MICHIGAN NOTARY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I become a Michigan Notary Public? Here is some helpful information:

Requirements to become a Michigan Notary Public:

- 18 Years or older
- Be a Michigan resident or maintain a place of business in Michigan; be a U.S. citizen or possess proof of legal presence
- Be a resident of the county in which you request appointment (if you don't reside in Michigan, you must maintain a principal place of business in the county you request appointment)
- Read and write in the English language
- Be free of any felony convictions within the past 10 years (if previously convicted of a felony, the 10-year period includes completion of the sentence for that crime, any term of imprisonment, parole, or probation, and payment of all fines, costs, and assessments)
- Haven't been convicted of 2 or more misdemeanor offenses involving a violation of the Michigan Notary Public Act within a 12-month period while commissioned, or 3 or more misdemeanor offenses involving a violation of this Act within a 5-year period regardless of being commissioned
- Have filed with the appropriate county clerk a proper surety bond in the amount of $10,000 and taken the oath of office as prescribed by the State Constitution (Michigan licensed attorneys are exempt)
- Sign a declaration that all information on your application for Michigan Notary Public Commission is correct, that you have read the Michigan Notary Public Act, and that you will perform all notarial acts faithfully
- Aren't currently serving a term of imprisonment in any state, county, or federal correctional facility; if so, you are prohibited from being appointed or serving as a notary public

How to become a Notary Public in Michigan:

1. Complete the Application: You have two options for filling out your application. If you would like to fill out the application online, go to Online Services. If you would like to fill out the application by paper, fill out this application completely and legibly.
2. Obtain a Surety Bond: Notaries public are required to obtain a $10,000 surety bond and file it at the office of the county clerk in the county where the notary will be appointed. The cost of a surety bond will vary – generally between $50 to $100. A surety bondsman must be licensed to do business in this state. You can search for licensed agencies at www.michigan.gov/difs. More information on the Surety Bond can be found on our website.
3. File the Surety Bond with the County Clerk: Present the surety bond and the completed application to the County Clerk's office.
4. Swear an Oath of Office with the County Clerk: The oath of office is an oral or written statement taken at your County Clerk's office when you file your bond. (If you are a Michigan resident, this must be your county of residence.) The oath is a pledge that you will uphold the Constitution and perform your duties with reasonable care. After an oath is administered, a verification is completed by the clerk (or clerk designee) attesting that you swore to the statement. (An attorney in good standing with the State Bar of Michigan isn't required to obtain and file a surety bond with the County Clerk's office. An attorney is required to go to the County Clerk's office in their county of residence to take the Constitutional Oath and obtain the County Seal and Certification.) Example Oath Wording: Do you solemnly swear that you will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this State, and that you will discharge the duties of the office of Notary Public in and for said County to the best of your ability?
5. Submit a filing fee payment to the County Clerk: To complete the process, the County Clerk will collect a fee. The fee is usually $10, but some counties can charge more.
6. File the completed Application and pay an additional $10 fee to the Michigan Department of State: Once you have fulfilled the filing requirements at the county level, you will need to submit your application by one of the listed methods: If the application was done on Online Services, you may upload the completed application and pay the $10 non-refundable processing fee online. As an alternative to uploading the completed application and paying the non-refundable processing fee online, you may forward the completed application with the $10 non-refundable processing fee (check or money order payable to the "State of Michigan") to the address listed at the end. If application was done on paper, forward the completed application with a $10 non-refundable processing fee (check or money order payable to the "State of Michigan") to:

Michigan Department of State
Office of the Great Seal
7064 Crowner Drive
Lansing, MI 48918
7. Purchase your Michigan Notary Supplies

How long is my Notary Term in Michigan

- Michigan notaries are commissioned for a term of 6 to 7 years ending on the notary’s birthday

Which Notary Supplies are required to be a Michigan Notary Public

- A Michigan notary stamp is typically used
- A Michigan notary seal is permitted but only when used in conjunction with a notary seal. The seal impression must be photographically reproducible. A seal impression inker may be purchased to darken the notary embosser impression
- Michigan notaries are required to keep a record book and document notary transactions

Michigan Notary Website https://www.michigan.gov/sos/resources/notary-services

To return to the Michigan Notary Supply Page, click here: https://www.anchorstamp.com/category/notary-seal-stamp-supplies-michigan

How to Order Affordable Notary Supplies for Michigan

One of the best ways to save money on MI Notary Stamps & MI Notary Seals is to purchase Notary kits also known as Notary Bundles or Notary Packages. These notary kits are arranged with the most commonly ordered, State-Approved Notary Products, packaged together and then discounted. These discounted Michigan Notary Kits can be found here, https://www.anchorstamp.com/category/michigan-notary-supplies-packages In this article we will examine each Michigan notary kit and the products they contain.

The cheapest Notary Supply option for Michigan notaries is the Basic Notary Kit for Michigan, found here at our Michigan Notary Store: https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/notary-supplies-michigan This MI Notary Package includes: The Self-Inking Michigan Notary Expiration Stamp, Michigan Notary Seal, and a Notary Record Book. The purpose of this notary kit is to create the lowest-cost option for Michigan notaries while maintaining the minimum required items to notarize properly. If you think you may not notarize very often and you’re looking to keep your costs down, this is the notary package for you.

The Notary Supply option with best value is the Value Notary Kit for Michigan, found here at our Michigan Notary Store: https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/michigan-notary-supplies-seal-stamp-package-2 This MI Notary Package includes: The Self-Inking Michigan Notary Expiration Stamp, Michigan Notary Seal, Notary Record Book, Notary affidavit stamp, and a Large Notary Zippered Supply Bag. This notary kit includes all the items of the MI Notary Basic Kit with two additions, the notary affidavit stamp, and the Large Notary Supply Bag. The Notary affidavit stamp is a very useful item as it documents the date of a swearing of an oath. The Large Notary Supply Bag is a sturdy supply bag that holds all the items of the Michigan Notary Value Kit and makes it easy for the notary to organize all their notary supplies. The Large supply bag measures 10 inches high x 14 inches wide and allows the notary to use a combination lock (sold separately) for extra security. The notary combination lock can be found here: https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/Combination-Lock-for-Notary-Supplies-Bag 

The Highest Quality Michigan Notary kit is the Deluxe Notary Kit for Michigan, found here at our Michigan Notary Store: https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/Michigan-notary-supplies-seal-stamp-package-3 This MI Notary Package includes: The Pre-Inked Michigan Notary Expiration Stamp, Michigan Notary Seal, Notary Record Book, Pre-Inked Notary affidavit stamp, Large Notary Supply Bag, and a Deluxe Leatherette Notary Seal Pouch.  This notary kit has the highest quality notary stamps that simply kiss the paper when stamping. These Max-Light notary stamps by Trodat feature an oil-based ink which is much less likely to dry. For the notary that wants the best and expects to use the notary supplies a lot, this is the notary kit for you!

We hope this article has helped you decide which Michigan Notary Kits to order. All our MI Notary supplies include many notary stamp variations with multiple notary stamp colors and notary seal upgrades. As always you can purchase your Michigan Notary Supplies here: https://www.anchorstamp.com/category/notary-seal-stamp-supplies-michigan Anchorstamp.com proudly ships Michigna notary orders the next business day, includes a free notary pen, and offers free shipping on notary orders of $50.00 or more.

Which Michigan Notary stamp should I purchase?

When you purchase your MI Notary Stamp it’s important to know your options. AnchorStamp.com offers a wide variety of Notary Stamps for Michigan. The first thing a notary needs to know is that the MI notary stamps are made in accordance with Michigan notary guidelines. A Michigan notary will then want to know how much do Michigan notary stamps cost? At Anchor Stamp, we offer MI notary stamps for all budgets, beginning with a Wood-handle notary stamp to self-inking MI notary stamps, to the highest quality, Pre-Inked MI notary stamps. Anchor Stamp offers Shiny and Trodat brands which reflect our commitment to creating quality Michigan notary stamps. Need your notary stamp in a hurry? No worries, Anchor Stamp ships Michigan Notary Supply orders the next business day and offers free shipping on notary orders of $50.00 or more. You can purchase your Michigan notary stamps right here at our Michigan notary store: https://www.anchorstamp.com/category/notary-stamps-michigan

Let’s look at some of MI notary stamps in detail.

1) The highest quality Michigan notary stamps are the Michigan Pre-Inked notary stamps. This Michigan notary stamp product line uses the Max-Light brand by Trodat. The Max-Lights by Trodat feature a superior oil-based ink, a smooth stamping mechanism and a protective cover. Pre-Inked MI notary stamps can be re-inked, just be sure to use the proper Pre-Ink refill ink.

The most attractive MI notary stamp is the Michigan Notary Pre-Inked Shield Stamp found here: https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/michigan-notary-pre-inked-shield-stamp This notary product features the Michigan state emblem with a stylish border and all the required custom notary information.

The most popular Michigan Pre-Inked notary stamp is the Pre-Inked MI notary expiration stamp, found here https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/notary-stamp-michigan-pre-inked This compact notary stamp includes a standard border to properly frame the state-approved notary information. This MI notary stamp makes a sharp, crisp notary stamp impression every time. The Pre-Inked MI notary stamp is also available in a popular pink frame.

The Pre-Inked MI Round notary stamp is the highest quality round stamp on the market today. This MI notary stamp is used where a photographically reproducible notary impression is needed. Some other applications include scanning, copying and faxing notary documents that a notary embossed image may not apply. We also find that some notaries with arthritis or other disabilities find this round notary stamp to be easier to use than squeezing a Michigan notary seal. This highest quality MI notary stamp can be purchased at our Michigan notary store here: https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/michigan-notary-pre-inked-round-stamp  

Anchorstamp.com also offers Michigan notaries useful Pre-Inked notary stamps such as the Pre-Inked notary affidavit stamp, found here https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/michigan-notary-pre-inked-affidavit-stamp, the Pre-Inked Notary Acknowledgement stamp, found here https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/notary-acknowledgement-stamp- , the Pre-Inked Notary Jurat Stamp, found here  https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/notary-jurat-stamp , and the Pre-Inked Notary Certified True Copy stamp, found here https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/certified-true-copy-stamp .

2) Our next high-quality line of Michigan notary stamps are Self-Inking notary stamps using the Shiny brand. The Michigan Self-inking notary stamps by Shiny feature a high-quality stamp that is also re-inkable. Another very popular notary stamp is the Self-Inking Michigan notary expiration stamp. These notary stamps include the state-approved MI notary stamp format with a standard border and the notary’s name and expiration date. This notary product also features various stamp frame colors including Black, Pink, USA Flag, Blue, Red and Lilac. You can purchase this great MI notary stamp here https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/notary-stamp-michigan-self-inking   

Anchorstamp.com offers another fine MI notary stamp, the Self-Inking Round Michigan Notary Stamp https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/Michigan-notary-stamp-self-inking-round This high-quality MI Round notary stamp includes a cover that products the notary die from dust and debris. Anchor Stamp offers the stamp frame available in Black, Red, Pink, and Blue.

Anchor Stamp also offers high-quality, useful Self-Inking Notary affidavit stamps, Self-Inking Acknowledgement Stamps and Self-Inking Jurat stamps on our Michigan notary stamp supply page https://www.anchorstamp.com/category/notary-stamps-michigan  

3) The remaining line of MI notary stamps are the Traditional wood-handle notary stamps, the Michigan notary traditional expiration stamp https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/michigan-notary-traditional-expiration-stamp and notary affidavit stamp https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/notary-traditional-affidavit-stamp . This is the least expensive, old-school, wood handle notary stamp. This product must be used with a notary stamp pad, sold separately.

We hope this informative article has helped you purchase your MI notary stamps. All Michigan notary supplies can be purchased here on our Michigan notary store,  https://www.anchorstamp.com/category/notary-seal-stamp-supplies-michiganAnchorstamp.com proudly ships Michigan notary orders the next business day, includes a free notary pen, and offers free shipping on notary orders of $50.00 or more.

Which Michigan notary seal should I purchase?

Experienced Michigan notaries know that there is nothing quite like a raised or embossed notary impression. Many clients will expect to see the raised notary seal as it makes them feel like the transaction is authentic and official. In some cases where documents go out of state, a notary seal is required. When notarizing in Michigan, we recommend purchasing a Michigan notary seal. Anchorstamp.com offers MI notary seals in most of our Michigan notary kits. It is important to purchase your Michigan notary seal from a company like Anchorstamp.com that manufacturers the seals on site. This will ensure quality and reduce the cost and delivery time of these important notary tools. Anchor Stamp uses the Shiny brand to create our line of quality Michigan notary embossers. Our Michigan notary seals are made of steel and built to last. Each Michigan notary embosser is engraved with pride and tested to meet the highest quality standards. All our Michigan notary seals can be purchased right here on our Michigan notary Store https://www.anchorstamp.com/category/notary-seal-michigan  

Anchor Stamp offers three kinds of Michigan notary seals. The first, and most popular is the MI notary pocket seal https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/notary-seal-michigan-pocket  The pocket seal is named so as it could fit right in your pocket and is preferred by notaries on the go. All our notary pocket seals include a free vinyl storage pouch. Anchorstamp.com offers a wide variety of notary seal upgrades and various color options including Black, Pink, Blue, and Red.

The next Michigan notary seal option is the Michigan notary desk seal https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/notary-seal-michigan-desk This notary desk seal features four rubber gripped feet for the seal to rest on top of your desk without slipping. The Michigan notary desk seal is great for higher volume embossing and made for the notary to leverage his/her weight as they seal.

The finest Michigan notary seal is the Michigan Notary Designer Desk Seal https://www.anchorstamp.com/products/michigan-notary-designer-desk-seal. The Michigan Designer notary desk seal is the most attractive and distinguished looking item a Michigan notary can purchase. This revolutionary design is tested and proven to reduce pressure by 30%. The steel-frame construction makes this Michigan notary embosser built to stand the test of time. Anchorstamp.com offers this beautiful seal in Black, Silver, and Gold.

We hope this article about Michigan notary seals has helped you purchase your MI notary seals. All Michigan notary supplies can be purchased here on our Michigan notary store, https://www.anchorstamp.com/category/notary-seal-stamp-supplies-michiganAnchorstamp.com proudly ships Michigan notary orders the next business day, includes a free notary pen, and offers free shipping on notary orders of $50.00 or more.