Additional services for overseas customers forming Companies in the UK

If you are asked to produce legal document outside the UK you are required, under the Hague Convention, to produce an Apostille. An Apostille certificate authenticates the signature of the UK public official who has signed a document you hold and deems the document to be a legal entity. The Apostille certificate is attached to the original document and is dated, numbered and registered. Whilst the Apostille is a recognised certificate for member states of the Hague Convention, many of countries that are not members recognise the authentication of the Apostille.

Information on Legalisation (Apostille)

Purpose: The Hague convention abolishes the requirement of diplomatic and consular legalization for public documents originating in one Convention country and intended for use in another. Documents issued in a Convention country which have been certified by a Convention Apostille are entitled to recognition in any other Convention country without any further authentication. Such recognition is an obligation on the part of any country in the convention to the other countries party to the Convention and the federal courts and state authorities have been alerted to this obligation. Consular officers in Convention countries are prohibited from placing a certification over the Convention Apostille.

Information on Certificate of Good Standing

A Certificate of Good Standing (also known as Certificate of Fact) is a document issued by The Registrar of Companies and may be required to authenticate the existence of the company and provide evidence of the officers. They are often used where a UK company needs to be registered or to trade outside the UK.

A Certificate of Good Standing confirms the company name, company number and date of incorporation and it certifies that the company has been in continuous and unbroken existence since the date of its incorporation. It also states that no action is currently being taken by the Registrar of Companies for striking the company off the register and dissolving it as defunct, and as far as the Registrar is aware, the company is not in liquidation or subject to an administration order, and no receiver or manager of the company’s property has been appointed. This certificate will not be issued if the company is not up to date with the filing of confirmation statements and accounts.

Details of the Registered Office address, name of Directors and Secretary can be added on request. We will order the certificate with this extra information unless you indicate OTHERWISE in the Extra Information Box in the checkout.

Due to Changes brought in by the Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act on 30th June 2016, Companies House are no longer be able to issue certificates with information on shareholders, shareholdings and statement of capital.

What are Public / Official Documents?

For Convention purposes, public documents include:

1. documents emanating from an authority or an official connected with the courts or tribunals of the state, including those emanating from a public prosecutor, a clerk of court or a process server
2. administrative documents
3. notarial acts
4. official certificates which are placed on documents signed by persons in their private capacity, such as official certificates recording the registration of a document or the fact that it was in existence on a certain date and official and notarial authentication of signatures.

In general @UKPLC Company Registrations will provide legalisation of Certificates of Incorporation for the fees below.

Procedure

Additional Information