The Old Stamp and the Wrong County
Angela is a notary public commissioned in Queens County. Her renewal was approved, and her new commission expires March 31, 2028. Her new stamp has not arrived, so on January 10, 2026, she uses her old stamp, which reads “Commission Expires December 31, 2025.” She is in Suffolk County that day and notarizes an affidavit for a court filing. She signs the jurat, dates it January 10, 2026, and stamps it with the old stamp. The certificate she fills out says “State of New York, County of Queens” because that is what her stamp says. The signer personally appeared and showed a valid passport.
1. Does Angela’s renewed commission allow her to notarize on January 10, 2026, and what is wrong with the certificate she produced?
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If Angela’s renewal was effective and she was commissioned on January 10, 2026, she has authority to act. The problem is her stamp: it shows an expiration date of December 31, 2025, which is misleading and noncompliant. A notary must use a stamp showing the correct commission expiration. Angela should not have notarized with the old stamp. If the document has not been filed, she should obtain the correct stamp and re-notarize when the signer appears again; she must not alter, backdate, or “fix” the certificate by crossing out dates.
2. The act occurred in Suffolk County, but the certificate recites Queens County. Which county should appear in the venue, and does the Queens stamp limit Angela’s authority?
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Angela may perform notarial acts anywhere in New York State; a Queens commission does not limit her to Queens. The venue in the certificate should state the county where the act was performed-Suffolk County-not the county of her commission. The Queens reference on her stamp identifies her commission county, but it should not be used to falsely state that the acknowledgment occurred in Queens when it did not.