I am new to notarizing, and when I got my stamp, I realized my signature would not fit within the stamp's border. Do you have to sign within that border? Should I sign under it? Or because I am already signing on a big line provided on the document, do I need to sign in the stamp border? — I.V., Michigan
You do not need to sign your signature within the border of your seal. In fact, if you use a seal, you should not sign within the seal border because, invariably, doing so would likely cover the information contained in the seal. “[T]he notary public shall not use the stamp, seal, or electronic process in a manner that renders anything illegible on the record being notarized” (MCL 55.287[3]).
For more guidelines, please see Step 5 in our article on how to notarize a document in 5 steps.
Hotline answers are based on the laws in the state where the question originated and may not reflect the laws of other states. If in doubt, always refer to your own state statutes. – The Editors
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