Companies Act 2014 section 1017

Official seal for sealing securities

Section 1017 allows a public limited company (PLC) to have a separate official seal specifically for use on securities and related documents, and sets out how this interacts with older company instruments and share certificate requirements.

• A PLC may have an official seal that is a copy of its common seal with the word "Securities" or "Urrúis" added to its face, for use solely on securities and related documents.
• Companies incorporated before 3 April 1978 may use this securities seal regardless of anything stated in their constitutional or regulatory documents, including those made before that date.
• Where such older instruments require securities or related documents to be signed, that signing requirement does not apply if the documents are sealed with the official securities seal.
• Where a company holds such a securities seal, the share certificate provisions under section 99(1) apply as though the securities seal is treated in the same way as the common seal.