Authentications and Apostilles

Using an Apostille Certificate on Your Company Documents

An Apostille certificate can be obtained for any UK company document. If you are planning on doing business overseas, importing or exporting, opening bank accounts in another country. then we can assist you with getting your documents legalised.

There is a wide range of company documents that we can legalise either individually or as a set. The following list is an example of some of the many documents that we legalise for existing UK and overseas clients operating UK businesses.

  • Certificates of Incorporation
  • Certificates of Good Standing
  • Certificates of Name Change
  • Memorandum of Association
  • Articles of Association
  • Company Registers
  • Share Certificates
  • Share Transfer Forms
  • Power of Attorneys
  • Meeting Minutes
  • Resolutions
  • Bank documents

This list is not exhaustive but hopefully shows a range of the documents that can have an apostille certificate attached.

Foreign governments may request bearers of documents to have them authenticated - legalised. Legalising a document means verifying the signature of the person and/or the seal or stamp it bears.  Please note that this process does not verify the contents of the document.

An apostille involves the addition of a certificate, either stamped on the document itself or attached to the document.

Apostille Certificates and Document Legalisation Service

Key benefits

  • No additional charges for multiple documents under the same apostille certificate (where possible)
  • Highly experienced team will advise you on the most suitable legalisation for your personal circumstances - the last thing you need is for your documents to be rejected by overseas authorities
  • Average turn around time is approximately 5 days.
  • Expedite same day service also available

What is an Apostille?

An Apostille certificate authenticates the signature of the public official who has signed the document in your home state. The Apostille certificate confirms the person that signed the document has the authority to do so and that the document should therefore be recognised as legal without further evidence in another member state.

Why have an Apostille certificate?

Prior to Apostille certificates the burden on international courts and authorities to judge foreign documents as authentic was quite considerable. In 1961 the Hague Convention abolished the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents. The Convention reduces all of the formalities of legalisation to the simple delivery of a certificate in a prescribed form, entitled Apostille, by the authorities of the State where the document originates. This certificate, placed on the document, is dated, numbered and registered. The verification of its registration can be carried out without difficulty by means of a simple request for information addressed to the authority which delivered the certificate.

Which countries recognise Apostille certificates?

There are currently over 70 countries of the Hague convention. In addition to those countries which are members of the Hague convention many other countries also recognise an Apostille certificate.

What type of document can be certified by an Apostille?

Virtually any official document can be legalised with an Apostille.

I have multiple documents, do I need multiple Apostille Certificates?

Whenever possible we will legalise your documents under one Apostille to keep your costs to a minimum.

How long does it take?

We aim to have your Apostille certificate issued within five days.

What information is contained on the Apostille?

  • The certificate contains the following information:
  • Country of origin
  • Name of signatory on the document
  • The capacity in which that signatory has acted
  • If the document has been sealed/stamped instead of signed then the details of the authority
  • Place of certification
  • Date of certification
  • Issuing authorities details
  • Certificate number
  • Stamp of issuing authority
  • Authorised signature of authority

Some examples of public documents include documents issued by a Notary Public, Certificates of Incorporation, Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates.

The apostille enables the presenter to bypass further certification and immediately send or take the documents to the country of intended use. Only certain countries will accept the apostille.

A Certificate of Authentication / Certificate of Good Standing - both domestic and foreign, only validates the signature of a notary public or certain local or state officers. The certificate of authentication does not validate the contents, completeness, or accuracy of the notarised or issued document. The authentication process includes matching signature and seal with the information on file.

Apostille Certificate
apostille