Prior to October 26, 2017, PAN recommended that notaries who resigned their commissions should destroy their notary stamps. This suggestion also included notaries whose stamps were expired.

Now RULONA, the new notary law, clearly states "on resignation of a notary public commission or on the expiration of the date set forth in the stamping device, the notary public shall disable the stamping device by destroying, defacing, damaging, erasing or securing it against use in a manner which renders it unusable."

The personal representatives or guardians of notaries who pass away or are deemed "incompetent" are now, by law, required to render the notary stamp unusable by destroying, defacing, damaging, erasing or securing it against use by another person.

A notary stamp can be easily destroyed by prying off the rubber face and cutting it up with scissors. Likewise, an embossing seal can also be destroyed by prying off the metal face of the seal and smashing it with a hammer.