Care should be taken to protect and keep your seal secure. You should not allow anyone else to use your seal, and failure to protect its security may subject you to being liable for its misuse. This seal shall be kept in the circuits clerk's office and all ex officio notaries public may use it to authenticate any notarial act. A written or printed statement of the date your commission expires is required to be placed on each document you notarize. You should pay particular attention to that date because it will alert you to the date by which you can no longer act as a notary public.
Notary commissions expire four years from the date issued.
However, you may apply for a renewal commission before your old commission expires. Please do not submit this renewal application more than two months before your old commission expires. Every notary must keep a register of all official acts and give a certified copy of the record, or any part of it, to anyone applying for it and paying the legal fees for it. If your name is different due to a change in marital status, you may continue to use your present seal for the remainder of your commission adding the new name in parentheses after the former name. If you wish to resign your notary commission, send written confirmation to the Secretary of State's Office along with your notary commission and deposit your records with your circuit clerk.