Savings Bond Signature Certification: Notary, Certifying Officer or Medallion Stamp?

Savings bond signature certification, which means signing an FS form in front of a person Treasury accepts, is required under 31 CFR 353.58 whenever the form's instructions say so.

FS Form 1522 (Revised April 2026) asks for it only when the bonds' total current redemption value, what they are worth today including interest, is more than $1,000. Three kinds of seal or stamp are used: a notary seal where the form allows one, a financial institution seal or stamp, and a medallion stamp.

ClaimMyBonds is a private guide, not the government, and it does not certify signatures. Every FS form is free from TreasuryDirect, and this page shows which form accepts which certifier.

What Is a Savings Bond Certifying Officer?

A savings bond certifying officer is a person authorized under 31 CFR 353.55 to watch you sign a Treasury savings bond form, confirm your identity and add an official seal or stamp, for example an officer or employee of a US bank or another depository institution such as a trust company or credit union. TreasuryDirect describes them as officers and employees of depository institutions.

A notary public, a person a state commissions to witness signatures, counts only "in certain cases (a form that allows this will say so)," according to TreasuryDirect.

Parallel rules exist in 31 CFR 315.55 for Series E, H and other older series and Savings Notes, and in 31 CFR 360.55 for paper Series I. Each form states its own rule, so the form in your hands decides which certifier you need. Our hub on savings bond forms lists them.

The table below sums up the rules.

Sources: 31 CFR 353.55 to 353.58 (eCFR as of November 9, 2026); TreasuryDirect signature certification page and FS Form 1522 (Revised April 2026), as of November 11, 2026.

Who Can Certify Your Signature on a Savings Bond Form (31 CFR 353.55)

31 CFR 353.55 names bank officers first, then federal, military, hospital and overseas officials, and a notary joins them where a form allows one. The groups below summarize the regulation, and the regulation text is the full list.

1. Bank and trust company officers: officers of US banks and trust companies, and employees authorized as "Designated Employee", with the corporate seal or paying agent stamp.
2. Other banking institutions: officers of Federal Home Loan Bank System members, such as federal savings and loan associations, and of Federal Reserve Banks, Federal Land Banks and Federal Home Loan Banks.
3. Series EE issuing agents: officers of non-bank issuing agents.
4. Court and federal officials: judges, clerks and deputy clerks of US courts, US Commissioners, US Attorneys and certain Internal Revenue Service officials.
5. Armed Forces officers: commissioned or warrant officers, with rank shown.
6. Veterans, prison and hospital officers: officers of Veterans Administration facilities, federal prisons and Public Health Service hospitals, in limited cases.
7. Officials in particular localities: the Governor and Treasurer of Puerto Rico, officials in the Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa, and Panama Canal Commission officers.
8. Notaries: a notary public, only where the form says so.

The Commissioner of the Bureau of the Fiscal Service can also make special arrangements where no certifying officer is readily accessible. TreasuryDirect also lists officers of corporate central credit unions and Fiscal Service designees.

For a court official, TreasuryDirect states: "We require the seal of a U.S. court." (31 CFR 353.55 itself sets no seal rule for court officials.)

Certifying Signatures Outside the United States

Outside the United States, a US diplomatic or consular representative or an officer of a foreign branch of a US bank certifies your signature (31 CFR 353.55(c)). The regulation allows a foreign notary only when neither is available, and a US consular officer must then certify the notary's official character.

TreasuryDirect's page on paper bonds outside the USA lists a notary or other official authorized to administer oaths, and asks for consular attestation if the country is not in the Hague Convention.

When cashing US savings bonds from outside the United States, US citizens add a citizenship statement and a Social Security number, and non-citizens add IRS Form W-8BEN (a tax form for non-US persons).

Notary, Certifying Officer or Medallion Stamp: What Each Savings Bond Form Accepts

Every FS form states its own certification rule in its signature instructions, and the 26 forms below fall into four groups: notary or certifying officer, certifying officer only, certifying officer named without a word on notaries, and no certification block. Read the rule on the current revision shown below.

Source: form PDFs at treasurydirect.gov/forms/, downloaded November 11, 2026.

Savings Bond Forms You Can Have Notarized

Yes, seven FS forms accept a notary public, the state-commissioned witness described above. They are FS Form 1522 (above $1,000), 1048, 2243, 4000, 1851, 5444 and 5336, the last only when the transaction is for paper savings bonds alone.

FS Form 5336 says "if your transaction is for paper savings bonds only, you can appear before a notary or a certifying officer". Older copies of FS Form 1522 that call a notary "not acceptable" are superseded, so hold the April 2026 revision.

Savings Bond Forms That Need a Certifying Officer

Nine forms reject a notary in their own text: FS Form 1455, 5394, 1050, 2513, 3062-4, 4239, 5446, 5511 and 5512. FS Form 5394, for example, states: "Certification by a notary isn't acceptable."

Two of them, FS Form 1455 and FS Form 5394, are estate forms, so an heir needs a certifying officer. Five more forms, FS Form 5188, 0385, 1849, 3565 and 2966, name only a certifying officer, and this page claims nothing about notaries for them.

Medallion Signature Guarantees on Savings Bond Forms

A medallion signature guarantee is a stamp from a Treasury-recognized signature guarantee program: STAMP (Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program), SEMP (Stock Exchange Medallion Program) or MSP (New York Stock Exchange, Inc. Medallion Signature Program).

Nine FS forms list a medallion stamp among their acceptable certifications: FS Form 1522, 1048, 1050, 1851, 2243, 4000, 5188, 5336 and 5394. Each says an original signature is required if a medallion stamp is used, and FS Form 5394 lists the stamp even though it rejects a notary.

FS Form 1522 adds: "If a Medallion stamp is used, an original signature is required." 31 CFR 360.56(c) accepts a STAMP medallion stamp as an official seal for paper Series I bonds.

TreasuryDirect's signature certification page says medallion members "may only certify security transfers", but the form you are signing governs. For a form not listed above, call Treasury Retail Securities Services (844-284-2676) before you rely on a medallion stamp.

When a Savings Bond Form Needs No Signature Certification

FS Form 1522 needs no signature certification when the bonds' total current redemption value is $1,000 or less. You sign it and enclose a current copy of your driver's license, passport, state ID or military ID.

Value decides, not face value. A $500 Series EE bond issued in January 1990 is worth $1,036.80 in redemption month November 2026 (Fiscal Data Savings Bonds Value Files), so a form for that one bond needs certification.

That bond stopped earning interest at final maturity on January 1, 2020. Our savings bond calculator totals your bonds.

Five forms have no certification block or add one only as an attachment: FS Form 5396, 2490, 3500, 5456 and 2778-1 (extra certification boxes). Whether the $1,000 total counts per form or per envelope is not established, so this page states only the total.

How to Get a Savings Bond Form Certified

Getting a savings bond form certified takes five steps, and the first is to read the form's own signature instructions.

1. Check the certification block of the current revision in the table above and, for FS Form 1522, total the current redemption value.
2. Find a certifier the form accepts: an officer at a bank, trust company or credit union (FS Publication 0107 says they are "available at a bank, trust company, or credit union"), a notary where the form allows one, a US court clerk with the court seal, or an Armed Forces officer if you serve.
3. Bring the unsigned form and identification.
4. Sign in ink in the certifier's presence, and use an original signature if a medallion stamp is used.
5. Mail the form to Treasury Retail Securities Services, the Treasury office that processes paper bonds: P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150; phone 844-284-2676 (toll free), Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm ET.

The forms cost nothing on TreasuryDirect, and Treasury Retail Securities Services states that it charges no fees. Postage, and a notary where one is used, can cost money, so ask the certifier about any charge.

What the Certifying Officer Checks and Is Liable For

The certifying officer confirms who you are and that you signed, and under 31 CFR 353.56(b) the officer and the organization "will be held fully responsible for the adequacy of the identification".

On FS Form 1522 an agent stamp shows the agent's name, location and a 4-digit ID or 9-digit routing number, and a bank address stamp is not acceptable on FS Form 5444.

Certification does not verify the bond's value or the presenter's entitlement, according to the Federal Reserve Banks' savings bond redemptions FAQ.

Who May Not Certify Your Signature

A person may not certify your request if they have or will acquire an interest in the bonds (31 CFR 353.57).

A bank officer who is also an heir to the bonds, or who will receive the money, has such an interest. ClaimMyBonds never certifies signatures, and the section on paid helpers and bond finders below explains who cannot sign for you.

Signature by Mark, Powers of Attorney and Certified Copies

An owner who signs with a mark (an X) needs one disinterested witness and a certifying officer (31 CFR 353.40(b)).

An attorney-in-fact, the person a power of attorney names to act for the owner, submits a copy of that power of attorney that is certified or notarized under state law (31 CFR 353.40(d)), or uses FS Form 5188 (Rev. April 2026), which is signed before a certifying officer.

A "certified copy" is a different thing from signature certification. Death certificates must be certified by a state or local registrar, although a photocopy is fine if the seal is legible, and letters of appointment, the court papers naming an estate's representative, must be dated within one year. The table below shows five situations.

Sources: 31 CFR 353.40, 353.60, 353.71(a)(2); FS Publication 0105 (revised March 2025); TreasuryDirect forms page, as of November 11, 2026.

Signature Certification and Related Savings Bond Topics

Signature certification is one step in every FS form procedure, and two neighbors cover paid helpers and electronic bonds.

Paid Helpers and Bond Finders Cannot Sign or Certify for You

Treasury pays a savings bond only to the registered owner or another entitled person (31 CFR 353.39(b)). A finder or paid helper cannot sign your form or certify your signature.

The FTC Impersonation Rule (16 CFR Part 461, effective April 1, 2024) bars anyone from posing as a government agency such as Treasury or a state. ClaimMyBonds is a private company, not the government. Treasury pays only the entitled person, whatever savings bond recovery services promise.

Certification on TreasuryDirect Forms for Electronic Bonds

FS Form 5511, 5512 and 5446 need a certifying officer ("Notary certification is not acceptable."), while FS Form 5444, the account authorization, accepts a certifying officer or a notary but not a bank address stamp.

Estate transfers with FS Form 5511 are one part of a deceased owner's TreasuryDirect account.

Savings Bond Signature Certification FAQ

Can a Notary Certify FS Form 1522?

Yes. FS Form 1522 (Rev. April 2026) accepts a notary or certifying officer when the total current redemption value is more than $1,000, and it needs neither at $1,000 or less with an ID copy. Copies saying a notary is not acceptable are superseded.

Does Signature Certification Cost Anything?

Treasury charges nothing: every FS form is free on TreasuryDirect, and Treasury Retail Securities Services states that it charges no fees.

Can a Relative Who Works at a Bank Certify Your Signature?

Not if they have or will acquire an interest in the bonds (31 CFR 353.57). The rule bars the conflict, not the family tie.

Is a Medallion Signature Guarantee the Same as Signature Certification?

Not always. A medallion stamp is one accepted kind of certification on nine FS forms (1522, 1048, 1050, 1851, 2243, 4000, 5188, 5336 and 5394), each requiring an original signature, although TreasuryDirect says medallion members "may only certify security transfers". On a form not listed, ask Treasury first.

Does Certification Prove You Own the Bond?

No. Certification confirms your identity and signature, not the bond's value or your right to it, according to the Federal Reserve Banks' savings bond redemptions FAQ.

Rules checked November 11, 2026, against the Treasury sources named above; see our methodology.