What is Apostille?
An apostille is an official certificate that authenticates a public document for use in another country under the 1961 Hague Convention. For company documents - certificates of incorporation, good standing, powers of attorney - an apostille is what makes them acceptable to foreign banks, registries, and notaries.
When your company documents need one
Any time corporate documents cross borders into official use: opening a bank account abroad, registering a branch or subsidiary, proving the parent company's existence to a foreign notary, or onboarding with a payment processor that demands authenticated documents. A Delaware certificate of incorporation is just paper to an Estonian bank until it carries a Delaware Secretary of State apostille. Between two Hague Convention countries, the apostille replaces the old multi-step consular legalisation chain.
How to get one and what it costs
The competent authority in the document's country of origin issues it - the Secretary of State for Delaware documents, the Registrar or designated authority in BVI, the Apostille Section of the High Court in Hong Kong. Typical cost is $50–200 per document plus courier, with turnaround from same-day (Delaware expedited) to 2–3 weeks (some offshore registries). Order apostilled sets at incorporation if you know you will bank abroad - retrofitting adds weeks to bank onboarding.
Apostille vs notarisation vs legalisation
Notarisation certifies a signature or copy locally. An apostille certifies the public official or notary behind the document for international use - it sits on top of notarisation, not instead of it. Full consular legalisation is only needed for countries outside the Hague Convention (e.g., UAE joined in 2023, but mainland China's accession in 2023 removed one of the biggest legacy legalisation destinations). Check the destination country's status before paying for the wrong chain.
Frequently asked questions
How long is an apostille valid?
The apostille itself does not expire, but receiving institutions usually require the underlying document to be recent - banks commonly want certificates of good standing under 3–6 months old, apostille included.
Do I need an apostille to open a foreign bank account?
Almost always, yes - banks require apostilled corporate documents when the company is incorporated in a different country. Ask the bank for its exact list first; typical sets include certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles, and a recent certificate of good standing or incumbency.
Ready to put this into practice?
OnScale handles the full setup - formation, KYC, and documents - with one fixed price and one point of contact.