If a notary encounters a document with no notarial seal, what is the result?

When a notary encounters a document that lacks a notarial seal, the acknowledgment becomes invalid. The purpose of the notarial seal is to provide an official mark that establishes the authenticity of the notary’s signature and the validity of the acknowledgment itself. Without this seal, the notary's act of acknowledging the signature on the document cannot be officially recognized or authenticated, which undermines the legal weight and integrity of the document in question.

Additionally, acknowledging a document is a formal process that requires specific elements, including the notarial seal, to ensure it can be properly relied upon in a court setting or other legal circumstances. The absence of the seal means that the document cannot fulfill the legal requirements necessary for an official acknowledgment, resulting in its invalidation.