A newly incorporated company has a long list of first purchases, and "company stamp" and "common seal" often appear on the same line. They are different things, neither is legally required, and you may need only one. Here is how to decide, and how to order a matching pair if you want both.

Step 1: decide what you need

  • A company stamp is for everyday paperwork: invoices, delivery orders, letters, and many bank and government forms. Most companies use one, even though it is optional; see is a company stamp mandatory.
  • A common seal is for a few formal documents, such as share certificates and deeds, and has been optional since 2017. Consider one if your constitution provides for a seal, if you plan to seal share certificates, or if a bank or partner asks for one; see when a company still uses a common seal.

If in doubt, start with the stamp. You can add a seal later, and both are designed from the same details.

Step 2: decide how many

  • Stamps are ordered in quantities of 2 to 10. Two cover most new companies: one in daily use and a spare, or one each for two people who handle paperwork. Branches and departments may need more; see stamps for branches and departments.
  • Pocket Seal: one is usually enough, and you can order 1 or 2.

Step 3: design once, order both

Use the same design for both, so the stamp and the seal clearly belong to the same company:

  1. On the buy page, design your stamp: registered name, UEN, border and icons. Choose its ink colour and size; 22mm suits most companies (see the sizes guide).
  2. Click Add to cart. You stay on the page, with your design still filled in.
  3. Switch Product to Pocket Seal (Common Seal). Your design stays as it is; the size becomes 35mm and the ink colour disappears, because the seal has no ink.
  4. Choose 1 or 2 seals and click Add to cart again.

What it costs

Prices include GST. For example, two 22mm stamps at S$30 each and one Pocket Seal at S$70, with Cheapest delivery at S$25, come to S$155. The delivery fee is charged once per order: S$25 for Cheapest, or S$35 if any item is set to Fastest. Prices are current at the time of writing; the buy page always shows the latest.

Delivery

An order that includes a Pocket Seal is delivered by courier across Singapore. (Free self-collection from our Novena office is offered only for orders made up entirely of 20mm or 22mm stamps in black, blue or red ink.) The buy page shows a live estimated delivery date for each speed. Working to a deadline such as a bank appointment? Read Fastest vs Cheapest delivery.

Before you check out

For everything else a new company needs, work through the new company stamp checklist, and read what a Pocket Seal is for the details of the seal.