Company seal and rubber stamp

What's included

• Metal embossing seal (common seal) with company name and number
• Self-inking rubber stamp with company name and number
• Check of your exact registered name and number at Companies House
• Proof sent to you by email for approval
• Production and packing
• Posting to a UK address

Does my company need a seal?

No, not by law. For companies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, section 45 of the Companies Act 2006 says: "A company may have a common seal, but need not have one." For Scotland, section 48 says a company "need not have a company seal". Documents can be validly signed by directors instead.

So why order one? In practice, a seal or stamp is still expected in some situations:

• some banks and payment providers, especially outside the UK, ask for company documents to be stamped
• foreign authorities, embassies and business partners in some countries expect a stamp on contracts, invoices and letters
• some companies' articles of association refer to using a seal for certain documents, such as share certificates

If you are not sure whether you need one, ask the bank or authority that has asked for your documents. Many clients order a seal and stamp when they open a bank account abroad, register with a foreign tax office or sign contracts with partners in countries where stamped documents are normal business practice.

A seal or stamp does not replace a signature. Company documents are normally signed by a director, and in some cases by two directors or a director and a witness.

What you get

• Metal embossing seal: a hand-held press that leaves a raised impression of your company name and number on paper. This is the traditional "common seal".
• Self-inking rubber stamp: an ink stamp with your company name and number, useful for everyday documents, invoices and delivery notes.

Both show your full registered company name and company number exactly as they appear at Companies House.

How it works

1. Order online and give us your company name and number.
2. We check the exact name and number on the Companies House register.
3. We email you a proof of the design.
4. You approve it, and we produce the seal and stamp.
5. We post them to you. UK delivery usually takes 3–5 working days.

For addresses outside the UK, we send them with our international courier service, which is charged separately.

Before you order

Make sure your company name is final. If you are planning a change of company name, wait until the change is registered, or the seal will show the old name.

If your articles of association mention a seal, check whether they set rules for using it, for example that the directors must authorise each use. Keep a record of each document you seal, alongside your company records. Our Company Minute Book has space for this.

Common mistakes

• Ordering a seal with a shortened or slightly different company name
• Assuming a stamp makes a document legally valid without a director's signature
• Leaving the seal where anyone can use it
• Ordering before a name change is registered

Frequently asked questions

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