Why have an Apostille Certificate?
Prior to the introduction of Apostille Certificates, the burden on international courts and authorities to judge foreign documents as authentic was quite considerable. On 5 October 1961, the Hague Convention abolished the requirement for 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 that delivered the certificate.

Certificate of Incorporation
If information is filed properly and appropriate fees are paid, the Registrar will issue a Certificate of Incorporation. For a public company, a Section 117 Certificate will also be issued to indicate that the Registrar is satisfied that certain requirements relating to share capital have been met. Ideally, a Certificate of Incorporation will have a so-called apostille attached to it.

An apostille is a certificate/confirmation issued by a competent authority of the country of incorporation and, in this case, guarantees the authenticity of the actual Certificate of Incorporation. To have a Certificate of Incorporation apostillised ensures that it will be recognised as valid outside the country of incorporation.

Good Standing Certificate:
A ‘Good Standing Certificate’ is supplied by Companies House to confirm that the company mentioned on the Certificate has filed all necessary documents and forms to meet legal disclosure requirements. Companies House will not issue a Good Standing Certificate for any company that is late with filing its annual return or accounts, or that has failed to provide up-to-date information about the company's constitution, ownership, or control. Good Standing Certificates are signed by an officer of Companies House.

The certificate shows, at minimum, the company's name and incorporation number. If requested, it can also show the names of the registered Directors and shareholders. Good Standing Certificates may be requested by various interested parties, but the most common reason for obtaining one is to satisfy a bank or finance company. Some overseas banks and institutions may demand that an apostille verifies the authenticity of the Good Standing Certificate.

For the full text of the Hague Convention, please click here