Documentary Services

Certification of Documents by Lawyer, Accountant or Auditor
The most basic level of certification is by a lawyer, accountant or auditor. This is likely to be suitable for the country where the certifying person is located.

Certification of Documents by Notary Public
A notary public is the next level of certification and is a necessary prerequisite for the obtaining of a certification under apostille except where the certified copies have originated from a government department.

Certification of Documents Under Apostille
Over one hundred countries subscribe The Apostille Convention which creates a common standard for the certification of documents to ensure that documents certified in one member country will be accepted in all the others. Only documents certified by government officers or a notary public can be affixed with apostille. Despite being a common standard the cost and timeframe to obtaining certification under apostille varies greatly from country to country and is sometimes beneficial for clients living in countries with long delays or high administrative costs to have documents certified in a more efficient or affordable country.Verification of Documents

Verification of Documents
A number of companies exist to verify the validity of identification documents and other due diligence related documents. The outsourcing of this role may be desirable for smaller companies especially those starting up in a foreign country where they may not be familiar with local identity documents and the method by which they are verified.

Translation
When dealing in foreign countries it may be necessary to obtain translation of documents in a manner acceptable to courts of other governmental institutions such as the Companies Registry when forming companies.