Can a New York notary notarize on Sunday?

Yes. A New York notary can notarize any day of the week, Sunday included. There is one narrow historical exception the booklet keeps alive: an affidavit or deposition can be taken on a Sunday, but a court paper cannot be served on that same Sunday. For ordinary notarizations, the day of the week does not matter.

The trap on the exam

People assume "no notary work on Sunday" like the old blue laws. The exam uses the Sunday angle as a trap around depositions and service of process, not around whether you can notarize at all. Know the narrow carve-out and don’t over-apply it.

A real example

A client needs an affidavit sworn on a Sunday afternoon before a Monday filing. You can administer the oath and complete the jurat that Sunday. What can’t happen that Sunday is serving the resulting court process, a separate act that isn’t yours to do anyway.

Remember it as Notarize any day. The Sunday rule is about serving papers, not notarizing.

What the law says

The booklet’s definitional and depositions material addresses the Sunday distinction: a deposition or affidavit may be taken on Sunday, while service of process is restricted. Nothing in the License Law bars notarizing on Sundays generally.

Source: NY DOS Notary Public License Law

Walker's Notary is an independent study course. We are not affiliated with the New York Department of State. This answer traces to the current License Law publication; always confirm against the official source before you rely on it.