If you are conducting business in another country, you may be asked to legalise your company documents. To legalise a UK document, an apostille is a certificate attached to a document that authenticates the signature, seal, or stamp of the issuing authority (e.g., a solicitor or Companies House). It’s recognised under the 1961 Hague Convention and validates documents for use across other member countries

There are two ways to process company documents. The first is to add an apostille to individual documents. The second is to prepare a set of documents with one apostille attached to the set.

Individual Apostille per Document

Each document (e.g., Certificate of Incorporation, Memorandum of Association, Articles of Association, IN01 incorporation documents), is separately certified by a solicitor, then given its own apostille.

This process ensures each document carries independent authentication and is arguably the safe option if you are unsure how to legalise company documents.

Steps involved –

• A solicitor reviews and verifies the document
• The solicitor certifies and signs each document
• The apostille is attached directly to each original or certified copy

Pros:

• Best where each document is submitted separately or must stand alone
• Suitable for small numbers of documents
• Reduced risk of documents being rejected

Cons:

• More costly when dealing with many documents, but discounted services are available.

One Set of Company Documents Under a Single Apostille

Multiple related documents, for one company, are bound together under a cover sheet; one apostille is affixed to this set

Commonly includes company formation documents including the following:

• Certificate of Incorporation
• Memorandum & Articles
• First Minutes
• Share Certificates
• Company Register

Steps Involved:

• Documents are checked, collated and a solicitor prepares a cover sheet listing the documents they have included
• They are fastened together with a permanent binder metal legal fastener)
• The solicitor will sign and certify the cover sheet
• A single apostille is attached to the cover sheet, effectively legalising the entire set

Pros:

• More economical when multiple documents are required
• Efficient single authentication for a batch of related documents
• Not suitable if the receiving authority requires separate apostilles for each document—check with them first
• Certain document types (e.g., resolutions, affidavits, birth/death certificates, powers of attorney, resolutions) cannot be included in a bound set

Choosing the Right Option

• Check requirements of the foreign authority
• Do they accept a bound set with one apostille?
• Or do they demand individual apostilles per document?

Consider document types:

Bound sets of company documents is appropriate for corporate documents – formation papers, minutes, registers etc.

Other documents (e.g., legal powers of attorney, contracts, affidavits, bank documents) normally require separate apostilles.

Conclusion

Preparing a set of document is a great way to process many documents under one apostille. Saving you a considerable amount of money. If individual documents need to be legalised a bound set of documents may be rejected.

The 1Apostille Service can offer guidance on how documents are prepared, but they cannot tell you which option is suitable for your needs. Do not hesitate to contact The 1Apostille Service for free advice.