Stamp and seal glossary
What each term means, and where the meaning changes depending on which country you are in. A company seal is optional in one jurisdiction and expected in another, and most definitions online pick one and write as though it applied everywhere.
- Company seal
- A mark carrying a company’s registered name, used to show that a document was issued by that company.
- Common seal
- The formal seal of a company, historically pressed into paper to execute a deed.
- Corporate seal
- A company seal, in American usage.
- Company chop
- The company seal, in East and Southeast Asian usage, where it often carries more authority than a signature.
- Rubber stamp
- A hand stamp with a moulded rubber die, inked from a pad and pressed onto paper.
- Self-inking stamp
- A rubber stamp with a built-in ink pad that re-inks the die after each impression.
- Digital stamp
- A stamp that exists as an image file, placed onto a document on screen rather than pressed onto paper.
- E-stamp
- A digital stamp. Note that in India the same word also means something entirely different.
- Stamp duty
- A tax on certain documents, unrelated to the physical stamp used to mark them.
- Notary seal
- The seal of a notary public, carrying their name, commission number and jurisdiction.
- Commissioner for oaths
- A person authorised to administer oaths and take affidavits, whose stamp carries their commission details.
- Affidavit stamp
- The stamp applied to a sworn written statement, recording who took the oath and when.
- Certified true copy stamp
- A stamp declaring that a copy has been checked against the original and matches it.
- Date stamp
- A stamp whose main content is a date, used to record when a document was received, paid or processed.
- Received stamp
- A stamp marking that a document arrived, and when.
- Transparent PNG
- An image with no background, so whatever is underneath shows through.
- SVG
- A vector image format that stays sharp at any size.
- Serial number
- A number that increments with each use, so one impression can be told from another.
- Embossed seal
- A seal pressed into paper to raise the design, leaving no ink.
- Wax seal
- A blob of melted wax stamped with a die, historically used to close and authenticate a letter.
- Ring text
- Text that curves around the edge of a round seal.
- LLC stamp
- A seal for a US limited liability company, carrying the name exactly as filed with the state.