Question & Answer Center
Here are some questions that are frequently asked by notaries
public. For your convenience, we divided the FAQs into several
categories. If an answer to your question is
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Maintaining Your Notary Commission: Notary Commission Certificate
Some states assign their notaries public an official commission number that may be reflected on the notary commission or license. However, some states do not assign their notaries public with an official commission number, and the numbers reflected on the commission may simply be for administrative recordkeeping purposes by the state’s commissioning agency. Contact your state’s commissioning authority for further information because some documents actually require the notary’s commission number on the notarial certificate.
No. The commission number is assigned to every notary public at the time of appointment in many states, and it is reflected on the notary commission. A membership number is the number assigned to members of notary organizations. These notary organizations are private entities and are not affiliated with the state’s commissioning authority.
Please contact the state’s commissioning authority to obtain this information if there is in fact an official commission number assigned to your office as notary public. Some states may not issue a commission number to their notaries.
Contact your state’s commissioning authority. You may be required to complete a request for a duplicate commission on a form prescribed by that office. There may also be a filing fee associated with obtaining a duplicate of a notary commission.
The notary statutes in some states mandate that their notaries public post their notary commission at all times in a conspicuous place in their places of employment or respective offices. Contact your state’s commissioning authority to inquire if there is a mandatory requirement to post your notary commission for the sake of the general public.