A notary public must use a seal of office with specified markings and must not give the seal to another person or use it on documents except to authenticate official acts.
Sec. 406.013. SEAL. (a) A notary public shall provide a seal of office that clearly shows, when embossed, stamped, or printed on a document, the words "Notary Public, State of Texas" around a star of five points, the notary public's name, the notary public's identifying number, and the date the notary public's commission expires. The notary public shall authenticate all official acts with the seal of office. (b) The seal may be a circular form not more than two inches in diameter or a rectangular form not more than one inch in width and 2-1/2 inches in length. The seal must have a serrated or milled edge border. (c) The seal must be affixed by a seal press or stamp that embosses or prints a seal that legibly reproduces the required elements of the seal under photographic methods. An indelible ink pad must be used for affixing by a stamp the impression of a seal on an instrument to authenticate the notary public's official act. (d) Subsection (c) does not apply to an electronically transmitted authenticated document, except that an electronically transmitted authenticated document must legibly reproduce the required elements of the seal. (e) A notary public may not: (1) provide a copy of the notary public's seal to another person; or (2) affix or attach the notary public's seal to any document except to authenticate the notary public's official act. Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 147, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. Amended by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 4, Sec. 2.71(d), eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 95, Sec. 2, eff. May 11, 2001. Amended by: Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1041 (H.B. 1683), Sec. 3, eff. January 1, 2016. Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 468 (H.B. 255), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2023.