 117.021(2)-(3), 117.255(1)(c), Fla. Stat.; R. 1N-7.001(7)

The rest set the seal by reference to the stamp or to the record:

COThe electronic seal must match the official stamp and the electronic signature must match the official signature on file; both stay under the notary's sole control and must make the document tamper-evident. 8 CCR 1505-11, Rule 5.2.3
WAUse a tamper-evident technology from a provider that enrolls only endorsed notaries and requires password or other secure access; your electronic signature must be capable of independent verification through the Department, and your electronic stamp is a digital image matching the physical stamp's requirements. The rules read do not name a certificate standard such as X.509. WAC 308-30-130, 308-30-170, 308-30-180
PAThe technology must let anyone inspecting the electronic record detect tampering with the certificate, and must carry the official stamp information as part of, or securely attached to, the record. No digital-certificate type is named in the rule. 4 Pa. Code § 167.86(7)-(8)
MDA notary may select one or more tamper-evident technologies for electronic records; for an electronic record the official stamp may be attached to or logically associated with the certificate. No digital-certificate type is named in the statute. Md. Code, State Gov't §§ 18-215(b)(3), 18-220(a)
MEFor electronic records the provider's technology must let the notary affix an electronic signature that is attributable to the notary and tamper evident, and attach or logically associate the certificate in a tamper-evident manner. 29-250 C.M.R. ch. 700, § 6(2)(F)-(G)
KSTo use a RON platform a notary must obtain a digital certificate that verifies the notary's identity and makes the notarized document tamper evident; platforms may provide one or explain how to get one. Kansas Secretary of State RON requirements

Art Deco illustration of a laptop showing a ruled document with a plain green square at its foot — On screen the seal is an image at the foot of the record; what stands behind it is the certificate.

The image itself: the Texas specification

Texas is the state that goes furthest on the seal as a file, because the Secretary of State receives it as an upload with your application. If you design one seal to meet the strictest rule read here, this is the one:

Shape and size: A circle no more than 2 in. across, or a rectangle no more than 1 in. by 2½ in.
Border: Serrated or milled edge.
File: BMP, JPEG, PNG or TIF; a seal in another format may be rejected.
Words: “Notary Public, State of Texas” around a five-point star, with your name, notary ID number and commission expiration date.

From the Texas Secretary of State's Getting Started as an Online Notary, read 2026-10-23. Washington and Colorado ask instead that the electronic stamp match the physical one, so their size and wording follow the physical stamp rules.

Registering the seal

Most of the rules read here do not ask you to file the seal itself. Four put it in front of the commissioning office:

TXUploaded as an image in step 4 of the online notary application, with your digital certificate and a statement of officer signed with it.
METhe notice to the Secretary of State carries an example of your electronic signature and stamp. 4 M.R.S. § 1915(12); 29-250 C.M.R. ch. 700, § 6(8)
VAThe electronic notary application has a signature page that includes your electronic notary seal. Va. Code § 47.1-7; Secretary of the Commonwealth eNotary page
MOThe seal and electronic signature you attach are the ones registered with the Secretary of State. RSMo §§ 486.1165(2), 486.1170

A changed seal is a changed registration. Texas says so in as many words:

“If you replace, update, or make any changes to your digital certificate or electronic seal, you are required to provide updated information to the Secretary of State.”

Texas SOS, Getting Started as an Online Notary read 2026-10-23

Late updates there can lead to discipline, up to revocation of the commission. The full Texas path is in Texas online notary requirements.

Art Deco illustration of a tablet and an open journal each with a plain green square at the foot of the page — The same seal, wherever the record is opened: on a tablet or beside the journal entry.

Sole control, and when the seal must stop

Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado say the seal stays under your sole control. In practice that means no shared office seal, a seal an assistant applies for you, and a platform account someone else can log into. Nebraska's rule puts it plainly: the electronic signature and online notary seal must be under the notary's sole control. Colorado's adds that both must make the document tamper-evident.

Questions notaries ask

Is an electronic notary seal the same as a digital certificate?

No. The seal shows who you are and your commission details; the digital certificate makes the document tamper-evident. Texas requires both, and its certificate must be X.509 compliant, use PKI and come from a third-party provider.

Can I scan my rubber stamp and use it as my electronic seal?

Washington and Colorado ask that the electronic stamp match the physical one, so a faithful image is the starting point there. Texas sets its own size, border and file rules for the uploaded seal. Check your state's rule and your platform before you use a scan.

What file format does Texas accept for the seal?

BMP, JPEG, PNG or TIF. A seal in another format may be rejected.

Do I need a new seal when I renew?

The seal carries your commission's expiration date, so a renewal with a new date means a new seal, and in Texas the change must be reported to the Secretary of State.