對(duì)于外國(guó)客戶，讓您的中國(guó)業(yè)務(wù)合作方在協(xié)議上“印”或“蓋”章，總是一個(gè)好的做法，因?yàn)檫@能保證合同的合法性。

For foreign customers, it is always a good idea to have your Chinese business partner "seal" or "chop" the agreement, because it can guarantee the legality of the contract.

如何辨別什么是正式的中國(guó)公司印章，不同的印章分別代表哪些用途？下面我們?cè)敿?xì)解釋：

How to distinguish what is an official Chinese company seal, and what uses are represented by different seals? We explain in detail as follow:

主要印章的用途 The purpose of seals

一般的企業(yè)主要有5枚印章，分別是公章、財(cái)務(wù)專用章、法定代表人私章、合同專用章、發(fā)票專用章。這些印章都需要根據(jù)地方政府的相關(guān)規(guī)定到公安局和開戶銀行備案或預(yù)留印鑒。

The general enterprise mainly has 5 seals, respectively is the official seal, the special financial seal, the private seal of legal representative, the special seal for contractual uses and the special invoice seal. These seals need to be recorded or reserved in Public Security Bureau and Bank of deposit according to relevant regulations of local government.

下面先簡(jiǎn)要說明幾個(gè)章的用途和使用場(chǎng)景：

The following is a brief introduction to the purpose and use scenarios of several chapters:

1. 公章：公司效力最大的一枚章，是法人權(quán)利的象征，代表公司的意志，用于對(duì)外簽訂合同及其他法律文件。例如以公司名義發(fā)出的信函、公文、合同、介紹信、證明或其他公司材料。

Official Seal: the most effective seal of the company, which is a symbol of the legal person's rights and represents the company's will. It is used to sign contracts and other legal documents, such as letters, official documents, contracts, letters of introduction, certificates or other company materials sent in the name of the company.

2. 財(cái)務(wù)專用章：通常與銀行打交道的時(shí)使用。例如銀行的各種憑據(jù)、匯款單、支票的用印。另外，也會(huì)用于單位或集團(tuán)內(nèi)部的收付業(yè)務(wù)。

Financial Seal: it is usually used when dealing with banks. Such as the use of bank's various credentials, remittance bills and cheques. In addition, it can also be used for the collection and payment business within the company or group.

3. 法定代表人私章：這是以公司法定代表人姓名刻制的一枚印章，如果單獨(dú)使用則代表法定代表人自己，如果與公章一同使用則代表公司行為。通常用在公司工商登記業(yè)務(wù)、企業(yè)基本戶開戶、支票背書的用印。

Private Seal of Legal Representative: This is a seal engraved in the name of the legal representative of the company. If it is used alone, it represents the legal representative himself. If it is used together with the official seal, it represents the behavior of the company. It is usually used in the company's industrial and commercial registration business, enterprise basic account opening, cheque endorsement.

4. 發(fā)票專用章：企業(yè)在購(gòu)買和開發(fā)票時(shí)，需要加蓋發(fā)票章。印章印模里含有其公司單位名稱、發(fā)票專用章字樣、稅務(wù)登記號(hào)。根據(jù)《發(fā)票管理辦法實(shí)施細(xì)則》的規(guī)定，通常需要在發(fā)票聯(lián)和抵扣聯(lián)加蓋發(fā)票專用章。

Invoice Seal: the invoice seal shall be affixed when the enterprise purchases and issues the invoice. The seal stamp includes the name of the company, the words of special invoice seal and the tax registration number. According to the detailed rules for the Implementation of Invoice Management Measures, it is usually necessary to stamp the special invoice seal on the invoice form and the deduction form.

5. 合同專用章：?jiǎn)挝粚?duì)外簽訂合同時(shí)使用。可以在簽約的范圍內(nèi)代表單位，在合同上加蓋合同專用章，單位需承受由此導(dǎo)致的權(quán)利義務(wù)。

Contract Seal: it is used by a unit when signs a contract with a foreign party. It can represent the unit within the scope of signing the contract. The unit shall bear the rights and obligations caused by affixing the special contract seal on the contract.

公章可以刻制多個(gè)嗎？ Can more than one official seal be engraved?

很多外國(guó)投資者在中國(guó)大陸設(shè)立了公司，拿到手上的除了營(yíng)業(yè)執(zhí)照，還有一堆印章，然后他們的第一反應(yīng)是：公章多刻幾個(gè)吧，公司放一個(gè)，家里放一個(gè)，車上放一個(gè)，然后秘書公司也放一個(gè)……What？那么隨便？那么公章可以刻多個(gè)嗎？

Many foreign investors have set up companies in China, and they get a lot of seals besides business license. Then their first reaction is to engrave more seals, one for the company, one for the family, one for the car, and one for the secretary……What? So casual? Can I engrave more than one official seal?

答案是不可以的。

The answer is No.

站在法律角度，根據(jù)《印章治安管理辦法》第十三條：“需要刻制印章的單位，只能申請(qǐng)刻制一枚單位法定名稱章。”而且首次申請(qǐng)刻制公章應(yīng)該到公安部門辦理備案手續(xù)，如果公章因損壞或丟失，需要重刻，也應(yīng)該去公安部門辦理相關(guān)備案，公安局的備案回執(zhí)是公章真?zhèn)蔚挠行ёC明。

From the legal point of view, according to Article 13 of the Measures for the Administration of Public Security of Seals, "only one legal name seal of the unit can be applied for engraving if it is necessary to engrave the seal.” Moreover, for the first time to apply for engraving the official seal, it is necessary to go to the public security department for filing formalities. If the official seal needs to be engraved again due to damage or loss, it is also necessary to go to the public security department for filing formalities. The filing receipt of the public security bureau is an effective proof of the authenticity of the official seal.

站在商業(yè)角度，公章對(duì)外代表公司，是外界識(shí)別公司的主要證據(jù)。如果有多個(gè)公章，就會(huì)涉及到欺詐行為，很可能會(huì)被追究法律責(zé)任。

From the perspective of business, the official seal represents the company externally, which is the main evidence for the external identification of the company. If there are more than one official seal, fraud will be involved and it is likely to be prosecuted.

公章的形狀和大小可以隨意挑嗎？ Is the shape and size of the official seal optional?

在中國(guó)大陸，公章的規(guī)格要遵循地方政府的規(guī)定，不能由企業(yè)主自行選擇形狀和大小，以廣州市為例，普通有限公司和外商投資企業(yè)的公章樣式是有不同規(guī)定的：

In China, the specifications of the official seal shall comply with the regulations of the local government, and the shape and size of the official seal shall not be selected by the owner of the enterprise. Taking Guangzhou as an example, there are different regulations on the official seal styles of general limited companies and foreign-funded enterprises:

普通有限公司公章：一律為圓形，直徑為4cm，圓邊寬為0.1cm，中央刊五角星，上刊企業(yè)名稱，自左而右環(huán)排，印文一般使用簡(jiǎn)化的宋體字。

General limited company official seal: all are round,with a diameter of 4cm and a width of 0.1cm. The central pattern is a star and the name of the enterprise is on it. It is arranged from left to right. The simplified Song typeface is generally used for the printing.

外資企業(yè)公章：一律為橢圓形，橫徑為4.5cm，豎徑為3cm，中央不刊五角星，企業(yè)名稱自左而右環(huán)行，根據(jù)用章單位要求，刻刻制中英文印章。

Foreign-own enterprise official seal: all are oval,with a horizontal diameter of 4.5cm and a vertical diameter of 3cm. There is no star in the center. The enterprise name is from left to right. According to the requirements of the seal using unit, the Chinese and English seals are engraved.

印章應(yīng)該怎么使用和保管？ How should seals be used and kept?

1. 公司應(yīng)出具《印章管理規(guī)定》，或把印章的使用和保存相關(guān)規(guī)定和責(zé)任寫入《員工手冊(cè)》，明確印章管理者的管理職責(zé)，規(guī)范印章使用的業(yè)務(wù)流程，以及定期檢查印章使用情況等，使印章管理工作做到有規(guī)可依，有章可循。也可以要求印章保管或管理者簽訂“法律風(fēng)險(xiǎn)崗位承諾書”，明確保管者的法律風(fēng)險(xiǎn)防控意識(shí)及職責(zé)。

The company shall issue the regulations on seal management, or write the relevant regulations and responsibilities on the use and preservation of seals into the employee manual, clarify the management responsibilities of the seal manager, standardize the business process of seal use, and regularly check the use of seals, so as to make the seal management work be compliant and rule-based. The seal keeper or manager can also be required to sign a "letter of commitment on legal risk posts" to clarify the legal risk prevention and control awareness and responsibilities of the keeper.

2. 印章的使用要有審批制度和登記制度，或者通過辦公室管理系統(tǒng)（OA系統(tǒng)或辦公管理App）去規(guī)范公章的電子申請(qǐng)流程。印章使用者應(yīng)填寫統(tǒng)一的用印登記表，企業(yè)文書人員對(duì)用印文件要認(rèn)真審查，審核與申請(qǐng)用印內(nèi)容、用印次數(shù)是否一致，然后才能在相關(guān)文件上用印。

The use of seal shall be subject to approval system and registration system, or the electronic application process of seal shall be standardized through office management system (OA system or office management APP). The seal user shall fill in a unified seal registration form, and the enterprise document personnel shall carefully review the seal documents, check whether they are consistent with the contents and times of the application for seal, and then use the seal on the relevant documents.

3. 公司公章和合同專用章一般由行政部門保管，法定代表人私章、財(cái)務(wù)專用章和發(fā)票專用章一般由財(cái)務(wù)部保管，但需要注意的是，由于大部分公司在銀行預(yù)留印鑒都為財(cái)務(wù)專用章和法定代表人私章，所以兩個(gè)章應(yīng)該分開負(fù)責(zé)人保管，一般情況下，私章由出納保管，財(cái)務(wù)章由會(huì)計(jì)保管。對(duì)于印章的保管者，沒有特定的法律法規(guī)要求，可依公司情況自行設(shè)定。初創(chuàng)公司如果只能委托一人保管，一般為法定代表人本人或創(chuàng)業(yè)者最信任的人。

The company's official seal and special contract seal are generally kept by the administrative department, while the legal representative's private seal, special financial seal and special invoice seal are generally kept by the finance department. However, it should be noted that most of the company's reserved seals in the bank are special seal for Finance and private seal for legal representative. Therefore, the two seals should be kept separately by the person in charge. Generally, the private seal should be kept by the cashier and the financial seal by the accountant. For the custodian of the seal, there is no specific legal and regulatory requirements, which can be set according to the situation of the company. If a start-up company can only be entrusted to one person, it is generally the person most trusted by the legal representative or the entrepreneur.

印章遺失或企業(yè)注銷了應(yīng)該做什么處理？What should be done if the seal is lost or the enterprise is cancelled?

印章遺失必須在當(dāng)?shù)鼗蝽?xiàng)目所在地報(bào)紙上刊登遺失聲明。在進(jìn)行補(bǔ)刻時(shí)，要帶上登報(bào)聲明、補(bǔ)刻印章申請(qǐng)書等材料到當(dāng)?shù)刂付ㄓ≌鹿具M(jìn)行刻章。

If the seal is lost, a statement of loss must be published in the local or project sites’ newspaper. When making a supplement, it is necessary to take the materials such as the statement of the newspaper and the application for the supplement to the local designated seal company for the seal.

敲黑板：經(jīng)辦人萬一丟失了公章，即使自己保留了所有的公章信息，例如樣式和編碼，也不能私自進(jìn)行刻制，否則將面臨行政拘留的處罰。

Highlight: in case the handler loses the official seal, even if he keeps all the official seal information, such as style and code, he can't carve without permission, otherwise he will face the penalty of administrative detention.

公司如果清算注銷，在工商注銷手續(xù)完成后，必須收繳包括公章、合同專用章、財(cái)務(wù)專用章、法定代表人私章等在內(nèi)的全部印章及用印記錄；企業(yè)印章管理部門會(huì)同法律部門將收繳的印章統(tǒng)一銷毀，用印記錄由印章管理部門按檔案管理規(guī)定存檔。

In case of liquidation and cancellation of the company, after the completion of industrial and commercial cancellation procedures, all seals and seal records including official seal, special contract seal, special financial seal, private seal of legal representative, etc. must be collected. he seal management department of the company, together with the legal department, shall uniformly destroy the collected seals, and the seal records shall be filed by the seal management department according to the file management regulations.

蓋錯(cuò)印章會(huì)有什么后果？ What happens if you chop the wrong seal?

印章在使用時(shí)發(fā)生印章類型的用途錯(cuò)誤，如錯(cuò)用行政章對(duì)外簽訂合同，錯(cuò)用發(fā)票章蓋了對(duì)賬單，錯(cuò)用財(cái)務(wù)章蓋了勞動(dòng)合同。一般情形下，蓋錯(cuò)印章的文件將視為無效文件，但如果蓋章的同時(shí)有經(jīng)辦人簽字，而經(jīng)辦人又是公司指定的法律代表，則文件極有可能具備法律效力。

The seal is used in the wrong way for the wrong purpose, such as using the administrative seal to sign the contract, using the invoice seal to seal the statement, and using the financial seal to seal the employment contract. Generally, the document with wrong seal will be regarded as invalid document, but if the seal is signed by the handler and the handler is the legal representative designated by the company, the document is likely to have legal effect.

支票出票時(shí)也要特別注意，根據(jù)《支付結(jié)算辦法》，如果出票人在支票上的蓋章與銀行預(yù)留印鑒不符的，銀行應(yīng)予以退票，并按票面金額處以5%但不低于1000元的罰款；持票人有權(quán)要求出票人賠償支票金額2%的賠償金。對(duì)屢次簽發(fā)錯(cuò)誤的企業(yè)，銀行會(huì)停止其簽發(fā)支票。

Special attention shall also be paid when issuing cheques. According to the Payment and Settlement Method, if the seal of the drawer on the cheques is inconsistent with the seal reserved by the bank, the bank shall refund the cheques and impose a fine of 5% but not less than 1000 yuan according to the face amount. The holder has the right to ask the drawer to compensate 2% of the check amount. The bank will stop issuing cheques to enterprises that repeatedly sign and issue wrong cheques.

習(xí)慣簽名代表一切的外國(guó)投資人，很難理解印章在中國(guó)的重要性，但中華文明幾千年來都有“玉璽文化”，還有“見玉璽如見皇上”的傳統(tǒng)意識(shí)，所以在中國(guó)經(jīng)商，必須要知道各種印章的用途，制定完善的《印章管理規(guī)定》，妥善地保管好印章，以免因?yàn)橛≌碌恼`用而導(dǎo)致法律責(zé)任和經(jīng)濟(jì)賠償。

It's hard to understand the importance of seal in China for foreign investors who are used to signing on behalf of everything. But for thousands of years, Chinese civilization has had the "seal culture" and the traditional consciousness of "see the jade seal as the emperor". Therefore, to do business in China, it is necessary to know the purpose of various seals, formulate perfect regulations on seal management, and properly keep the seals, so as to avoid legal liability and economic compensation due to misuse of seals.