A North Carolina notary stamp for your commission
This North Carolina notary stamp is the Trodat 4642, a round self-inking model personalized with your commissioned name and county. Its listed impression diameter is 1⅝ inches. Select the wording for your current commission, choose an ink configuration and review the entered details before adding it to your cart. The pictured black housing identifies the model; your personal seal information belongs on the printing face beneath it.
North Carolina requires an official seal or stamp for paper notarizations. Under G.S. 10B-36, the notary applies the seal after performing the act, close to the official signature. The impression and signature belong on the same page as the notarial certificate. A stamp provides the identifying seal image; it does not complete the certificate, establish a signer’s identity or perform the notarial act for you. Purchasing the device does not issue or renew a commission.
What belongs in the North Carolina notary seal
G.S. 10B-37 identifies four elements: your name exactly as commissioned, the words Notary Public, your commissioning county and the state name or permitted abbreviation. The county designation includes County or Co.; the state can appear as North Carolina, N.C. or NC. For this North Carolina notary stamp, enter the commissioned name in Notary and the county in County of Commission. Use the commission document as your reference. A delivery address is not evidence of the county in which you are commissioned.
The statute permits circular and rectangular formats. A circular seal must be between 1½ and 2 inches in diameter, while a rectangle may be no larger than 1 inch high by 2½ inches long. Both need a visible border. This particular model uses the round format. The screen preview helps you check spelling and the information entered; its displayed size changes with your screen, so it is not a ruler or a full-size production proof.
The Expires field is optional for the engraved impression. Section 10B-37(d) permits the expiration date to be permanently printed, handwritten or typed as part of the seal appearing on a record. If you choose to include it in your North Carolina notary stamp, use the expiration on your current commission. Do not substitute the date you are placing the purchase or the date of a future notarization. Leaving this field blank does not change your commission term or extend your authority.
The Trodat 4642 and its ink choices
The 4642 has its ink pad inside the housing and is designed for repeated stamping. The open lower frame is visible in the product photographs. This page is for that exact mount; a separately selected hand-held embosser is an accessory, not another name for the stamp. The product-only views show the housing upright, pressed closed, from the rear and with the removable lid. They help identify the physical model without inventing a personalized impression.
The Ink Color: choices for this North Carolina notary stamp are Black, Pink, Red, Purple, Blue, Orange, Green, Dry and Brown. The physical-seal provisions reviewed here do not prescribe a particular named ink color. Select the configuration you need rather than assuming the black housing limits you to black impressions. Dry identifies the uninked choice; it is not an invisible-ink color or an electronic seal. The form preserves the same choices when you return to edit the item in your saved cart.
Commission proof and review before fulfillment
A vendor may not provide a seal simply because a purchaser says they are a notary. G.S. 10B-36(e) requires presentation of the commission. For orders placed by mail or delivery, the vendor must also confirm the purchaser’s commissioned standing under the Secretary’s rules. Have a readable copy of your commission ready when configuring your North Carolina notary stamp. A typed name, a screenshot of this product page or a seal preview is not a substitute for that document.
Our saved cart provides a separate commission-document step before checkout. Choose a readable PDF, JPG or PNG within the displayed file limit. The upload belongs to the exact stamp item and its commissioned details. A received-file message confirms receipt only; staff must still compare the commission with the requested seal and perform the required standing check. If you correct the name, county or included expiration after uploading, the revised details require a fresh proof check. An earlier receipt must not silently approve a different configuration.
The Secretary of State’s official status search uses the commissioned name and commission county, or a commission number. Its guidance explains that a new or renewed commission may not appear until the register of deeds has uploaded the signed oath information. An absent result therefore needs resolution through the official process; it does not authorize us to assume active standing. A pending document review is not a promised dispatch date. We must resolve the evidence before the seal can proceed to fulfillment.
Choose individual supplies or a kit
Include Notary Supplies contains independent checkboxes. You can select a hand-held embosser, soft or hard covered journal, thumbprint pad, small or large lockable bag, gold embossing labels, a privacy guard or a seal inker. These are optional purchases alongside the stamp. A journal or thumbprint pad does not certify that a particular recording practice is required or suitable for every act. Choose the tools relevant to your work and the rules that apply to it.
Three kit options share the label Notary Supply Starter Kit but have different contents, identified beneath each choice. The starter bundle contains refill ink, a soft-bound journal, thumbprint pad and two privacy guards. The intermediate bundle adds a large bag and combination lock. The professional bundle adds an EZ hand embosser, gold foil seals and seal inker. The kits do not include a second ink stamp. Check the contents before selecting both a kit and individual extras, since those choices can overlap.
Your North Carolina notary stamp and its accessories remain linked in the cart. Matching personalized accessories carry the commissioned details of their parent stamp. Add a separate configured stamp item if another person needs a seal; increasing Qty creates more copies of the same personalization. Special Instructions is available for a relevant production note, but it does not replace the named fields or the separate commission-proof step. Review each selected item and quantity before proceeding.
Custody, replacement and electronic work
Your North Carolina notary stamp is the exclusive property of the commissioned notary. G.S. 10B-36 requires secure custody, prohibits another person from using or possessing it and says it is not surrendered to an employer when employment ends. Paying for a stamp through an office does not transfer the notarial authority or the right to use it to coworkers. Plan where you will secure the device whenever it is not in your possession.
If the seal is lost or stolen, the statute requires action within ten days of discovery: written notice to the appropriate register of deeds and the Secretary, signed in the official commissioned name. Theft or vandalism also calls for notice to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Ordering a replacement does not perform those notifications. Section 10B-37 also prohibits altering information within an impression already stamped or embossed on a record; buying another device does not correct an earlier notarial act.
This product creates a physical ink impression. It includes no electronic seal file, digital signature certificate, online platform subscription or electronic-notary registration. A scan of a paper impression is not a promise that an electronic notarization meets separate requirements. The requirements table identifies what was verified for this physical product and marks the electronic requirements as not yet verified. Consult the official sources for the kind of notarization you intend to perform.
North Carolina notary stamp questions
- Which county should I enter?
- Use your county of commission in County of Commission. Do not infer it from the delivery address, the location of a client or a county in which a future document will be signed. The commission and official status record are the references for this personalized field.
- Does my North Carolina notary stamp need the expiration date engraved?
- G.S. 10B-37(d) allows the expiration to be permanently printed, handwritten or typed on the seal as it appears on the record. The Expires field can be left blank. If you include it, check the date against the commission before submitting your configuration.
- Is the 1⅝-inch round model within the stated size range?
- Yes. The listed 1⅝-inch round impression lies within the statute’s 1½–2-inch circular range. The visible border and required wording still matter. The on-screen preview is for checking entered details, not measuring the finished impression.
- Why does an online seal purchase need commission proof?
- G.S. 10B-36(e) requires the vendor to receive the commission and, for mail or delivery orders, confirm commissioned standing. Uploading a document starts that check; it does not itself establish that the commission has been approved.
- Can I buy one stamp for several people in our office?
- A notary stamp identifies one commissioned person. Configure a separate item for each notary. Qty increases copies of the same details; it does not add other people’s names or give coworkers permission to use another notary’s seal.
- Does a kit include another North Carolina notary stamp?
- No. The three supply kits offered here are add-ons without an ink stamp. The professional kit includes a hand embosser, which is a different tool. Read each kit’s listed contents before combining it with individual accessories.
- Is this also an electronic notary seal?
- No. This is the physical Trodat 4642 ink stamp. It does not provide electronic credentials or an online notarization service. Electronic requirements have not been verified as part of this product’s physical-seal review.
- I searched for “notary stamp North Carolina.” Which model is on this page?
- This page covers the round Trodat 4642 self-inking model. Start with the state’s required wording and your current commission, then select the ink and optional supplies for this item. Other mounts are separate products; selecting an accessory here does not replace the main stamp.