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 Geólogos de Puerto Rico (the Board of Examiners of Geologists of Puerto Rico), within the Departamento de Estado and Ley Núm. 163 de 23 de agosto de 1996, según enmendada (not published in readable form) on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Puerto Rico does license geologists, and it does so under its own statute rather than under the design-professions Act. The Departamento de Estado maintains a Junta Examinadora de Geólogos created by Ley Núm. 163 de 23 de agosto de 1996, según enmendada, which issues a Geologist-in-Training certificate and a Licensed Geologist credential to applicants with concentrations in geology, geophysics, geochemistry, applied engineering geology, environmental geology or their subdivisions. That is the same two-tier structure many mainland states use.
What is not published is any seal specification. The Departamento de Estado’s page for the board carries the Formulario de Licencia and no reglamento, no diameter, no legend and no device type, so whether a seal is required at all is a question to put to the Junta rather than something to infer. Until it answers, nothing is prescribed for you, which also means nothing is restricted: there is no required wording, no required size and no approved artwork to match, and Acorn will cut a device to whatever you want on it, starting with your own name, your firm name and the credential the Junta issued you.
Do not borrow the architects’ specification to fill the gap. Art. 16 of Ley Núm. 173 de 1988 is the shared seal article for engineers, architects, agrimensores and landscape architects, and Reglamento Núm. 7717 prescribes the two inch circular seal with an expiration date for Arquitecto and Arquitecto Paisajista. Geologists arrived eight years later under a different Act, and nothing in the 1988 Act or its reglamentos reaches them. Put your own name, your firm name, and the credential the Junta actually issued you, and leave off another profession’s title.
Puerto Rico geologist seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Puerto Rico rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Not verified | Ley Núm. 163 de 23 de agosto de 1996, según enmendada (not published in readable form) |
| Required elements | Not verified: the seal elements, if any, would be set by Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 or the board’s reglamento, neither of which we obtained | Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 (not published in readable form) |
| Size and shape | Not verified. No dimension is published in the sources we reached. The Departamento de Estado’s page for this board carries the Formulario de Licencia for the professional geologist and no seal specification. Ask. | Departamento de Estado, Junta Examinadora de Geólogos page (no seal specification published) |
| Device allowed | Not verified. No device type is published in the sources we reached, and nothing is permitted or forbidden on the material available. For context, Art. 16 of Ley Núm. 173 leaves cyber and digitized seals and. | Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 (not published in readable form) |
| Signature and date | Not verified. No signature or date requirement is published in the sources we reached for this profession. | Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 (not published in readable form) |
| What must be sealed | Not verified. Which documents a licensed geólogo must seal or sign, if any, would be set by Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 or a reglamento, neither of which we obtained. What is certain is that the profession is. | Departamento de Estado, Junta Examinadora de Geólogos page |
| Electronic seal | Not verified. No electronic seal or signature standard is published in the sources we reached for this profession. | Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 (not published in readable form) |
| Renewal and lapse | Not verified. No provision on expiry, suspension, revocation or surrender of a device is published in the sources we reached. Note the contrast with the architects’ regime, where the expiration date is cut into. | Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 (not published in readable form) |
| Firm requirements | Not verified. The mainland certificate of authorization model does not fit Puerto Rico generally, and for the professions under Ley Núm. 173 de 1988 its place is taken by compulsory colegiación of the. | Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 (not published in readable form) |
| Regulator | La Junta Examinadora de Geólogos de Puerto Rico (the Board of Examiners of Geologists of Puerto Rico), within the Departamento de Estado | Departamento de Estado de Puerto Rico, official listing of Juntas Examinadoras, which includes a board for Geólogos |
Is a seal required in Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico licenses geologists, which many states do not, and the mainland format does not fit. The Departamento de Estado maintains a Junta Examinadora de Geólogos created by Ley Núm. 163 de 23 de agosto de 1996, as amended, which issues a Geologist-in-Training certificate and a Licensed Geologist credential to applicants with concentrations in geology, geophysics, geochemistry, applied engineering geology, environmental geology or their subdivisions. Whether that Act requires a seal, and what it would carry, is not verified here. The Departamento de Estado’s page for the board publishes the license application form and does not publish the Act, a reglamento or any seal specification.
What must appear on the seal
- Not verified: the seal elements, if any, would be set by Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 or the board’s reglamento, neither of which we obtained
Not verified. Do not borrow the architects’ or the engineers’ specification. Art. 16 of Ley Núm. 173 de 1988 governs the professions under that Act, engineers, architects, agrimensores and landscape architects, and Reglamento Núm. 7717 prescribes the two inch circular seal with an expiration date for Arquitecto and Arquitecto Paisajista. Geologists are licensed under a different and later statute, Ley Núm. 163 de 1996, and nothing in the 1988 Act or its reglamentos reaches them.
Size and shape
Not verified. No dimension is published in the sources we reached. The Departamento de Estado’s page for this board carries the Formulario de Licencia for the professional geologist and no seal specification. Ask the Junta.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Not verified. No device type is published in the sources we reached, and nothing is permitted or forbidden on the material available. For context, Art. 16 of Ley Núm. 173 leaves cyber and digitized seals and signatures to the relevant Junta to determine and requires a handwritten signature for the professions it governs; whether Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 takes a similar approach for geologists is unknown to us.
Signing and dating
Not verified. No signature or date requirement is published in the sources we reached for this profession.
Puerto Rico licenses geologists under its own 1996 Act, not under the 1988 design-professions Act
Two facts are worth separating. Puerto Rico does license geologists: the Departamento de Estado maintains a Junta Examinadora de Geólogos created by Ley Núm. 163 de 23 de agosto de 1996, issuing a Geologist-in-Training certificate and a Licensed Geologist credential, with recognized concentrations in geology, geophysics, geochemistry, applied engineering geology and environmental geology. Among the states that regulate this at all, only Utah, South Carolina, Wyoming and Puerto Rico do.
Which documents must be sealed
Not verified. Which documents a licensed geólogo must seal or sign, if any, would be set by Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 or a reglamento, neither of which we obtained. What is certain is that the profession is licensed and graded: the Departamento de Estado issues both a Geologist-in-Training certificate and a Licensed Geologist credential, which is the same two-tier structure many US states use.
Electronic and digital seals
Not verified. No electronic seal or signature standard is published in the sources we reached for this profession.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Not verified. No provision on expiry, suspension, revocation or surrender of a device is published in the sources we reached. Note the contrast with the architects’ regime, where the expiration date is cut into the face of the seal under Reglamento Núm. 7717, Art. XIII and the device therefore has to be replaced each renewal cycle. Whether the geologists’ Junta has adopted anything similar is unknown.
Firm requirements
Not verified. The mainland certificate of authorization model does not fit Puerto Rico generally, and for the professions under Ley Núm. 173 de 1988 its place is taken by compulsory colegiación of the individual in the CIAPR or in the Colegio de Arquitectos y Arquitectos Paisajistas. Whether Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 imposes a comparable college membership requirement on geologists is unknown to us.
What to check before you order
Do not order anything for a Puerto Rico geologist until the Junta Examinadora de Geólogos tells you whether a seal is required and what it carries. Ley Núm. 163 de 23 de agosto de 1996 creates the board, and neither its text nor any reglamento is published on the board’s page at the Departamento de Estado, so no diameter, legend or device type is verified. Do not copy the architects’ two inch circular specification with an expiration date from Reglamento Núm. 7717; that belongs to a different Act and a different Junta. If you hold a mainland geologist license as well, note that the legends differ by state, Licensed Professional Geologist in Utah, Registered Professional Geologist in South Carolina, professional geologist in Wyoming, and none of them is a Puerto Rico credential.
Browse geologist stamps and seals.
Frequently asked questions
Does Puerto Rico license geologists?
Yes. The Departamento de Estado maintains a Junta Examinadora de Geólogos created by Ley Núm. 163 de 23 de agosto de 1996, según enmendada, and issues both a Geologist-in-Training certificate and a Licensed Geologist credential. Among the jurisdictions in this group, only Utah, South Carolina, Wyoming and Puerto Rico do.
Is a seal required for a Puerto Rico geologist?
No seal requirement is published. Neither the text of Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 nor any reglamento of this Junta appears on the board’s page at the Departamento de Estado, which publishes the license application form and nothing else on the subject. Ask the Junta directly rather than assuming a requirement exists or that none does.
Can I use the architects’ two inch seal specification?
No. That specification comes from Reglamento Núm. 7717 under Ley Núm. 173 de 1988, which created a single examining board for engineers, architects, agrimensores and landscape architects. Geologists are licensed under a different and later statute, and importing the two inch circular seal with an expiration date from the architects’ reglamento would simply be wrong.
What size should a Puerto Rico geologist seal be?
No dimension is published for this credential. Until the Junta supplies one, size for legibility on the reports you issue, and the round dies we make most often fall between 1-1/2 and 2 inches, which is our production experience rather than a rule. Treat any quoted Puerto Rico geologist diameter as unverified.
What can I put on it?
Whatever is true of you, since nothing is prescribed. Your name as licensed, your firm name, contact details, and the credential the Junta issued you, named accurately. Leave off the legends that belong to other jurisdictions and other professions.
Can I use an electronic seal?
No electronic seal or signature standard is published for this profession. For context, Art. 16 of Ley Núm. 173 leaves cyber and digitized seals and signatures to the relevant Junta to determine and requires a handwritten signature for the professions it governs. Whether Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 takes a similar approach for geologists is a question for the Junta.
Does my Puerto Rico credential expire, and does that affect the device?
No provision on expiry, suspension, revocation or surrender is published for this board. The contrast worth knowing is the architects’ regime, where the expiration date is cut into the face of the seal under Reglamento Núm. 7717, Art. XIII, so the device has to be replaced each renewal cycle. Whether the geologists’ Junta has adopted anything similar is not published.
I hold a mainland geologist license too. Does that legend work here?
No, because the legends are jurisdiction specific. Utah issues a Licensed Professional Geologist, South Carolina a Registered Professional Geologist and Wyoming a professional geologist, and none of those is a Puerto Rico credential. Keep each device lettered with the jurisdiction that issued it.
Does a Puerto Rico geology firm need a certificate of authorization?
The mainland certificate of authorization model does not fit Puerto Rico generally. For the professions under Ley Núm. 173 de 1988, its place is taken by compulsory colegiación of the individual in the CIAPR or in the Colegio de Arquitectos y Arquitectos Paisajistas. Whether Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 imposes a comparable college membership requirement on geologists is not published.
Which documents would I have to seal?
That is set by Ley Núm. 163 de 1996 or a reglamento, and neither is published on the board’s page. What is certain is that the profession is licensed and graded, with both a Geologist-in-Training certificate and a Licensed Geologist credential. Ask the Junta which documents carry a sealing or signing duty before building a workflow around an assumption.
