The notary seal is a stamp to say “Hey! I’m a notary! And I was here when she signed the paper, so it’s really her signature.”
Then the Authentication process says “Yup. Sure as I stand here, this notary is for real. He took the class, passed the test, and he didn’t buy his notary seal at the corner market. So! He must have really seen her sign it, so I officially Authenticate this notary, the notary seal, the signatures and the document as valid.
The actual EXPIRATION of the notary ONLY means something if it has already expired. That’s why all documents signed by you and the notary have the date that it was signed – as proof that the seal was valid at the time of signing.
For any country or agency that REQUIRES at least one year for expiration should probably re-check their rules. DOCUMENTS expire after a year because your financial situation, your mental stability, and household situation can change dramatically in one year. It has nothing to do with whether or not the notary’s commission expires. The notary is ONLY verifying that you – not someone else – signed the document in front of them. Just because their stamp expires in 2 months does not mean that in two months you did NOT sign the document in front of a notary.
As long as the notary's commission has not yet expired, YES! IT'S GOOD! You will need to have the document Authenticated at the Alabama Secretary of State office instead of Texas'. HOWEVER! If the document was CERTIFIED in the state of Alabama (such as a Birth Certificate or Divorce Decree), you will NOT need to get it Authenticated. It's fine the way it is.