The National Seal of Brazil is one of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

's national symbols, displayed on several official documents, such as graduation diplomas, consular and diplomatic papers, military conscription forms, etc. Most documents, however, feature the

National Coat of Arms A national coat of arms is a symbol which denotes an independent state in the form of a heraldic achievement. While a national flag is usually used by the population at large and is flown outside and on ships, a national coat of arms is normally ...

instead of the National Seal.

History

The design of the National Seal is also represented on the reverse side of the ''Great Seal of the Arms of the Federative Republic of Brazil'' (that bears the image of the country's coat of arms on the obverse side), and is used by the Presidency of the Republic to authenticate solemn documents together with the President's signature, such as instruments of ratification of international treaties. The wax or printed impression of the National Seal is also used to authenticate the original version of Laws promulgated by the

President of Brazil The president of Brazil ( pt, Presidente do Brasil), officially the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil ( pt, Presidente da República Federativa do Brasil) or simply the ''President of the Republic'', is the head of state and head o ...

. The National Seal, together with the nation's

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

and

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

, is officially recognised as a national symbol since the Brazilian Republic was formed; its appearance and design is regulated by law. National symbols of Brazil National seals {{Brazil-gov-stub