Massachusetts Notary Renewal: How to Renew Your Commission

How does Massachusetts notary renewal work?

A Massachusetts notary commission lasts seven years, and renewal is not automatic. The Secretary of the Commonwealth mails a renewal application to every notary about five weeks before the commission expires; renewal applications are not available online. You complete the application, follow its instructions, mail it back, and once you are reappointed you pay the commission fee, take your oath and order a new seal. If the application never arrives, the most common reason is an address the state does not have on file.

Renewal timeline

Keep your address current

The Secretary of the Commonwealth asks notaries to report a change of residence or business address, or a change of name, within ten days, and notes that a notary who does not update an address will not receive the renewal application. When you submit a new address, include your current commission expiration date. This is the single most important step in a smooth renewal.

Completing the renewal application

The renewal generally follows the same steps as your original application. Read the form you receive carefully and complete every section it asks for. If it requires your signature to be notarized, sign it in front of another Massachusetts notary; you cannot notarize your own application. If it asks for references or a current resume, gather them before you start so the application is not delayed. Then mail it as instructed.

After you are reappointed

1. Pay the commission fee and take your oath. Your notice of reappointment explains the fee and how to be sworn in. Follow its timeline.
2. Order a new seal. Under M.G.L. c. 222, § 8, your seal shows your name as commissioned, the words "notary public" and "Commonwealth of Massachusetts" or "Massachusetts," the words "My commission expires" with the date, and a facsimile of the Commonwealth seal. A new commission means a new expiration date, so you need a new seal.
3. Update your certificates. Print your name and new commission expiration date under your signature on each certificate.
4. Keep your journal going. Continue recording every notarial act in your journal. See Massachusetts notary journal requirements.

If your application has not arrived

If your commission expires within the next few weeks and no application has come, contact the Commissions Section of the Secretary of the Commonwealth right away:

• Phone: 617-727-2836
• Email: comm@sec.state.ma.us
• Mail: Secretary of the Commonwealth, Public Records Division, Commissions Section, One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, MA 02108

Have your full name as commissioned and your current expiration date ready.

If your commission has already expired

Stop notarizing on the expiration date. A notarial act performed after your commission expires is not valid, and documents signed that way may be rejected, which can mean a missed closing or deadline for your signer. Contact the Commissions Section to find out how to be reappointed, and do not use your old seal again.

A good moment to sharpen your skills

Renewal is an ideal time to review the rules, refresh your certificates and decide where you want to take your notary practice, whether that is mobile work, loan signings, hospital signings or apostille-ready notarizations. See What a Massachusetts Notary Can and Cannot Do and How Much Do Notaries Make in Massachusetts?