If you need an apostille for a German commercial register extract, the process normally involves the following steps.
Step 1:
Make sure that your commercial register extract is in the correct official or certified form required for an apostille. Commercial register documents are issued through the competent register court. Before applying for an apostille, check that the document contains the required certification, signature and other formal details. The exact certification procedure may vary between the German federal states.
Step 2:
Identify the authority responsible for issuing the apostille. For documents from the German Commercial Register, such as register extracts, shareholder lists and articles of association, the competent authority depends on the federal state and the court that issued or certified the document.
Step 3:
Complete the application for the apostille. Depending on the competent authority, the application may be submitted in a prescribed form or as a written request. You normally need to state the country where the document will be used. An apostille can be issued for use in countries where the Hague Apostille Convention applies. If the destination country is not covered by the Convention, a different form of document legalisation may be required.
Step 4:
Pay the required fee according to the instructions of the competent authority. In some cases, payment is made only after you receive a payment request or reference number. If a reference number has not yet been assigned to your application, it is generally better to wait for the payment instructions before transferring the fee.
Step 5:
After the application has been submitted and the required fee has been paid, you need to wait for the commercial register document with the apostille to be processed and returned. Processing times vary considerably between authorities and may range from several days to several weeks.
This is a general overview of how to obtain an apostille for a German commercial register extract. The exact procedure depends on the type of document, the issuing court, the federal state and the country where the document will be used. If you do not want to arrange the apostille yourself, you can order our assistance with the process.
We can handle the required steps on your behalf. We check which form of authentication is required for the country where you intend to use the document, identify the competent authority, arrange the necessary applications and pay the relevant fees.
If you are outside Germany, we can send the completed documents to you by international courier, including UPS, FedEx or DHL.