Common Seal / Company Seal

Incorporator will not provide a common seal (this is the same thing as a company seal) as companies are no longer required to have them - section 123(1) of the Corporations Act 2001.

However, a company may have a common seal if it wants one - section 123(1) of the Corporations Act 2001. Company seals can generally be obtained from rubber stamp makers at minimal cost and at short notice.

If a company chooses to have a common seal, the seal must show the company’s name and its ACN (Australian Company Number), or, if the last 9 digits of the company's ABN (Australian Business Number) are the same as, and appear in the same order as, the 9 digits of the company's ACN, its ABN - section 123(1) of the Corporations Act 2001.

A company may also have a duplicate common seal if it wants - section 123(2) of the Corporations Act 2001. The duplicate common seal must be a copy of the common seal with the words ‘duplicate seal’, ‘share seal’ or ‘certificate seal’ added.