If you operate a business in the United States, you frequently need to ensure that designated employees have the authority to represent your company as officials in other countries. When conducting any international business, a Certificate of Incumbency Apostille is frequently required. If a foreign country is a party to the Hague Convention of 1961, you will likely need to affix a Certificate of Incumbency Apostille to the notarized certificate when you transmit the document over to any international organizations.
What is a Certificate of Incumbency?
A lot of paperwork is required to run a business. Numerous forms must be submitted to the state; some are required regardless of your company's structure, while others are optional but useful to have.
You might still feel overwhelmed by legal concepts and necessary documents even after operating in the business world for a while. One of the most important business documents often overlooked is a Certificate of Incumbency.
A Limited Liability Company (LLC) or a corporation may issue a Certificate of Incumbency, also known as an incumbency certificate, which identifies the directors, officers, and important stakeholders. The document details each person's identity and current position.
A Certificate of Incumbency commonly serves as confirmation for identifying the signatories of the company, or those who have the authority to bind the company to agreements.
Creating a Certificate of Incumbency
A Certificate of Incumbency document is created by a corporation's secretary, which typically includes the company seal. A public notary may notarize this type of document. Since local laws might differ from state to state, be sure to familiarize yourself with your local laws (or, at the least, retain a legal professional who can help you navigate them).
The Certificate is an official corporate document, and third parties will recognize its validity, as it is thought to be an official act of the company, with the Secretary serving as the officer in charge of records.
The Certificate of Incumbency comprises the names and positions of the officers as well as information about their election or appointment status and term length. A sample of each officer's signature is frequently included on the document to provide verification.
Certificate of Incumbency Business use
When the business is establishing its financial accounts, for example, a Certificate of Incumbency may be required. For instance, the bank will want to confirm that the individual visiting their branch is allowed to create accounts in the company's name when they first visit to open any company accounts.
If you wish to hire legal counsel, the individual establishing the relationship will need to be able to verify their identity and position. If they aren't working with the attorneys directly from the start, they will also need to know who the key decision-makers in the company are. For them to sign any official documents the business issues that are enforceable by law, they must know this information.
Certificate of Incumbency Apostille
As previously mentioned, if any business is going to be conducted overseas in a foreign country that is a party to the Hague Convention of 1961, you will likely need to affix a Certificate of Incumbency Apostille to the notarized certificate that is to be presented.
In order for a Certificate of Incumbency Apostille to be processed, the original document must be signed in notarized. There are certain requirements that must be met if the signers of a Certificate of Incumbency are located in different states.
It’s best to hire a professional document certification company such as American Apostille & Notary Services to process assist in processing your Certificate of Incumbency Apostille. Their office can remotely notarize the original Certificate of Incumbency document and process your Certificate of Incumbency Apostille, saving you time and money.
There is no margin for error with the Authentication or Apostille process. If mistakes are made, both your time and money will be wasted and you'll have to start all over again. If you want to look into outsourcing this part to someone with experience, please email me at jared@apostillellc.com or call 848-467-7740 to request my services or learn more.