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22 June 2026

The Certificate of Good Standing: notary services

The Certificate of Good Standing is a very important document for businesses for many situations, and it may need to be taken abroad. You can find out more below.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Business owners, directors and other key personnel should be aware of the Certificate of Good Standing, which includes important details about your business.

If you are planning on carrying out business operations abroad, then you will need to provide a Certificate of Good Standing alongside other documents to prove that your business is real.

To be able to take your Certificate of Good Standing to another country, it will need to be notarised and legalised, which our expert team can help you with.

Read on to learn about the details included on the certificate, how you can get one, and to see what services we offer as a Notary Public.

What is the Certificate of Good Standing?

Essentially, the Certificate of Good Standing proves that your company has

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We can then book your appointment at one of our convenient offices in London, Manchester or Sheffield, or you can take advantage of our mobile notary service at a time and place that suits you.

continuously existed since its inception, and that Companies House is not currently in the process of removing your company from its register.

The authorities of other countries will need to see the certificate to be sure that your business is legitimate and has a consistent history, and that there were no breaks in operation that they may see as odd.

However, the authorities of your destination country will not accept the certificate as legitimate unless it is notarised and legalised first.

When might a Certificate of Good Standing be needed?

As we have already briefly mentioned, you will need a Certificate of Good Standing if you plan to begin business operations abroad.

Potential business partners, clients, investors or suppliers may ask to see your certificate before they enter into an agreement with your company.

Another reason you may need one involves business operations, such as the need to open a bank account abroad for your UK-based business.

How do I get a Certificate of Good Standing?

It is quite straightforward to get a Certificate of Good Standing. First, you will need to visit the Companies House website, which is owned by the UK Government.

Then, you have to search for your company using either your company’s name, or its unique company number. Click your company’s listing to visit its Companies House page.

Once you are on the page, click the ‘more’ tab. Here, you can order official company documents, including the Certificate of Good Standing, which can be ordered by clicking ‘order a company certificate’.

There are two delivery options, both of which are carried out by the Royal Mail. First, there is standard delivery, which is £22 and takes around 10 working days. Second, you can choose express, which costs £65 and will either be delivered the same working day if ordered before 11am, or the next if ordered after 11am.

Additionally, you can order up to 10 copies of the Certificate of Good Standing or whichever document you have chosen. They cost £16 each and will be delivered with your initial order.

Important notary services

Throughout this blog, we have mentioned how you will need a notary to be able to use your Certificate of Good Standing abroad. Here, we will go through the many useful services that we offer.

Notarisation
To be able to prove your certificate is real so that it can be used abroad, it will need to be notarised by a Notary Public. Our Principal Notary Public of England and Wales, Nathan Woodcock, as well as our London Notary Public, Papia Kabir, can do this for you.

One of our notaries will provide your Certificate of Good Standing with their stamp, seal and signature, which are used to prove it is legitimate. It is a quick and simple process carried out by our professionals.

Our services are tailored to the unique needs of our clients, so you can be assured that you are always getting the best service possible.

Our team has successfully assisted hundreds of businesses with international document legalisation.

Legalisation
After your certificate has been notarised, it will then need to be legalised. This is a process whereby the notary’s details are proven to be legitimate according to records held by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

There are different forms of legalisation, with the one you need depending on which country you are going to.

Apostilles are the most common form of legalisation, as they were introduced by the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention to be a simpler way of getting documents ready to travel between signatory countries. We offer several apostille packages that suit various timescales and financial situations.

However, for other countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, you will instead need embassy or consulate legalisation, which is a longer and more complex process that varies by country. We can manage this whole process for you, so that you do not have the stress of dealing with it all by yourself.

Translations
If you are planning on using your Certificate of Good Standing in a country where English is not an official language, then your document will need to be translated. We can arrange this for you.

Book your appointment today

Now you know about the Certificate of Good Standing and all of the ways in which we can help you, it is time to book your notary appointment.

You can discuss your needs with a member of our helpful team by either phone, email, our website chatbox, or our submission form. They will take you through what will need to be done and book your appointment for you.

When choosing where to have your appointment, you have a few options. If you can travel, then our offices in London, Manchester and Sheffield are conveniently located with great travel links.

However, for those who cannot reach one of our offices, we offer an accessible mobile notary service, where we come to you. Through this, you can book your appointment to be at your home, office, a café, or somewhere else appropriate.

Book your notary appointment online for our expert assistance with your Certificate of Good Standing.

READY FOR ASSISTANCE?

If you have any questions about our notary, apostille or consular services,
contact Woodcock Notary Public today.

Call us on 0800 049 2471 (free to call) or email info@woodcocknotarypublic.com.

If you have any questions about our notary, apostille or consular services, contact Woodcock Notary Public today.