Company seal
A mark carrying a company’s registered name, used to show that a document was issued by that company.
A company seal carries the registered name of the company, usually curved around a ring, often with the registration number and the year of incorporation.
Whether it is required varies sharply. The UK made the common seal optional under the Companies Act 2006, and several jurisdictions followed. In much of Africa, South Asia, the Gulf and East Asia it is still expected on commercial contracts, and a document arriving without one gets sent back.
Where it is not legally required it remains useful as everyday evidence of which company issued a document.
Related terms
- 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.