If you're trying to transact business overseas on an official basis and some of that business may be related to your company in Australia, don't be surprised if the authority asks you to authenticate some documents. They may ask you to produce an apostille certificate to continue processing your case. If you've never heard of such a document, what is this, and how can you produce this certificate?

Generate Certified Documents 

Some foreign government institutions require a degree of proof before they can accept information about an overseas company or entity. They recognise that this data may be contained on government records in the overseas territory and will ordinarily accept that as evidence. However, this institution will want proof that those governments are, indeed, official, and to do this, they may frequently request an apostille certificate.

What is an Apostille Certificate?

The apostille certificate is effectively an official government declaration in the form of a stamp that is attached to the reverse side of a single-page document. If multiple pages are involved in the document, those pages will be tied together with either a ribbon or some other form of binding. This will make them one document that cannot be separated, onto which the apostille certificate will be fixed.

How to Get the Certificate

You will also need to employ a specific official to do this work for you and will need to reach out to a notary public. They are appointed by law and can witness signatures or certify that documents are original for international cases like this.

Once you have generated the documentation that you need, you will need to approach a notary public. They will then sign, seal or stamp the document, which can have the apostille attached. This confirms that the person who signed, sealed or stamped the document had the lawful authority to do this. This package will then become a legal document that should be recognised in a foreign country so long as that nation is a member of the Hague Convention.

Just remember that an apostille certificate does not authenticate the document's actual content, just that it has been raised by an official source and certified by a notary public.

Get Further Information

If you need more information about this process, get in touch with a notary public near you. They'll be happy to walk you through it step-by-step so you can get the information you desire.

For more info, contact a company like BSG Lawyers.