by Apostille Service
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UK companies are often asked to provide an apostille on a Certificate of Incorporation by a government body or organisation in another country. This is often requested to confirm the UK company details, to open a bank account overseas, applying for visas, or conducting business with a company outside of the UK.
The e-Apostille is an electronic version of the paper based UK apostille issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). For UK company documents such as a Certificate of Incorporation, an e-Apostille is often the fastest and most practical option, particularly where the document is being submitted electronically to an overseas authority or organisation.
This article explains how the e-Apostille process works for a UK Certificate of Incorporation, what is required, and how we verify the document before submission.
Can a Certificate of Incorporation be e-Apostilled?
Yes. A UK Certificate of Incorporation is ideal for the e-Apostille process. Many company documents that can be verified online are suitable for the electronic apostille.
Because the document is issued by Companies House and can be independently verified online, it does not need to be posted to us as an original paper document. The incorporation certificate is often provided as a PDF document when you register a company, or it can be downloaded from Companies House. Most incorporation documents can have an e-apostille in 1-2 days.
Digital solicitor certification is required
Before the we can issue the e-Apostille on a company registration certificate, it must be digitally certified by a UK solicitor or notary public.
This involves:
- A UK solicitor/notary applying a digital certification statement to the document
- The solicitor/notary using a secure digital signature
- The solicitor’s digital signature being registered and held on record by the FCDO
Only solicitors with an approved digital signature can certify documents for e-Apostilles. We arrange this certification as part of the service. All of our solicitors meet the above criteria.
How you can send the document to us
We do not accept emailed documents in good faith without checks. All documents must be verified before they can be digitally certified and submitted to the FCDO.
For a Certificate of Incorporation, we check the document is genuine using Companies House records. This includes:
- Confirming the company name and number
- Checking the incorporation date and status
- Matching the document details against the official Companies House register
Because Companies House records are publicly accessible, this verification process is included within our service at no extra cost. We can quickly verify the document for you.
What happens after verification
Once the Certificate of Incorporation has been verified:
- The document is digitally certified by our solicitor
- The certified PDF is submitted electronically to the FCDO
- The FCDO issues an official e-Apostille
- A PDF file with the document and e-Apostille is emailed to you.
The final file includes both the solicitor’s digital certification, document and the FCDO e-Apostille.
You can learn more about the PDF file on our how to view the e-Apostille article.
When an e-Apostille may not be suitable
An e-Apostille is not always accepted by every overseas authority. Some organisations still require:
- A paper apostille
- A wet ink certified document
- A physical document for further embassy or consular legalisation
If your Certificate of Incorporation is intended for embassy attestation or for use in a country that does not accept electronic apostilles, a paper apostille may be required instead.
If you are unsure which format is acceptable, it is important to confirm the requirements with the receiving authority before proceeding.
Summary
An e-Apostille for a UK Certificate of Incorporation is a fast, secure, and fully digital solution for using UK company documents overseas.
- The document can be emailed to us as a PDF
- Digital solicitor certification is required and arranged by us
- Verification is carried out using Companies House records
- The completed e-Apostille is issued electronically and returned by email
This approach avoids postal delays and is ideal where electronic submission is accepted by the receiving organisation. For advice on getting an e-Apostille on any company document do not hesitate to contact us. We are specialists in electronic apostilles for UK documents.
UK companies are often asked to provide an apostille on a Certificate of Incorporation by a government body or organisation in another country. This is often requested to confirm the UK company details, to open a bank account overseas, applying for visas, or conducting business with a company outside of the UK.
The e-Apostille is an electronic version of the paper based UK apostille issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). For UK company documents such as a Certificate of Incorporation, an e-Apostille is often the fastest and most practical option, particularly where the document is being submitted electronically to an overseas authority or organisation.
This article explains how the e-Apostille process works for a UK Certificate of Incorporation, what is required, and how we verify the document before submission.
Can a Certificate of Incorporation be e-Apostilled?
Yes. A UK Certificate of Incorporation is ideal for the e-Apostille process. Many company documents that can be verified online are suitable for the electronic apostille.
Because the document is issued by Companies House and can be independently verified online, it does not need to be posted to us as an original paper document. The incorporation certificate is often provided as a PDF document when you register a company, or it can be downloaded from Companies House. Most incorporation documents can have an e-apostille in 1-2 days.
Digital solicitor certification is required
Before the we can issue the e-Apostille on a company registration certificate, it must be digitally certified by a UK solicitor or notary public.
This involves:
- A UK solicitor/notary applying a digital certification statement to the document
- The solicitor/notary using a secure digital signature
- The solicitor’s digital signature being registered and held on record by the FCDO
Only solicitors with an approved digital signature can certify documents for e-Apostilles. We arrange this certification as part of the service. All of our solicitors meet the above criteria.
How you can send the document to us
We do not accept emailed documents in good faith without checks. All documents must be verified before they can be digitally certified and submitted to the FCDO.
For a Certificate of Incorporation, we check the document is genuine using Companies House records. This includes:
- Confirming the company name and number
- Checking the incorporation date and status
- Matching the document details against the official Companies House register
Because Companies House records are publicly accessible, this verification process is included within our service at no extra cost. We can quickly verify the document for you.
What happens after verification
Once the Certificate of Incorporation has been verified:
- The document is digitally certified by our solicitor
- The certified PDF is submitted electronically to the FCDO
- The FCDO issues an official e-Apostille
- A PDF file with the document and e-Apostille is emailed to you.
The final file includes both the solicitor’s digital certification, document and the FCDO e-Apostille.
You can learn more about the PDF file on our how to view the e-Apostille article.
When an e-Apostille may not be suitable
An e-Apostille is not always accepted by every overseas authority. Some organisations still require:
- A paper apostille
- A wet ink certified document
- A physical document for further embassy or consular legalisation
If your Certificate of Incorporation is intended for embassy attestation or for use in a country that does not accept electronic apostilles, a paper apostille may be required instead.
If you are unsure which format is acceptable, it is important to confirm the requirements with the receiving authority before proceeding.
Summary
An e-Apostille for a UK Certificate of Incorporation is a fast, secure, and fully digital solution for using UK company documents overseas.
- The document can be emailed to us as a PDF
- Digital solicitor certification is required and arranged by us
- Verification is carried out using Companies House records
- The completed e-Apostille is issued electronically and returned by email
This approach avoids postal delays and is ideal where electronic submission is accepted by the receiving organisation. For advice on getting an e-Apostille on any company document do not hesitate to contact us. We are specialists in electronic apostilles for UK documents.
