The statement 'A notary must never add to the notary's official signature the date of the expiration of the notary's commission' is true or false?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not required
• D. Not sure

Answer: (B)

The important point is that a notary’s commission expiration date is part of proving the notary’s current authority. In Texas, the expiration date is typically shown on the notarial certificate or on the notary’s seal/signature block so that anyone reviewing the notarization can confirm the notary was still commissioned at the time of notarization. Because of this, the statement that a notary must never add the expiration date to the notary’s official signature is false. Including the expiration date helps ensure the notarization is valid and defensible.

In practice, you’ll often see the certificate include a line like “My commission expires [date],” which is exactly the kind of information that confirms the notary’s status. If that date isn’t visible, the notarization could be questioned or rejected, so it’s standard and proper to include it.