A Puerto Rico engineer seal must carry your name, the profession you practice, your licensed status, your license number and the words Puerto Rico. Every sealed document also needs your handwritten signature. Ley Num. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 names no size, shape or device type, and it leaves digital seals to the Board. This page covers the face, signing, sealed work, devices, digital seals and lapse.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Ley Num. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 (20 L.P.R.A. § 711k) and the Board of Examiners of Engineers and Land Surveyors. Sources read September 2026. Updated 8 November 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Your own name. | Ley Num. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 (20 L.P.R.A. § 711k) |
| Profession and licensed status | The profession you practice, and your standing as a licensee. | Ley Num. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 (20 L.P.R.A. § 711k) |
| License number | The number of your license. | Ley Num. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 (20 L.P.R.A. § 711k) |
| Place inscription | The words "Puerto Rico" on the face. | Ley Num. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 (20 L.P.R.A. § 711k) |
| Dimensions and outline | The statute gives neither a size nor a shape. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Device | No device type is named; the law refers to a seal or stamp and to signing, stamping or impressing. | Ley Num. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 |
| Handwritten signature | Required on the document on top of the seal. Seal and signature together certify that you did the work, or controlled and supervised its technical phase yourself. | Ley Num. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 (20 L.P.R.A. § 711k) |
| Documents covered | All graphic or written professional work you produce or authorize, from specifications and surveys to reports, designs and plans, for government or private clients. | Ley Num. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 |
| Suspension, inactivity, expiration or cancellation | Signing, stamping or sealing with your seal and signature is unlawful while the license is suspended or inactive, and after it expires or is permanently canceled. | Ley Num. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 |
| Digital seals | Delegated to the Board, which sets the terms for accepting digital or electronic signatures and seals. | Ley Num. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 (delegation) |
For the same rule in the other 53 jurisdictions, read professional engineer seal requirements by state.
What must a Puerto Rico engineer seal show?
Ley Num. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 (20 L.P.R.A. § 711k) supplies all five items. On the seal: your name, your profession, your licensed status, your license number and the words Puerto Rico.
- Name: the statute calls it su nombre propio, your own name.
- Profession: la profesión que ejerza, the profession you practice.
- Licensed status: su condición de licenciado, your status as a licensee.
- License number: in the statute, el número de su licencia.
- Inscription: the words Puerto Rico.
Treat the five items as the content checklist for any seal you order. Keep the licensed-status line in the statute's own terms rather than improvising a title, and copy the name and number from your license.
Does Puerto Rico law set a seal size or shape?
No. Ley Num. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 states neither a diameter nor a shape. The Puerto Rico engineer seal is manufactured at 2 inches, which is a production standard for this jurisdiction rather than a figure the law sets.
Treat the 2 inch build as the standard product, not as a legal specification. All five required items have to fit and stay readable at that size, so a long name or profession title is worth checking on a proof before production.
Which devices can apply a Puerto Rico engineer seal?
The statute does not choose one. Art. 16 speaks of a seal or stamp (un sello o timbre) and of signing, stamping or impressing documents, but it never names a particular device type such as an inked stamp or an embosser.
With no device named, the practical test is the impression itself: every one of the five items should read clearly on the finished document. Pick the device that gives you a clean, complete impression on the paper you actually use for sealed work.
Do you have to sign by hand as well as seal?
Yes. Beyond applying the seal, Art. 16 has the professional personally sign the document by hand. Without that handwritten signature the document is incomplete, whether the seal stands alone or a signature is added by some other method.
Plan for a handwritten signature on every sealed document. On large sets, that means building time for personal signing into the issue schedule rather than treating the seal impression as the final step.
What does sealing and signing certify in Puerto Rico?
It certifies that you did the work or that its technical phase was under your control and supervision. Art. 16 reads the seal and handwritten signature jointly as that certification, so using both declares who did or controlled the work.
The practical rule follows directly: seal and sign only work you did yourself or controlled and supervised through its technical phase. The certification attaches to the document the moment both are on it.
Which documents need a Puerto Rico engineer seal?
All professional work you prepare or authorize, whether graphic or written. Art. 16 lists specifications, surveys (mensuras), reports, designs, plans and similar documents, for government and private business both.
The list is illustrative rather than closed, since it ends with similar documents. A written report carries the same duty as a plan sheet, and a private commission carries the same duty as a public one.
Can you use a digital seal in Puerto Rico?
Art. 16 does not approve digital seals on its own terms. Instead it delegates: the Board determines how signatures and seals in cybernetic or digitized form will be accepted for the purposes of that section of the law.
The statute therefore gives no digital format directly, and the Board's determination is what governs. Before sealing an electronic file, confirm how the Board has exercised that power, because the statute alone does not answer the question.
When is using a Puerto Rico engineer seal unlawful?
During any period your license is suspended or inactive, and at any point after it expires or is permanently canceled. Art. 16 makes signing, stamping or sealing a document with your seal and signature unlawful in each of those situations.
Inactivity is on the list alongside suspension, so a license placed in inactive status stops your sealing rights just as surely. Keep the license active and current before any sealed set leaves your office.
Why does misuse of the seal carry extra weight?
Because the Act deems the engineer's seal a public seal. Misusing it is treated more seriously than a private misrepresentation would be, which raises the stakes of sealing during suspension or inactivity, or after expiration or cancellation.
In practice, treat every impression of the seal as an official act. The law gives it public standing, not the weight of a private mark of authorship.
What should you have ready when ordering a Puerto Rico engineer seal?
Your name, your profession, your license number, and the licensed-status line in the statute's terms. The inscription Puerto Rico is required on every seal, and the standard build is 2 inches, so neither needs input from you.
- Name: your own name, spelled as on your license.
- Profession: the one you practice under your license.
- License number: exactly as issued.
- Device: your choice, since the statute names none.
How do you check a Puerto Rico seal impression before use?
Stamp a test sheet and confirm all five required items appear and read clearly: your name, your profession, your licensed status, your license number and the words Puerto Rico. A missing or illegible item is the fault to catch.
Then sign the test sheet by hand, as you will on live documents, and check that the signature and seal sit together legibly on your title block.
Puerto Rico sets separate seal rules for other licensed professions too; see the Puerto Rico architect, landscape architect and land surveyor seal requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Can a colleague sign on my behalf?
No. The statute calls for the professional's own handwritten signature in addition to the seal, so the signature has to come from you personally.
Can I seal work that someone on my team prepared?
Only if it was done under your control and supervision of its technical phase. Sealing and signing certify exactly that, so the answer turns on your role in the work.
Does the seal duty apply to private-sector projects?
Yes. Art. 16 covers professional work prepared for private business just as it covers work prepared for government.
Can I seal documents while my license is inactive?
No. Art. 16 bars signing, stamping or sealing during inactivity, the same as during suspension.
Which body decides whether digital seals are accepted?
That authority belongs to the Board of Examiners of Engineers and Land Surveyors, which Art. 16 empowers to decide how digital signatures and seals are accepted.
When your details are ready, order from our Puerto Rico engineer seals and stamps collection, with all five statutory items on the face.
