New Mexico Notary Public Law Changes Effective January 1, 2022

Changes to New Mexico's notary statutes will take effect January 1, 2022. These changes affect many aspects of notary public law, including commission qualifications, record book (journal) requirement, and changes to the official Notary stamp.

Official Notary Stamp

Beginning January 1, 2022 all Notaries must use an official stamp that conforms to the new requirements enacted by the 2021 New Mexico Legislature. The stamp requirements are amended to include:

The Notary's Name
The Notary’s state-issued commission number
The commission expiration date
Must be in 10 point font
Must be in permanent ink and readily visible (readable) when photocopied
Cannot contain the New Mexico state seal

Also effective January 1, 2022 and for every commission term, Notaries Public must file with the Secretary of State a copy of their new official stamp, BEFORE performing their initial notarial act with that stamp. Notaries with an existing commission as of January 1, 2022 have until June 2022 to obtain their state compliant stamp and submit an image of it to the Secretary of State before using it. You may want to order your new stamp early, so you can have a smooth, no-lapse transition from your old stamp format to your new one.

Notary Record Book (Journal)

Notaries in the Land of Enchantment are required to sequentially chronicle all of their notarial acts in a notary record book (journal). You will also need to retain your record book(s) for at least 10 years after the last notarial act was recorded.

Notary training and exam

To help ensure all Notaries understand their role, notary statutes and administrative rules, all applicants will be required to take a training course and successfully pass an exam with a score of 80% or higher. The training and examination will be administered by the Secretary of State, or a third party approved by the Secretary of State. The course provider will provide proof of completion that must be included with the Notary Public application. Existing Notaries will not be required to complete the training and exam until they renew their commission.

Several questions remain unanswered prior to the law going into effect, but we will update this article as the state provides clarification or new information. To review the bill in its entirety, please click here. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact our Customer Care Team at 800.821.0831 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..