Welcome, fellow New York notary. Whether you have just received your commission or you are finally settling into a remote online practice, there is one question that almost every newly commissioned notary asks sooner or later: “What do I actually need on my desk?” The honest answer is that a New York notary’s toolkit is surprisingly small. We are not lawyers, and we do not need a wall of expensive equipment to serve the public. At its core, we need three physical components – a compliant seal, a journal, and reliable ink – plus, if we perform remote online notarization, a secure RON platform. Get those three or four items right and you are ready to perform legally valid acts for years to come.
As a New York State Remote Online Notary, I write this from a slightly unusual vantage point. Some of you will assume that because a remote online notary works entirely by video, the physical supplies do not matter as much. I am here to tell you that is simply not true. New York law still requires you to affix a seal to every act, to make a journal entry for every act, and to retain your records for a full ten years. The medium of the act changes – wet ink in a living room versus a recorded video session across the state – but the paperwork obligations remain identical.
This guide walks you through every item on the checklist, explains exactly what New York requires of the seal and the journal, and points out the additions that make life dramatically easier for a remote online notary.
Why Every New York Notary Needs the Right Supplies
Before we get into the specifics, it helps to understand why supplies are not an optional detail. A notary public acts as an impartial, state-authorized witness. When you sign your name and affix your seal to a document, you are certifying that the signer appeared before you, that you verified their identity, and that the act was performed lawfully. That certification only means something if it is traceable. Your journal is the paper trail that lets a court, a bank, or the Department of State reconstruct exactly what happened. Your seal is the mark that distinguishes your official impression from the signer’s ink and from any forgery.
New York’s requirements for these items are spelled out in Sections 135-b and 135-c of the Executive Law. Section 135-c(4) is where most of the specific seal and journal language lives. If your seal is missing a required element, or if your journal entry is incomplete, the act can be challenged – and in a remote online context, where the signer may be hundreds of miles away, that traceability is even more important.
In other words, the supplies are not a hobby. They are the legal infrastructure of your entire commission. A notary who treats the seal as a trinket is taking a risk that the public, and your own professional reputation, will pay for later.
The Core Checklist at a Glance
Here is the short version of everything you need, which we will expand on below:
- A compliant New York notary seal (stamp or embossing seal)
- A durable notary journal (bound or secure digital format)
- Blue or black ink that is easily distinguishable from the signer’s ink
- Reliable signing pens (ballpoint or gel, archival where possible)
- A secure RON platform if you perform remote online notarization
- A filing and retention system for ten-year storage
- Spare journal and a small ink refill kit (a practical, low-cost insurance policy)
That is really all there is to the essential list. Everything else is convenience.
The Notary Seal: What New York Requires
The seal is the item where New York notaries most often make avoidable mistakes, so let us be precise about what belongs on it. Under Executive Law Section 135-c(4), a New York notary public’s seal must contain the following elements:
- The name of the notary public, exactly as it appears on your commission.
- The words “Notary Public.”
- The date your commission expires.
- Either the county in which you were commissioned, or the words “New York” (or “NY”) if you are authorized to perform remote online notarization.
That last element is the one that surprises people. A traditional New York notary is commissioned by a county and may traditionally only perform acts within that county, so the seal bears the county name. A remote online notary, however, may perform acts statewide – the signer just has to be physically located in New York at the time of the act. Because your authority is not limited to a single county, New York allows (and for remote online acts expects) the seal to bear the words “New York” or “NY” in place of a county name. If you are a dual-commission notary who does both wet-ink and remote online acts, you can use a single seal bearing “NY,” which works for both contexts and avoids confusion.
Stamp Versus Embossed Seal
You will generally choose between an inked stamp seal and an embossing seal. An inked stamp is by far the more popular choice for New York notaries and the one I recommend to most people, especially remote online notaries who also handle wet-ink acts. It is inexpensive, quick, and produces a clear impression. An embossing seal, by contrast, raises the lettering above the page without ink. Embossed seals look elegant and are very hard to alter, which makes them attractive for high-value documents. However, they are more expensive, they are slower to use, and they can be harder to read through a video session. For a working practice, an inked stamp in blue or black ink is the practical, cost-effective default. You can always add an embossed seal later for prestige if you choose.
A note on ink color. New York does not hard-mandate a single ink color, but the standard professional practice – and the Department of State’s general guidance – is to use blue or black ink for the seal impression. The reason is functional: a colored seal impression is instantly distinguishable from the signer’s ink (which is often black) and from a forgery. If your seal and the signature are the same color, the whole point of the impression is blunted. My strong recommendation is a blue seal ink paired with black signing pens, or vice versa, so the two are never confused.
The Journal: What to Record and How
The journal is the heart of your legal recordkeeping. New York’s requirements for the journal are set out in Executive Law Section 135-c(4), and every single notarial act you perform must be logged. At a minimum, a New York journal entry should capture the following for each act:
- The date and time the act was performed.
- The type of act – whether it was an acknowledgment or a jurat (oath or affirmation).
- The name of the signer.
- A description of the document, including its type and, where available, its number of pages or any identifying details.
- The method of identification used, such as the type of government-issued ID or, for a remote online act, the credential analysis and knowledge-based verification.
- Whether an oath or affirmation was administered.
- The signer’s signature or, for remote online acts, an electronic or digital signature.
- The name of the notary.
For a remote online notary, the journal requirements are layered on top of the standard ones. Because remote online acts are recorded by audio and video, New York expects the journal to reflect the specific verification steps unique to that medium – the credential analysis of the signer’s ID and the knowledge-based identity questions. This is what makes a remote online journal entry traceable even though no one is physically in the same room.
Bound or Digital?
A traditional bound journal – a book where each entry sits on a numbered page that can’t be removed – is the classic and very defensible choice. Its security comes from its permanence: you cannot quietly delete or replace a page in a bound book. New York also permits secure digital journals for remote online notaries, which is common practice because the RON platform itself generates a tamper-evident, timestamped electronic log. If you use a digital journal, make sure it is tamper-evident, that it stores the audio-video recording, and that it can be exported for retention. For a notary who does both contexts, I keep a bound journal for wet-ink acts and rely on the platform’s electronic journal for remote online acts.
Retention: The Ten-Year Rule
This is the number that surprises every new notary, including, I will confess, myself. New York requires you to retain your journal and your records for ten years from the date of the act. For remote online notaries, that ten-year retention applies to the journal, the audio-video recordings, and the related electronic records. Ten years is longer than almost anyone assumes, and it is why a filing and retention system is on the core checklist. You need somewhere safe, fire- and water-resistant, and organized by date, where you can store bound journals and digital media for a full decade. Do not let a journal sit in a kitchen drawer for ten years. Treat it the way you would treat any other professional legal record, because it is one.
RON-Specific Additions for Remote Online Notaries
If you are, like me, a remote online notary, there are a few additions to the physical checklist that are not optional:
- A secure RON platform. This is the engine of your remote practice. It must be capable of live audio-video, credential analysis of government-issued ID, knowledge-based identity verification, and the generation of a tamper-evident electronic journal plus a permanent audio-video recording. New York expects the platform to meet the requirements in Executive Law Section 135-c(4).
- The audio-video recording capability. Every remote online act must be recorded and retained for ten years.
- The credential-analysis and verification workflow. Your platform must support analyzing the signer’s ID and asking identity questions, and it should be able to store that evidence.
- An electronic or digital seal. For remote online acts, New York allows you to affix a digital or electronic representation of your seal to the document rather than a wet ink impression.
For fees, a quick reference that often comes up when notaries are getting started: New York charges two dollars per person for an acknowledgment and two dollars per act for an oath or affirmation when performed in person. For a remote online notarial act, the fee is twenty-five dollars per notarial act. Knowing your fee schedule up front is part of being professional, and it belongs on your desk before your first client calls.
Additional Supplies That Make Life Easier
Beyond the legal essentials, a handful of small, inexpensive items will make your practice smoother and protect you in the long run:
- Archival signing pens. A good ballpoint or gel pen that does not fade or bleed.
- A spare bound journal. If your primary fills up or is damaged, you do not want a gap in your records.
- A small ink refill kit for your seal, so a dried-out impression never stalls an act.
- A label maker or index tabs to organize journals by year.
- A lockable fire-resistant file box for ten-year retention.
- For remote online notaries, a stable, well-lit video setup with a neutral background. Professional presentation is part of the credential-analysis experience and helps your client feel confident.
These are not statutory requirements, but every one of them is a cheap form of insurance. A notary who is never caught without ink, without a spare journal, or without a stable connection is a notary who builds a reputation for reliability.
Building Your Checklist: Step by Step
If you are setting up your desk for the first time, here is the order in which I would buy and arrange the essentials:
- Order your compliant New York notary seal with the correct name, “Notary Public,” expiration date, and “NY” if you perform remote online acts.
- Buy a bound notary journal (or confirm your platform’s electronic journal is active).
- Stock blue or black seal ink and archival signing pens.
- Subscribe to a secure RON platform if you will do remote online notarization.
- Set up a ten-year retention filing system.
- Add the convenience items: spare journal, ink refill kit, tabs, and a fire-resistant box.
- Test everything end to end – perform a practice wet-ink act, log it in the journal, and run a practice remote online session. Do not wait for a real client to discover that your seal is dry or your recording is not saving.
That final test step is the one most people skip, and it is the one that saves you the most trouble. A five-minute practice run catches almost every setup problem before it becomes a client problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a seal if I only perform remote online notarization? New York still requires you to affix a seal to every act, including remote online acts. For remote online acts you may use a digital or electronic representation of your seal, but the seal itself – with the correct name, “Notary Public,” expiration date, and “NY” – is still required.
What must appear on my New York notary seal? Your name exactly as on the commission, the words “Notary Public,” your commission expiration date, and either the county of commission or the words “New York” or “NY” if you perform remote online acts.
Does New York require a specific ink color? New York does not hard-mandate one color, but the standard practice is blue or black ink so the seal impression is clearly distinguishable from the signer’s ink and from any forgery.
How long do I have to keep my journal? Ten years from the date of the act. For remote online notaries, that ten-year retention applies to the journal, the audio-video recordings, and the related electronic records.
Do I need a physical journal if my RON platform keeps an electronic one? For remote online acts, a secure tamper-evident electronic journal provided by your platform is generally sufficient. If you also perform wet-ink acts, a bound physical journal is the simplest and most defensible way to record them.
Can I use one seal for both wet-ink and remote online acts? Yes. A seal bearing “NY” works in both contexts, so a dual-commission notary can use a single seal and avoid confusion.
What fees can I charge in New York? Two dollars per person for an acknowledgment, two dollars per act for an oath or affirmation when done in person, and twenty-five dollars per notarial act for a remote online act.
Final Thoughts
A New York notary’s toolkit is smaller than most people expect. A compliant seal, a durable journal, reliable ink, and – for remote online work – a secure RON platform are the essentials that turn a commission into a lawful, traceable practice. The three physical items cost very little, but they carry enormous professional weight, because they are the paper trail, the mark, and the record that stand behind every act you perform.
Take an afternoon to build the checklist, set up your ten-year retention, and run an end-to-end test before your first real client. Do that, and you will be ready to serve the public with confidence for the next four years – and the decade of records that follows.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. New York notary requirements are governed by Sections 135-b and 135-c of the New York Executive Law and are subject to change, so confirm current requirements with the New York State Department of State. As a Remote Online Notary Public, I certify signatures and witness executions but do not draft legal documents or provide legal counsel.