Apostille for China · Apostille guide

U.S. company registration certificate for use in China: Good Standing, translation and Apostille verification sequence

Company existence certificate, registration copy and privately signed company documents may go through different paths, and the source and purpose of the document should be separated before processing.

What problem does Good Standing solve?

Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Status is usually used to describe the registration status of a company in the state of registration. It is not equivalent to articles of incorporation, board resolutions, shareholder registers, tax certificates or signature authorizations. When Bank of China, partners or registration authorities require "company certificate", they should first obtain the accurate English document name.

Divide company materials into two groups

Government-issued documents include certificates of existence or certified copies from the Secretary of State; Privately signed documents include board resolutions, authorization letters, or statements. The former usually determines the Apostille authority based on the issuing state, while the latter may require proper notarization to be completed first. Two sets of documents should not be sent with the same vague "Company Documents" label.

Confirm four details with the recipient

• Need a certificate of existence, a certificate of registration or a copy of the articles of incorporation;
• Whether it is required to be issued in the near future, such as within three months or six months;
• Whether electronic certificates are accepted or certified copies must be used;
• Whether the Chinese translation needs to include the Apostille page and attachments.

The name and number must be consistent item by item

The company's legal name, registration state, entity number, issuing authority, issuance date and status terminology should be retained during translation. The brand name cannot replace the legal name, and statuses such as "active" and "good standing" should not be interchanged at will. If the company names in multiple documents are different, the differences should be explained before processing.

Correct processing sequence

1. Keep a written list of Chinese recipients;
2. Obtain the required version from the state where the company is registered;
3. Determine the certification path according to the issuing source of each document;
4. Produce a complete translation of the final version;
5. After completion, check whether the Apostille and the attached company documents correspond one-to-one.