Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Holly R, VP of Sales and Marketing at Acorn Sales, against la Junta Examinadora de Arquitectos y Arquitectos Paisajistas de Puerto Rico (the Board of Examiners of Architects and Landscape Architects of Puerto Rico), within the Departamento de Estado and Ley Núm. 173 de 12 de agosto de 1988, Art. 16 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
A Puerto Rico architect seal expires on its own face. Reglamento Núm. 7717, Art. XIII requires the seal to carry “la fecha de expiración,” the expiration date, alongside your own name, the profession written as Arquitecto, your license serial number and the words Puerto Rico. Unlike a mainland seal, which stays accurate for a career, this one has to be replaced each renewal cycle. Budget for it.
The mainland format does not fit here, and it is more useful to say so than to force it. Ley Núm. 173 de 1988 licenses an arquitecto licenciado through a Junta Examinadora sitting inside the Departamento de Estado rather than a free-standing architects’ board of the US type, and Art. 2 conditions practice on active membership in a compulsory professional college, the Colegio de Arquitectos y Arquitectos Paisajistas de Puerto Rico, which has no US-state analogue. The operative texts are in Spanish, and English secondary summaries of Puerto Rico seal rules should not be relied on.
The device is circular and two inches in diameter, and the regulation closes the face against everything else in terms: “El sello no contendrá ninguna otra información, ni contenido, emblema o escudo alguno.” No other information, no content, no emblem and no coat of arms. The Commonwealth shield belongs on the Junta’s own official seal, described in the same article, and not on yours.
Puerto Rico architect seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Puerto Rico rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | Ley Núm. 173 de 12 de agosto de 1988, Art. 16 |
| Required elements | Your own name (nombre propio); The profession you practice, written as Arquitecto; Your license serial number (número de serie de su licencia); The words Puerto Rico; The expiration date (la fecha de expiración) | Reglamento Núm. 7717, Art. XIII |
| Size and shape | Circular, two inches in diameter. | Reglamento Núm. 7717, Art. XIII |
| Device allowed | The regulation does not specify a device type. | Reglamento Núm. 7717, Art. XIII |
| Signature and date | A handwritten signature, and it is the professional’s own hand that is required: Art. 16 requires the professional to sign the document “con su puño y letra.” Stamping the seal and signing certifies that the work was done by the professional or under the professional’s control and supervision. | Ley Núm. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 |
| What must be sealed | All professional work, graphic or written, that the licensee makes or authorizes, including specifications, surveys, reports, designs, plans and analogous documents, prepared for the Government or for private enterprise. | Ley Núm. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 |
| Electronic seal | The Act delegates the question and the delegation has not been read here. | Ley Núm. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 (delegated to the Junta |
| Renewal and lapse | Art. 16 prohibits signing or stamping during suspension, during inactivity and after the license has expired. | Ley Núm. 173 de 1988, Art. 16 |
| Firm requirements | The mainland certificate of authorization model does not apply. | Ley Núm. 173 de 1988, Arts. 2, 16 |
| Regulator | La Junta Examinadora de Arquitectos y Arquitectos Paisajistas de Puerto Rico (the Board of Examiners of Architects and Landscape Architects of Puerto Rico), within the Departamento de Estado | Ley Núm. 173 de 12 de agosto de 1988, Ley para Crear la Junta Examinadora de Ingenieros, Arquitectos, Agrimensores y Arquitectos Paisajistas de Puerto Rico, Arts. 2, 13 and 16, read in Spanish from the official PDF hosted at docs.pr.gov by the Departamento de Estado |
Is a seal required in Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico does not fit the mainland format and it is more useful to say so than to force it. There is no architect and no registered architect in the US sense; the statute licenses an arquitecto licenciado, the Junta is an examining board inside the Departamento de Estado rather than a self-standing licensing board, and practice additionally requires active membership in a compulsory professional college with no US-state analogue. On the seal itself the law is clear. Art. 16 of Ley Núm. 173 de 12 de agosto de 1988 requires every professional licensed by the Junta to keep and stamp, where required, on all professional work, graphic or written, that the professional makes or authorizes, including specifications, surveys, reports, designs, plans and analogous documents, whether prepared for the Government or for private enterprise, “un sello o timbre de diseño especial autorizado por la Junta.”
What must appear on the seal
- Your own name (nombre propio)
- The profession you practice, written as Arquitecto
- Your license serial number (número de serie de su licencia)
- The words Puerto Rico
- The expiration date (la fecha de expiración)
The regulation closes the face against everything else, in terms: “El sello no contendrá ninguna otra información, ni contenido, emblema o escudo alguno.” No other information, no content, no emblem and no coat of arms. That rules out the seal of the Commonwealth, a firm logo, a CAAPPR emblem and an NCARB number. The statute at Art. 16 also requires the professional’s condition as a licensee to appear, alongside the name, profession, license number and the inscription Puerto Rico. And the regulation bars the device entirely for those not yet licensed: “Ningún profesional en entrenamiento podrá utilizar sello alguno.”
Size and shape
Circular, two inches in diameter. Reglamento Núm. 7717, Art. XIII prescribes “un sello o timbre circular de dos (2) pulgadas de diámetro” for the licensed professional. Note that the same article separately describes the Junta’s own official seal, a circular device with the seal of the Commonwealth at the center and the words JUNTA EXAMINADORA DE ARQUITECTOS Y ARQUITECTOS PAISAJISTAS DE PUERTO RICO around it. That one is the Board’s, not yours, and the prohibition on emblems keeps the two apart.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
The regulation does not specify a device type. Art. XIII prescribes the dimension and the contents and says nothing about whether the device is inked, embossed or electronic. Nothing permits and nothing forbids any of them. Art. 16 of the Act points the other way on the electronic question, providing that “La Junta determinará las maneras en que se aceptarán las firmas y sellos cibernéticos o digitalizados,” so the Junta decides how cyber or digitized signatures and seals are accepted. The safe buy is an inked stamp at exactly two inches, because plans are stamped sheet by sheet and signed by hand.
Signing and dating
A handwritten signature, and it is the professional’s own hand that is required: Art. 16 requires the professional to sign the document “con su puño y letra.” Stamping the seal and signing certifies that the work was done by the professional or under the professional’s control and supervision. On plans, each sheet is sealed and signed. Where the work is issued through a partnership or corporation, the participating professionals seal and sign and the responsible person signs and seals the first page. The Act also forbids signing or stamping during suspension, during inactivity or after the license has expired. Not addressed: Art. 16 does not require a date beside the signature; the expiration date is an element of the seal itself under the Reglamento.
The mainland format does not fit, and the expiration date is cut into the die
Three things make Puerto Rico different in kind rather than in detail. First, the credential: Ley Núm. 173 de 1988 licenses an arquitecto licenciado through a Junta Examinadora sitting inside the Departamento de Estado, not a free-standing architects’ board of the US type. Second, Art. 2 conditions practice on active membership in a compulsory professional college, the Colegio de Arquitectos y Arquitectos Paisajistas de Puerto Rico, which has no US-state analogue and is not a voluntary association. Third, the whole regime is written and administered in Spanish, and the operative texts are Ley Núm. 173 and Reglamento Núm. 7717; English secondary summaries of Puerto Rico seal rules should not be relied on.
Which documents must be sealed
All professional work, graphic or written, that the licensee makes or authorizes, including specifications, surveys, reports, designs, plans and analogous documents, prepared for the Government or for private enterprise. Art. 16 is written as a general duty rather than a list of permit submittals, so the reach is wider than a mainland construction-documents formulation. For plans it is sheet by sheet, and within a firm the responsible professional seals and signs the first page in addition to the participating professionals sealing and signing their own work.
Electronic and digital seals
The Act delegates the question and the delegation has not been read here. Art. 16: “La Junta determinará las maneras en que se aceptarán las firmas y sellos cibernéticos o digitalizados.” Reglamento Núm. 7717 sets the dimension and contents of the seal and does not itself supply an electronic standard in the article we read. Not verified: whether the Junta has issued a determination on cyber or digitized signatures and seals, and what it says. Ask the Junta before relying on an electronic seal, and note that Art. 16 separately requires the signature to be in the professional’s own hand.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Art. 16 prohibits signing or stamping during suspension, during inactivity and after the license has expired. The expiration date is on the face of the seal under Reglamento Núm. 7717, Art. XIII, which means a Puerto Rico seal goes stale on its own terms at each renewal rather than merely becoming unlawful to use: the die carries a date that will pass. Budget for a replacement device on every renewal cycle. Not addressed: whether the license serial number is reissued, and whether the old device must be surrendered or destroyed.
Firm requirements
The mainland certificate of authorization model does not apply. There is no firm seal and no firm certificate number on the document. What there is instead is compulsory colegiación of the individual: Art. 2 of Ley Núm. 173 conditions practice on being an active member of the Colegio de Arquitectos y Arquitectos Paisajistas de Puerto Rico, or of the Colegio de Ingenieros y Agrimensores de Puerto Rico for the engineering and surveying professions. That is a compulsory professional college with no US-state analogue, and it sits alongside the license rather than replacing it. Within a firm, Art. 16 allocates responsibility by signature: the participating professionals seal and sign their work and the responsible person signs and seals the first page.
What to check before you order
Order a circular device exactly two inches in diameter carrying your own name, the profession written as Arquitecto, your license serial number, the words Puerto Rico and the expiration date of your license. Nothing else may appear on it: the regulation says the seal shall contain no other information, content, emblem or shield, so keep the Commonwealth seal, firm logos and college emblems off. The regulation does not say whether the device is inked or embossed, so an inked stamp is the practical choice, since plans are stamped sheet by sheet and signed by hand. Because the expiration date is on the face, expect to replace the die at each renewal. Sign in your own hand; the Act requires it, and ask the Junta before relying on any digitized seal or signature.
Browse architect stamps and seals.
- Your Guide to the Best Puerto Rico Professional Architect Stamp
- Required Use of the Puerto Rico Architectural Seal Embosser
Frequently asked questions
Is an architect seal required in Puerto Rico?
Yes, and the duty is written broadly. Art. 16 of Ley Núm. 173 de 12 de agosto de 1988 requires every professional licensed by the Junta to keep and stamp, where required, on all professional work, graphic or written, that the professional makes or authorizes, including specifications, surveys, reports, designs, plans and analogous documents, whether prepared for the Government or for private enterprise, “un sello o timbre de diseño especial autorizado por la Junta.”
What has to appear on a Puerto Rico architect seal?
Five items under Reglamento Núm. 7717, Art. XIII and Art. 16 of the Act: your own name, the profession you practice written as Arquitecto, your license serial number, the words Puerto Rico, and the expiration date. Art. 16 also requires your condition as a licensee to appear. Nothing else may appear on the face, which rules out the seal of the Commonwealth, a firm logo, a CAAPPR emblem and an NCARB number.
What size is a Puerto Rico architect seal?
Circular, two inches in diameter. Reglamento Núm. 7717, Art. XIII prescribes “un sello o timbre circular de dos (2) pulgadas de diámetro” for the licensed professional. The same article separately describes the Junta’s own official seal, a circular device with the seal of the Commonwealth at the center and the words JUNTA EXAMINADORA DE ARQUITECTOS Y ARQUITECTOS PAISAJISTAS DE PUERTO RICO around it. That one is the Board’s, not yours.
Can I use an embosser in Puerto Rico?
The regulation does not specify a device type. Art. XIII prescribes the dimension and the contents and says nothing about whether the device is inked, embossed or electronic, and nothing permits or forbids any of them. An inked stamp at exactly two inches is the practical choice, because plans are stamped sheet by sheet and signed by hand.
Does Puerto Rico require a handwritten signature?
Yes, in your own hand. Art. 16 requires the professional to sign the document “con su puño y letra.” Stamping the seal and signing certifies that the work was done by the professional or under the professional’s control and supervision. Art. 16 does not require a date beside the signature; the expiration date is an element of the seal itself under the Reglamento.
Which documents have to be sealed in Puerto Rico?
All professional work, graphic or written, that the licensee makes or authorizes, including specifications, surveys, reports, designs, plans and analogous documents, prepared for the Government or for private enterprise. Art. 16 is written as a general duty rather than a list of permit submittals, so the reach is wider than a mainland construction-documents formulation. For plans it is sheet by sheet.
How does a Puerto Rico firm seal and sign?
By individual, with one addition. Where the work is issued through a partnership or corporation, the participating professionals seal and sign their own work and the responsible person signs and seals the first page, under Art. 16. There is no firm seal and no firm certificate number on the document, because the mainland certificate of authorization model does not apply here.
Can a professional in training use a Puerto Rico seal?
No. The regulation bars the device entirely for those not yet licensed: “Ningún profesional en entrenamiento podrá utilizar sello alguno.”
Can I seal electronically in Puerto Rico?
The Act delegates the question to the Junta. Art. 16 provides that “La Junta determinará las maneras en que se aceptarán las firmas y sellos cibernéticos o digitalizados,” so the Junta decides how cyber or digitized signatures and seals are accepted. Reglamento Núm. 7717 sets the dimension and contents of the seal and does not itself supply an electronic standard in the article read here. Whether the Junta has issued a determination, and what it says, is not something that can be stated from these texts, so ask the Junta before relying on an electronic seal. Note also that Art. 16 separately requires the signature to be in your own hand.
Can I seal in Puerto Rico while my license is inactive?
No. Art. 16 prohibits signing or stamping during suspension, during inactivity and after the license has expired. Because the expiration date sits on the face of the seal, the die carries a date that will pass, so plan on a replacement device each renewal cycle. Whether the license serial number is reissued, and whether the old device must be surrendered or destroyed, is not stated in either text.
Do I need to join a professional college in Puerto Rico?
Yes, and it sits alongside the license rather than replacing it. Art. 2 of Ley Núm. 173 conditions practice on being an active member of the Colegio de Arquitectos y Arquitectos Paisajistas de Puerto Rico, or of the Colegio de Ingenieros y Agrimensores de Puerto Rico for the engineering and surveying professions. That is compulsory colegiación, not a voluntary association.
