Apostilles for company documents

Registry-issued company papers go straight to the issuing office, while board papers and resolutions need a notary first.

Banks, registries and partners abroad ask for company papers when you open an account, register a branch or sign across borders. They want to know the company exists and who may sign for it. The papers that prove this split into two groups with different first steps.

Registry papers go direct. A certificate of incorporation, a certificate of good standing or a certified extract from the company registry already carries the registrar's seal, so the issuing office checks it at once. In the United Kingdom that includes company certificates issued by Companies House, which the GOV.UK page names explicitly. In the United States the equivalent papers come from the state that chartered the company, and that state's office issues the apostille.

Internal papers need a notary. Board resolutions, powers of attorney for the company and shareholder agreements are private acts, so an officer signs before a notary first and the apostille certifies the notary. Multi-state signatures complicate the file: each notarization belongs to its own state, and one apostille rarely covers them all. Plan the signing order with the notary before anyone signs.

Order fresh papers for the purpose. Banks often reject company documents older than three to six months, so a standing file from last year may not serve. Confirm the age limit with the receiving bank, order new extracts, notarize where needed, apostille last, and translate only if the bank asks.

Name one person to own the file. Company papers cross desks: the registry, the notary, the issuing office, the translator, the bank. At each handoff something can detach: the apostille from the extract, the translation from the set, the receipt from the envelope. Keep a checklist with dates, keep full copies of every page including the apostille certificate, and keep tracking numbers until the bank confirms receipt. A tidy file also shortens every phone call, because you can read the certificate number straight from your copy.