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What is a corporate seal?

A corporate seal is a stamp or embossed seal (that leaves an indentation on the paper) that contains the name of the corporation.

Documents that are approved by the corporation are sometimes stamped or embossed with a corporate seal in order to confirm that the documents have been properly approved by the corporation.

Historically corporate seals were used on most contracts and share certificates. Today, they are not used as frequently but are occasionally requested by banks and land title offices on certain documents signed by an authorized director of the corporation.

The following is an example of a corporate seal for the fictitious company “Acme Widgets Inc.”:

Why aren’t corporate seals included in any of our incorporation packages?

We find that fewer than 1 in 10 corporations actually requires a corporate seal. Most contracts these days can be signed without the use of a corporate seal and most clients prefer to avoid the unnecessary expense. Many incorporation websites offer to sell you a corporate seal, suggesting that it is needed by all corporations. Given how few corporations actually require one, we don’t like this approach.

If you’re in an industry that requires the application of a corporate seal to your corporate documents (this is very rare in our experience), or would still like a corporate seal, let us know and we can order one on your behalf for an additional fee.

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