Meta: Certified Copy of Certificate of Incorporation is corporate document which proves that the entity was duly formed.

Certified Copy Certificate of Incorporation

There are many names by which this document is called by different U.S States. In one state it is Articles of Incorporation, in others it is a Certificate.

Other common names referring to the same document which established the fact that the entity was properly formed and registered include:

• Articles of Organization
• Articles of Formation
• Certificate of Formation

When it comes to using the document in a foreign country, you must obtain a recently issued certified copy of the document. The reason for certification is to prove that the government agency which oversees all corporate filing in the state of your entity’s domicile has a record of your entity registration. In others words, a government official will have to make the statement that your company was duly registered on a date indicated in the document.

Plain copies of Certificate of Incorporation may be used for a number of domestic purposes and internal record keeping procedures.

Each state has their own processing time when it comes to obtaining new certified copies of Articles of Incorporation. It can vary from one hour services to a couple of weeks. And usually, the faster you need the document, the more expensive it will be.

It is also important to remember that you may not notarize a copy of your Articles of Incorporation for foreign use. Only recently issued Certified Copies are accepted.