Apostille for China · Apostille guide

Apostille authentication of company registration documents: How to check the issuing authority, document version and receipt requirements

Only by classifying the registration certificate, copy of the articles of association, board resolutions and authorization documents one by one can the respective Apostille paths be determined.

"Corporate documents" must be broken down into specific names

The company's registration certificate, Certificate of Good Standing, certified copy of the articles of association, board resolution and power of attorney come from different sources. When the Chinese receiving unit only writes "company documents", it should further confirm which copy is needed, whether it requires recent issuance and whether it needs to show registration status.

Government documents are handled differently than internal documents

Certificates of registration or existence issued by the Secretary of State are government records, and the Apostille agency is usually determined based on the state in which the company is registered. Internal signature materials such as board resolutions and letters of authorization may need to be notarized first. Do not use a company seal as a government-issued seal, nor use a screenshot of a business database as a substitute for an official document.

Establish a document control list

• The full English name and Chinese purpose of the document;
• Issuing agency or signatory;
• Registration state, issuance date and entity number;
• Original, certified copy or private signature;
• Recipient's requirements for date, number of copies, translation and binding.

Confirm one by one when signed by multiple people

A company resolution may contain different signatures of directors, secretaries, notaries, etc. Which signature Apostille corresponds to should be determined based on the file structure and the requirements of the competent authority. If the signer does not have a title, date or authorization basis, please correct the document first and do not rush to send it.

Post-completion quality check

Verify that the Apostille is attached to the correct document, that the company name and number match, that the translation covers all pages, and that the dates on different documents do not conflict with each other. When equity, transactions, litigation or tax effects are involved, the entity content should be reviewed by appropriate professionals.