印信條例

The issuance and use of official seals shall be in accordance with this Act.

1Types of official seals are as follows:

21. National seal.

32. Permanent organization seal.

43. Temporary/special organization seal.

54. Office seal.

65. Name seal.

1The material and form of official seals shall be as follows:

21. Material: National seals shall be made of jade; permanent organization seals of the President and the five Yuans shall be made of silver; office seals of the President, Vice President, and five Yuan presidents shall be made of ivory or silver; other permanent organization seals, temporary/special organization seals, and office seals shall be made of copper. However, wood or aluminum may be used temporarily to adapt seals to local conditions, and horn may be used temporarily to make office seals; name seals shall be made of wood.

32. Form: National seals shall be square in shape with the national emblem engraved on top of the knob; permanent organization seals and office seals shall be square in shape with a straight handle; temporary/special organization seals and name seals shall be rectangle in shape with a straight handle. However, office seals made of ivory shall be in the shape of a square cylinder.

4The characters on official seals listed in subparagraphs 1 to 5 of the preceding article shall be zhuan script cut in relief.

The dimensions of official seals shall be in accordance with the attached table. Seals not specified in the attached table shall have the same dimensions as official seals used by agencies at the equivalent level.

The national seals and the President's permanent organization seal and office seal shall be given by the president of the Legislative Yuan to the President of the R.O.C. during the presidential inauguration. The same shall apply to the office seal of the Vice President of the R.O.C.

1The official seals of central and local government agencies shall be issued by the Office of the President if the head of the agency is junior rank or above. If the head of the agency is elementary rank, the seal shall be issued in the specified form by the supervisory ministerial agency, or the provincial (municipal) / county (city) government.

2If a permanent organization seal or temporary/special organization seal is issued by the Office of the President, that agency's head and deputy head may issue office seals. If a permanent organization seal or temporary/special organization seal is not issued by the Office of the President, but the agency’s special or senior rank official/appointee needs to use an office seal, the office seal may be issued by the Office of the President. The office seal of junior level government officials or lower may be issued in the specified form by the central supervisory ministerial agency, or the provincial (municipal) government.

3Permanent agencies shall issue permanent organization seals, while temporary or special agencies shall issue temporary/special organization seals.

For official seals of local government agencies or officials in remote areas, or if there is insufficient time to petition that the President issue official seals, the direct superior agency may temporarily issue official seals in the specified form, report the issuance to the President for future reference, and request that the official seals be reissued.

1If the commanding officer of a military agency, military school, or military unit is a general or admiral, the permanent organization seal or temporary/special organization seal and the commanding officer’s office seal shall be issued by the Office of the President. If the commanding officer is the rank of colonel, navy captain or below, the Ministry of National Defense shall determine the issuing agency for the permanent organization seal, temporary/special organization seal, and the commanding officer’s office seal according to the principles of delegated military powers and responsibilities.

2If the Ministry of National Defense deems it necessary for its directly subordinate level-one staff organizations and those of its highest-level command headquarters to use official seals due to the nature of their operations, their official seals may be handled according to the preceding paragraph.

3For permanent organization seals, temporary/special organization seals, and office seals that shall be issued by the Office of the President in accordance with the preceding two paragraphs, if there is insufficient time to issue the seals due to special circumstances, the Ministry of National Defense may temporarily issue official seals in the specified form, report the issuance to the President for future reference, and request that the official seals be reissued.

4The Ministry of National Defense shall establish the principles for the issuance and use of permanent organization seals, temporary/special organization seals, and office seals that are issued temporarily or with direct authority by the Ministry of National Defense, or by an issuing agency determined by the Ministry of National Defense in accordance with the preceding three paragraphs. The principles shall be submitted to the President for approval and implementation.

If a civil servant at the senior rank or above, or a military chief of staff at the rank of general or admiral, is required to use office seals to perform their duties, an application may be submitted to the President to approve the issuance of an office seal. If it is necessary for the official to issue external documents, the President may be petitioned to approve the issuance of a permanent organization seal or a temporary/special organization seal.

For the issuance of permanent organization seals or temporary/special organization seals for local legislative bodies, the rules for government agencies at an equivalent level shall apply; the same shall apply to the issuance of the office seal for the head of the local legislative body.

1The official seals of public schools at the junior college level and above, and of national public educational and cultural institutions, shall be issued by the Office of the President; the official seals of national high schools and junior high schools shall be issued by the Ministry of Education; the official seals of provincial (municipal) high schools and junior high schools, and public educational and cultural institutions of an equivalent level, shall be issued by the provincial (municipal) government; the official seals of public elementary schools and county/city/township public educational and cultural institutions shall be issued by the county (city) government. The official seals of private schools at the junior college level and above, and of national private educational and cultural institutions, shall be issued by the Ministry of Education. The official seals of other private schools and educational and cultural institutions shall be handled in accordance with the preceding paragraph.

2The material, form, and dimensions of official seals of private schools at all levels and educational and cultural institutions shall be the same as public schools and institutions.

1If the head of operations at a state-owned enterprise is at the rank of junior level or above according to organic law, and is appointed by the President, the permanent organization seal or temporary/special organization seal and office seal shall be issued by the Office of the President; if the position is appointed by the supervising Yuan or ministerial agency according to organic regulations the temporary/special organization seal and office seal shall be issued by the supervising Yuan or ministerial agency.

2The temporary/special organization seals and office seals of province (municipality)/county (city)-owned enterprises shall be issued by the provincial (municipal) or county (city) government.

3The name seals of public enterprises established in accordance with the Company Act shall be issued by the competent authority, and their material, form, and dimensions shall be in accordance with this Act. The name seals of branches shall be issued by the head office of public enterprises and reported for future reference.

If it is necessary to issue official seals for special agencies or official positions in Mongolia and Tibet, the official seals may be issued according to this Act or according to usual practice.

1The name seals of national civil organizations shall be issued by the Ministry of the Interior; the name seals of provincial (municipal) civil organizations shall be issued by the social affairs agency of the provincial (municipal) government; the name seals of county/city/township civil organizations shall be issued by the county (city) government.

2The name seals of privately-owned companies shall be issued by the companies themselves and reported to the competent authority for future reference. The material, form, and dimensions of the name seals shall be in accordance with this Act.

3The official seals of private enterprises shall be issued by private enterprises themselves in the same manner as name seals, and reported to the competent authority for future reference. There are no limits on the material, form, and dimensions of official seals for private enterprises.

1Provisions on the use of official seals are as follows:

21. National seal: The Seal of the Republic of China is affixed to diplomatic documents issued by the President. The Seal of Honor is affixed to letters of commendation issued by the President.

32. Permanent organization seal and temporary/special organization seal: Permanent organization seals are affixed to the official documents of permanent government agencies and organizations; temporary/special organization seals are affixed to the official documents of temporary/special government agencies and organizations.

43. Office seal: Affixed on petitions, submissions of various securities and reports for approval, and other official documents.

54. Name seal: Affixed on documents for official business or various certificates.

1Official seals already in use before the enactment of this Act may continue to be used. However, official seals that do not comply with this Act shall be replaced within one year.

2Regulations for the issuance, use, management, and replacement of official seals, and the handing in of replaced or old seals, shall be determined by an order.

This Act shall enter into force on the date of promulgation.