What to Do When the Seal or Stamp Is Illegible

When an authority says it cannot read the seal, the problem is usually the copy, not the document. The seal is normally intact on the original in your hand. It was lost on the way: in a scanner, a compression setting, or a one-sided copy. Find where before you book anything, because the fix is often free.

Key takeaways

• Most "illegible seal" rejections are about reproduction, not validity. Rescanning or sending the original often solves them.
• Many notarial and registry seals are embossed, pressed into the paper without ink. Flatbed scanners flatten them.
• Never ink, trace or add anything to a sealed document yourself. That is an alteration and can void the document.
• A genuinely faint notarial seal needs a fresh certificate from the notary. A faint registry seal needs a reissued document.
• "We cannot verify the seal" is a different problem. It is solved by the DFAT apostille or authentication, not a better scan.

Is it a reading problem or a verifying problem?

Start here, because the two complaints use similar words and have opposite fixes.

A reading problem means the officer cannot make out the seal in what they received. That is almost always about how the document was copied or scanned. A verifying problem means the officer can see the seal but cannot confirm that the person behind it is a real notary or official. That is what the authentication chain exists for.

Ask the receiving authority which it means, in writing if you can. "Illegible" and "cannot be verified" sometimes appear in the same rejection letter. The answer decides whether you rescan tonight or go back to DFAT.

Cause 1: an embossed seal that did not photograph

Many notarial and registry seals are embossed, pressed into the paper without ink. The impression is perfectly legible in the hand. It is almost invisible to a flatbed scanner, which lights the page evenly and removes the shadow the eye relies on.

Fix: if the authority is working from a scan, send the original instead. Or ask the notary whether the certificate can carry an inked seal as well, so it reproduces. Notaries meet this often and usually have a standard approach. Do not ink an embossment yourself. Adding anything to a sealed document after the act is an alteration.

Cause 2: the scan or photo is too poor

This covers grey-scale scans, low resolution, a phone photograph taken at an angle, heavy JPEG compression, or a "scan to email" setting designed for plain text. Each strips out the fine lines of a seal first.

Fix: rescan flat, in colour, at a high resolution, with the page square to the glass and no shadow across the seal. Send a PDF rather than a photo. This alone resolves a large share of these rejections.

Cause 3: the seal is on a page that was not copied

Seals and signatures often sit on the reverse of the last page, on a cover sheet, or on a ribbon slip at the back. A copy of the "document" that stops at the text loses them. So does a double-sided original copied single-sided.

Fix: copy every page and both sides of every page, including pages that look blank. Include any binding ribbon, eyelet or backing sheet in the image. If an apostille is attached, copy it too; it is part of the document now.

Cause 4: the impression itself is faint or smudged

A worn stamp, a low-ink pad, an embossment pressed through too many sheets, or a seal placed over printed text so the two interfere. Here the original itself is hard to read, not just the copy.

Fix: this one needs a fresh act. Where the faint seal is the notary's, the notary can usually issue a fresh certificate over the same original. Where the faint seal belongs to a registry or institution, that body must reissue the document. If a DFAT certificate is already attached to the faint original, expect to need a new one for the fresh certificate as well.

Cause 5: the document was resized when copied

A page reduced to fit, or scaled on a photocopier, can shrink fine engraved detail below the point where it resolves. Security features and microtext go first. An A4 original printed onto US Letter paper can lose its edges as well.

Fix: copy at 100 per cent, on the same paper size as the original, with no "fit to page". Check the copy against the original before sending.

Cause 6: the authority cannot verify the seal

This is the verifying problem described above. The seal is legible, but the officer cannot confirm who stands behind it. For an Australian document, that is solved by DFAT. For a Hague Convention country, DFAT issues an apostille; check the table on the day. For a non-member, DFAT authenticates and the destination's embassy legalises.

Fix: complete the chain. If the chain is already complete and the officer still doubts it, ask how it verifies apostilles. Many countries check them against the issuing authority's records. See how a notarised document is verified.

How far back do you need to go?

What went wrong	Restart from
Embossment did not reproduce	Nothing: send the original, or ask the notary about an inked seal
Poor scan	Nothing: rescan in colour at high resolution
Seal page omitted	Nothing: recopy every page and both sides
Faint notarial seal	The notary: a fresh certificate, then DFAT again if needed
Faint registry seal	The issuing body: a reissued document, full restart
Resized copy	Nothing: recopy at full size
Cannot verify, not cannot read	DFAT or the embassy: the seal itself is fine

What should you do today?

1. Ask the authority whether it cannot read the seal or cannot verify it.
2. Look at the original in good light. If the seal is clear in the hand, the problem is the copy.
3. Rescan properly, in colour, every page and both sides, as a full-size PDF.
4. Offer the original if the authority will take it, keeping a certified copy for yourself.
5. Go back to the notary or issuer only if the original itself is faint.

What if DFAT cannot read the seal?

DFAT checks a notary's signature and seal against the specimens it holds before issuing an apostille or authentication. If the notary's seal on the certificate is too faint or smudged to compare, DFAT may not be able to proceed. It will usually return the document or ask for it to be fixed.

That is a faint-original problem, cause 4, and the notary is the one to fix it. The notary issues a fresh certificate with a clear seal, and it goes back to DFAT. If the notary has recently changed seal or stamp, DFAT needs the new specimen on its records too. That is the notary's job, not yours, but it is worth asking about if DFAT raises a query.

If you are asked to attend for the fresh certificate, bring the original document and your photo identification, as at the first appointment.

Can the notary just stamp it again?

Usually not on the existing certificate. Adding a second impression to a completed notarial document after the event is exactly what tamper evidence is meant to catch. The clean answer is a new certificate. The notary records the new act in their register, as every notarial act is recorded. See the notarial register.

A notary will also want to see the original again before issuing a fresh certificate. A notary never certifies from a scan. If the original is overseas with the authority, ask whether it can be returned, or whether the issuer can provide a new one.

Does a faint seal make the document invalid?

Not in itself. The act was valid when performed. The problem is evidential: a seal that cannot be read cannot be relied on by someone who was not there. Whether a document is legally effective for its purpose is a different question, for a solicitor. See what makes a notarial act invalid.

How do you stop it happening again?

If an authority accepts electronic copies, send colour PDFs made on a flatbed scanner. Use one file per document, every page and both sides, without compression. If it wants originals, send the original rather than a copy, and keep a certified copy for yourself.

Where the destination will examine the document closely, assume it will want the original eventually. That includes a registration, a property matter or a court filing. Plan for it, rather than finding out after two rounds of scans. A Justice of the Peace copy will not help overseas, since it cannot be apostilled. For certified copies, see document notarisation.

Here is an illustration, not a real case

A pharmacist in Perth emails a scan of her notarised degree to a registration body abroad. It replies that the seal is illegible. She looks at the original: the embossed seal is clear in the hand, but the scan shows a blank circle. She asks the body whether it will take the original. It will, so she couriers it and keeps a certified copy. No new notarial act is needed.

In short

Work out whether the problem is reading or verifying. Reading problems are usually fixed by a better scan or the original. A faint original needs a fresh certificate or a reissue. A verifying problem needs the DFAT chain. Never add marks to a sealed document yourself. More on the DFAT step is at apostille and authentication.

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Told the seal is illegible? Send us the rejection wording, and we will explain each step before you book.