Certificate of Good Standing

A good standing certificate states that the company has been in continuous, unbroken existence since its incorporation and that no action is currently being taken to strike the company off the register.

Details to be shown on the Good Standing Certificate

The following details are normally shown on the certificate:

• Directors Names
• Registered Office

Requirements for a Certificate of Good Standing to be issued

The accounts must be filled up to date

How do I obtain a Certificate of Good Standing?

The Certificate of Good Standing is also known as a:

• Certificate of Existence
• Certificate of Authorisation
• Certificate of Authentication

The certificate, both domestic and foreign, only validates the signature of a notary public or certain local or state officers. It does not validate the contents, completeness, or accuracy of the notarised or issued document. The authentication process includes matching signature and seal with the information on file.

A Companies Registry can issue a certificate so long as:

According to the documents on the file of the company in the custody of the Registrar of Companies, the company has been in continuous and unbroken existence since the date of its incorporation.

No action is currently being taken by the Registrar of Companies for striking the company off the register and dissolving it as defunct and as far as the Registrar is aware:

• The company is not in liquidation or subject to an administration order
• No receiver or manager of the company’s property has been appointed

A Certificate of Incorporation is a document which confirms that your offshore company has in fact been properly organised and registered under the laws of the jurisdiction in question.

The Certificate is issued by the office of the Registrar of Companies and gives the name under which the company has been registered, its registration number, and the date on which it was registered.

Ideally, a Certificate of Incorporation will have a apostille attached to it. An apostille is a certificate/confirmation issued by a competent authority of the country of incorporation and in this case guarantees the authenticity of the actual Certificate of Incorporation.

To have a Certificate of Incorporation apostilled ensures that it will be recognised as valid outside of the country of incorporation. This might be necessary if you decide to open a bank account for your new offshore company outside of its country of incorporation, or plan to transfer property into the company’s ownership.