What information is displayed on the certificate of incumbency?

The information displayed on the certificate of incumbency can include the following: The company name How the company was formed The company’s registration and company number The company’s official address Information about the directors’ service addresses Details of where the company registers are held Information regarding any mortgages or charges Details of the bank account signatories Names of company officers that can agree on behalf of the company Confirmation that the company is in good standing and not in liquidation Information to provide evidence that no action has been taken to close the company and no proceedings are pending or threatened against the company. All the principal officers of the company’s names and titles.

What is other information available in the minute book?

The information in the minute book will vary from company to company, but it should include the following: Corporate articles Company Bylaws Directors’ resolutions Shareholders’ resolutions Annual reports Shareholders’ meeting minutes Directors’ meeting minutes

Certificate of Incumbency UK – What It Is and How to Apostille It

Apostille service overview:

Certificate of incumbency must be certified
You could email your incumbency certificate

10-12 day service costs £122
3-4 day service costs £135.
1 day (next business day) costs £152

The price includes admin, solicitor, FCDO apostille fees, and VAT.

What is a certificate of incumbency, and why does it need an apostille?

A certificate of incumbency is a document that lists the individuals who run a company. It names the directors, officers, and shareholders, and confirms who is authorised to sign on the company’s behalf.

Foreign banks and overseas authorities use it to verify that the person they are dealing with has the authority to act on behalf of the company.

The company prepares it itself, usually through a director or company secretary. No government body issues it, and there is no fixed format for it in the UK.

That last point matters. Because it is a private document, the FCDO (the UK authority that issues apostilles) will not apostille it on its own. It must first be certified by a UK solicitor or a registered notary public with the FCDO.

Once that is done, the FCDO attaches an apostille to confirm the certifying professional’s signature is genuine.

That apostille is what makes the document accepted in 120+ countries. Without it, overseas banks, courts, and registries will not treat it as valid.

A certificate of incumbency is used as an alternative to the certificate of good standing from the HMRC.

The incumbency certificate is not an official UK government-issued document, so it must be certified by a UK FCDO-registered solicitor or notary.

Our full certificate of incumbency apostille service

We handle the entire apostille process for your certificate of incumbency, from solicitor certification through to FCDO submission and secure return delivery.

Here is exactly what we take care of:

Solicitor certification: We work with a network of FCDO-registered solicitors and notaries who certify your certificate to meet the FCDO’s requirements. You do not need to find your own.
FCDO apostille: As a registered service provider, we submit your document directly to the FCDO Legalisation Office. This gives us access to expedited processing that is not available to members of the public.
Embassy legalisation (where needed): If your certificate is going to a country outside the Hague Convention, such as the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, or Egypt, we also handle the embassy legalisation step.
Certified translation: If the receiving authority requires a translation into the local language, we arrange that too through our sworn translator network, which covers more than 100 languages.
Tracked return delivery: Once everything is complete, we email you a scanned copy and return the original via DHL or Royal Mail with full tracking.

One thing to note: we do not draft the certificate of incumbency itself. You will need to have your document prepared before sending it to us.

If you are unsure whether your document is ready, we offer a free document review. Just get in touch before placing your order.

Get a free document review

Who needs a certificate of incumbency apostille

Any UK company that needs to present its certificate of incumbency to an overseas authority will need an apostille.

You will typically need one if you are:

Opening a bank account abroad (foreign banks need to verify who can sign on the company’s behalf)
Setting up a branch or subsidiary in another country
Signing cross-border contracts or entering a joint venture
Going through a merger, acquisition, or investor due diligence
Involved in a court case or arbitration abroad
Setting up a trust or foundation through an offshore provider

This is commonly required across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Americas, and major offshore financial centres.

Not sure if your destination requires one? Get in touch, and we will confirm.

Get your certificate of incumbency apostilled in 3 steps

Step one:

Organise your certificate of incumbency (we do not create them).

Ensure that your certificate is free of any marks, staples, etc., and that it does not contain any vital information. Otherwise, it may be rejected by the FCDO.

Step two:

Certify the document with a UK FCDO-registered solicitor or notary public.

Or use our solicitors and notaries, registered with the FCDO, who certify thousands of documents each year.

Step three:

Contact our office. When emailing, please provide the following information:

If your certificate requires certification
In which country will your certificate be used?
Does the certificate need to be translated?
How soon do you need the apostille?
Will you be sending (email) or dropping off the documents?
Any other information that we need to know about

Once we have all the information, the team will assess your enquiry and provide you with a personalised, detailed quotation.

If you accept the quotation, we will send an invoice for payment, and the process of obtaining an apostille for your certificate of incumbency will begin.

Step four:

Once your incumbency certificate has been apostilled, we will email you a scanned copy confirming the process has been completed successfully and that your certificate is on its way or ready for collection.

If you are not collecting your apostilled certificate from our London office, we will provide you with the tracking number given by the courier.

Note that we return documents with DHL or Royal Mail.

Call +44 (0) 207 0500 692

Order online or get an instant quote

Your fast-track apostille options

Choose the turnaround that fits your deadline.

Option 1: Next business day

Your deed poll must arrive at our office by 9:30 am. It will be ready to collect from around 3:30 pm the following business day

Option 2: 3 to 4 day service

Documents arriving after 9:30 am are processed on the 3 to 4 business day track. This is our most popular option.

Option 3: e-Apostille in 5 to 48 hours

The e-apostille is a digital version of the apostille certificate. If your document qualifies, it is usually completed within 24 hours, but may take 2 working days, depending on the FCDO’s workload.

Most ink-signed deed polls require the paper apostille instead. Contact us if you are unsure which applies to you.

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Is your certificate of incumbency ready for apostille?

Before sending your certificate to us, run through this checklist. A document that does not meet these requirements will be rejected by the FCDO, and the FCDO does not refund fees for rejected applications.

The certificate must:

Be signed in wet ink by an authorised signatory (director, company secretary, or registered agent)
Be clear and legible, with no correction fluid, heavy markings, or torn pages.
Not be laminated
Not be stapled (multi-page documents should be properly bound)
Not have pages missing or out of order.

The certificate must also be certified before submission. A signature by a company officer alone is not enough for the FCDO.

The document needs to be countersigned by an FCDO-registered UK solicitor or notary public. If your certificate has not yet been through this step, we arrange it for you as part of our service.

If you are still drafting the certificate, there is no prescribed format in the UK, but it should be on company letterhead, clearly dated, and include each officer’s full name, title, and specimen signature.

Foreign authorities expect a professional-looking document that is easy to verify.

Certificate of incumbency sample

The information displayed on the certificate of incumbency can include the following:

The company name
How the company was formed
The company’s registration and company number
The company’s official address
Information about the directors’ service addresses
Details of where the company registers are held
Information regarding any mortgages or charges
Details of the bank account signatories
Names of company officers that can agree on behalf of the company
Confirmation that the company is in good standing and not in liquidation
Information to provide evidence that no action has been taken to close the company and no proceedings are pending or threatened against the company.
All the principal officers of the company’s names and titles.

In addition to the officers’ names and titles, the certificate of incumbency includes whether or not they were elected or appointed and how long their term is.

Often, the document will consist of each officer’s signature to provide a sample for verification.

However, since there is no legal format to the document, you may include any message to suit your needs.

Once completed, the certificate of incumbency can be signed by an authorised signatory or by the registered agent who formed the company for you.

Why use London Apostille Services Ltd

We process a large volume of business documents every month, and certificates of incumbency are among the most common we handle.

Here is what that means for you in practice.

We know what the FCDO expects: Every document we submit is checked before it goes in. If something is not right, such as a missing certification, an unregistered signature, or a formatting issue, we tell you immediately and work with you to fix it.
We are an FCDO-registered service provider: This gives us access to the next-day processing route. That is how we can offer a one-day turnaround when you need it.
Our pricing is all-inclusive: The price you see covers our admin, solicitor certification, FCDO apostille fees, and VAT. There are no surprise charges after the fact. Any add-ons for translation, notarisation, or embassy legalisation are clearly stated upfront.
We are easy to reach when it matters: Our team is available Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, and we typically respond to enquiries within 1 working hour.
Our guarantee: If the FCDO rejects your document due to something on our side, we resubmit it at no extra cost or issue a full refund. The only exceptions are where the wrong document was provided by the client or where requirements changed outside our control.

We have been handling document legalisation for over 15 years across personal, business, and legal documents. Our team has a combined 35 + years of experience in this field and has processed more than 70,000 documents to date.

Call +44 (0) 207 0500 692

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FAQs about the certificate of incumbency

Below are answers to some common questions about apostilling a certificate of incumbency.

Is there an alternative to a certificate of incumbency?

Yes. A good alternative is a certificate of good standing issued by the Companies House in the UK. [1]

A certificate of good standing is an official document confirming the company’s details held by the registrar.

As the Companies House issues the document, it can be used internationally, mainly when opening bank accounts abroad.

However, the document does not confirm who is authorised to sign documents for the company.

What is the use of a certificate of incumbency?

One of the most common uses of the incumbency certificate is to confirm the signatories of the business. Banks frequently request these from international companies that need an overseas bank account.