New York Notary Recordkeeping Rules: What to Record and How Long to Keep It (2026)

Since the Department of State's notary regulations took effect on January 25, 2023, every New York notary must keep a record of each notarial act, not only electronic notaries. The rule is 19 NYCRR Section 182.9. Records must be made at the time of the act and kept for at least 10 years, and they must be available to the Secretary of State if requested. Before 2023, New York had no general record requirement for traditional notaries, so older guides and some longtime notaries still say a journal is optional. It is not anymore.

For every notarial act, the record must show: 1. The date, approximate time, and type of notarial act (for example, acknowledgment or oath). 2. The name and address of each person for whom the act was performed. 3. The number and type of notarial services provided. 4. The type of credential used to identify the person, such as a New York driver's license or a U.S. passport, and the names of any witnesses who identified the person. 5. The verification procedures used for a personal appearance. 6. For an electronic notarial act, the communication technology used, along with the certification authority and verification providers. The regulation does not require a thumbprint or the signer's own signature in the record. That is different from California, which requires a journal signature and, for some documents, a thumbprint (see our California notary journal guide if you compare states). Many New York notaries ask for a signature anyway because it helps if a transaction is later challenged.

Here is what a complete traditional entry might look like: Date and time: October 6, 2026, about 2:15 p.m. Type of act: Acknowledgment Person: Jane Smith, 123 Main Street, Albany, NY 12207 Services: 1 acknowledgment (deed) Identification: New York State driver's license, examined front and back, current, photo and signature match Witnesses used: none Verification: personal appearance at my office For an electronic act you would add the platform used, the credential analysis and identity proofing providers, and where the session recording is stored. Notice what the entry does not need: the contents of the document. You record the act, not what the deed says.

Keep records for at least 10 years. The exam likes to offer 4 years (the commission term), 5 years or 7 years as distractors. The answer is 10. You can keep records on paper or electronically. The regulation also allows a third party to keep them for you, as long as the records are secured with a password or another secure means of authentication. That is how most electronic notarization platforms handle it. Whatever format you choose, records must be capable of being produced to the Secretary of State, and to others as necessary, in connection with your duties as a notary. If your employer keeps your notary records, make sure you can still get to them if you change jobs, because the duty is yours.

Registered electronic notaries have two more obligations on top of the six record items: 1. Make an audio-video recording of each electronic notarial act and keep it for at least 10 years from the date of the transaction. The Department also expects a backup of the recording. 2. Record the communication technology, certification authority and verification providers used for the act. The identity steps for a remote signer the notary does not personally know are also stricter: identity verification through the communication technology, credential analysis of the ID, and identity proofing by a third-party provider. The record should show that each step was done. An electronic notary must be physically in New York during the act, and must send the Department notice within 5 days of changing their email address.

Maintaining required records is listed in Part 182 alongside the other core duties: getting satisfactory evidence of identity, requiring personal appearance, and disqualifying yourself when you have an interest. The Secretary of State can suspend or remove a notary for misconduct, so skipping records puts the commission at risk. There is also a practical reason. If a deed you acknowledged is challenged years later, your record is the best evidence you have that the signer appeared, how you identified them, and when. A notary with no record has only their memory. These rules come up on the New York notary exam. To test yourself on recordkeeping along with fees, identification and the rest of the booklet, try the free New York notary practice exam, and see our New York notary exam guide for the other numbers worth memorizing.