I’m in Vermont, but this is a general question. The last day a Vermont notary commission is valid is January 31, 2025, and every 2 years thereafter. That’s right, they all expire on the last day. If I don’t renew my commission, I can perform notarizations up until 11:59 PM January 31.
So on my notarial certificates, should I write my commission expires January 31, 2025, because that’s the last day my commission is in force? Or should I write February 1, 2025, because that’s the first day my commission isn’t in force?
In my state the date does not have to be on the notary stamp, and it isn’t on mine. And before you suggest it, there is no notary handbook. The state website does not have any examples of filled-in notarial certificates.
Here I always used the last day of my commission - it clearly states “My commission expires on …” - so if your commission expires on 1/31 every two years, you use the date stated on your commission - January 31 of whatever year.
Another FYI
Well, per Vermont SOS:
"If a notary public chooses not to affix an official stamp to a record, the notary public shall clearly print or type the following:
Full name of notary public
Date (date of notarial act)
Jurisdiction (state and county)
Name of person signing record
Title of office of the notary public (“notary public”)
Date of expiration of the notary public’s commission"
I just re-read my commission and the exact wording about expiration is:
Expires:
Jan 31, 2025
So the safest thing is to write Jan 31, 2025. I’ve been doing that, just to be safe, so it turns out I was doing the right thing all along. (Of course other formats, like 01/31/2025 are fine too, as far as I’m concerned.)
