Apostille Documents

Some of you may need your company documents apostilled whether you plan to open a bank account outside of Hong Kong or solely for legal purposes. The Hong Kong High Court issues apostilled documents in Hong Kong. Documents must bear the signature of an official body to be apostilled. Conversely, if the document does not have an official body’s signature, it must bear the signature of a notary public or the commissioner for Oaths in Hong Kong. This article mainly focuses on the purposes, approximate processing time, and the basic requirements of apostilled documents.

Apostille

To apostille documents, you must first order certified true copies of the documents from the Hong Kong Companies Registry’s website – icris. As mentioned above, the documents must bear the signature of an official body. In fact, out of the four typical company documents, only the certificate of incorporation bears the signature of an official body.

As for the business registration certificate, you must first order a certified true copy from the Inland Revenue Department’s website. For the rest, such as the incorporation form (NNC1), articles of association, and certificate of incorporation, you can easily find them on icris. Once you receive the certified true copies from both departments, you can arrange for an apostille from the Hong Kong High Court. An apostille document is generally valid for 3 months.

When to Apostille?

Generally speaking, people often need their documents apostilled when applying for something overseas. For instance, you need to open a corporate bank account in other countries but the banks are not familiar with the practices in Hong Kong. Hence, they might ask you to provide apostille documents to further verify the legitimacy of your company. On the other hand, some people may need apostille documents if they ever get into a legal proceeding with a third party overseas.

The screenshots below are an example of what an apostille document looks like.

Usually, there will be a stamp or a seal showing the issuing authority on the document

The document also lists the name of the person issuing the document as well as the date and country/place of issue.

Processing Time

The preparation time varies depending on the type of document. For documents that bear the signature of an official body, the processing time usually takes a minimum of one week. For instance, the certificate of incorporation already bears the signature of an official body so the process can be completed earlier compared with other documents.

According to the Hong Kong High Court, the process takes approximately 2 business days. However, from our experience, it usually takes around 4 business days to complete. As your company secretary, we can assist you in applying to both the Hong Kong Companies Registry and the Inland Revenue Department, the entire process can be completed as fast as one week.

Notarized Documents

Some company documents are required to be notarized by a notary public (lawyer) in order to be submitted for apostille because they are not government-issued and do not bear the signature of an official body. For example, the certificate of incumbency, director’s resolution, register company documents (register of directors, register of members, register of secretary, and significant controller register), and share certificate.  After the document is notarized, we will arrange for an apostille from the Hong Kong High Court.

Certified Documents

Certified true copies are documents signed by a recognized party and validated by the government for further official use. A stamp will usually be shown on the document to ensure the legitimacy of the certified copy. Additionally, documents that need to be notarized also need to be certified by a TCSP-licensed company secretary. Since they are not official documents, the certified versions will not be available for download from icris.

If you need apostille service, please contact us via email at info@cheapincorp.com or by WhatsApp at +852 5404 0902.