Recipient-led documentary evidence

Company and Charity Documents for Banks, Funders, Investors and Due Diligence

Start with what the receiving organisation needs to establish. Coddan can identify the appropriate source documents, distinguish official evidence from internal company or charity records, and define the shortest suitable documentary route within the agreed scope.

The right evidence depends on the recipient and purpose. A Companies House download, certified copy, company certificate, governing document, resolution, register extract or authority document performs a different job. Notarisation, an apostille, translation or legalisation should be added only where independently required.

What to Provide for an Evidence Assessment My international route is uncertain

Begin with what must be proved

What does the recipient need to establish?

A request for “certified company documents” may concern legal existence, current status, governing rules, officeholders, ownership, authority, a particular decision, financial reporting or the organisation’s charitable position. Those are not interchangeable questions.

Identify the recipient

Name the bank, payment provider, funder, grant body, investor, adviser, counterparty or reviewing authority.

Establish the purpose

Clarify whether the documents support onboarding, a grant, lending, investment, a transaction, account control or another due-diligence process.

Use the written request

A checklist, portal instruction, rejection message or sample wording is often more reliable than a general request made by telephone.

Confirm the acceptable form

Establish whether ordinary information, an official certificate, a certified copy, an existing internal record, paper, electronic form or another feature is required.

Do not begin by buying every available certificate. The recipient’s actual evidential question determines the document set.

Different recipients, different questions

Where reliable organisational evidence may be requested

Banks and payment providers

Evidence may concern existence, status, governing rules, directors, trustees, beneficial ownership, account authority or a particular authorised signatory. The institution controls its onboarding and verification decision.

Funders and grant bodies

A funder may request the governing document, charitable purposes, trustee or director evidence, accounts, policies, resolutions or proof that the applicant may enter the funding arrangement.

Investors and counterparties

The review may concern legal status, constitutional rights, ownership, corporate approvals, authority, material filings or the provenance of a transaction document.

Professional due diligence

Solicitors, accountants, auditors and other reviewers may specify exact documents, dates, certification wording, reliance limits and evidence sources for their own work.

International recipient does not automatically mean apostille. The receiving institution’s instructions, destination procedure and document form must establish whether additional treatment is required.

Identify the evidence family

The requested facts may belong to different documentary sources

Official company facts

Available certified facts and status evidence may belong in a Companies House company certificate rather than a bundle of downloads.

A particular filed document

Articles, resolutions, appointments or other filings may require an official certified copy of the specific document held on the register.

Constitution and purposes

For a company this may involve operative articles and objects. A charity’s governing document depends on its legal structure and relevant charity jurisdiction.

Officeholders and control

Directors, trustees, members, persons with significant control, beneficial ownership and authority are different concepts and may require different evidence.

Corporate decisions

Existing board minutes, trustee decisions and member resolutions may evidence approval only if their provenance, content and authority are suitable.

Internal registers and records

A company’s statutory registers and books are not interchangeable with public Companies House information and must be considered on their own evidence.

Transaction authority

A power of attorney, mandate, board authority or authorised-signatory record may be required for the particular transaction.

Financial and regulatory material

Accounts, annual reports, regulator entries, tax evidence, policies and licences remain controlled by their issuing source and the recipient’s requirements.

Similar language, different products

Do not substitute one form of evidence for another

Public-register information

Useful for inspection, but not automatically an official certified copy or company certificate.

Certified copy of a filing

An official copy of a particular document held on the Companies House register. It concerns that filing, not every current company fact.

Company certificate

An official Companies House product containing available certified company facts. It differs from a certified copy of a filing.

Certificate of incumbency

A private or professionally prepared document based on verified sources. It is not an official Companies House product.

Internal company or charity record

Evidence created or maintained by the organisation. Its provenance, authority, completeness and execution may need separate consideration.

Professional or official authentication

A notarial act, apostille, translation or legalisation has its own scope. It does not convert inaccurate content into correct evidence.

How Coddan prepares the evidence

How Coddan identifies the appropriate document set

Record the recipient and purpose
Begin with the institution’s question and the decision for which it needs evidence.
Translate the request into facts
Separate existence, status, constitution, officeholder, ownership, decision and authority questions.
Identify the authoritative source
Determine whether the evidence belongs to Companies House, a charity regulator, the organisation, another authority or an appointed professional.
Check documentary readiness
Identify inaccurate filings, incomplete registers, missing decisions, defective authority, historic inconsistencies or dissolved status before evidence is prepared.
Select the shortest appropriate route
Use ordinary evidence where sufficient and add official certification or professional treatment only when justified.
Define scope, dependencies and delivery
Record Coddan’s work, official and third-party acts, exclusions, charges and any confirmed paper or electronic delivery requirement.

Evidence before authentication

The underlying record must be suitable for the recipient’s question

Public filing problem

An inaccurate, incomplete or wrongly filed document may require the appropriate replacement or correction procedure before it is relied upon.

Internal-record problem

Registers, minutes and resolutions require their own evidence-led records or governance work. Authentication cannot reconstruct missing history.

Authority problem

A person’s public appointment does not necessarily prove authority for every account, grant, investment or transaction.

Status problem

Dissolution, restoration, overdue filings or historic status may affect which current evidence can properly be issued or used.

Certification is not correction. Obtaining a certified copy, company certificate, notarial certificate, apostille or legalisation does not repair inaccurate content, defective authority or inconsistent records.

Only where independently justified

Additional treatment is a separate decision

Notarisation

The appointed individual notary determines and performs any required notarial act.

Apostille

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office determines eligibility and issues the apostille.

Certified translation

The translator prepares and certifies a translation meeting the recipient’s stated requirements.

Embassy or consular legalisation

The relevant mission controls its own requirements, official act and decision.

A foreign bank or investor may request an apostille or another authenticated form, but international location alone does not establish that requirement. Obtain and follow the recipient’s current written instructions.

Who is responsible for each stage

Who controls each part of the evidence route

Coddan

Identifies and coordinates the appropriate evidence route within the agreed scope and performs only Coddan’s confirmed work.

Companies House

Maintains the company register and issues or certifies its own available official products.

Charity regulator

Controls its register, filings and regulatory records within the relevant UK jurisdiction. Charity structure determines the authoritative sources.

The organisation

Maintains its internal registers, minutes, resolutions, governing documents and evidence of authority.

Independent professional

A notary, translator, solicitor, accountant, auditor or other professional controls the act and opinion for which that person is responsible.

Receiving organisation

Determines its evidence, onboarding, funding, investment, due-diligence and acceptance requirements.

Clear cost components

Cost follows the evidence set and the justified route

No universal package can accurately price every institutional evidence request. A controlled scope should distinguish:

Coddan’s professional charge

For document identification, evidence assessment, preparation and agreed coordination.

Official charges

For Companies House, regulators, the FCDO, embassies or other authorities where applicable.

Professional and third-party charges

For notarial, translation, legal, accounting, audit, courier or other justified work.

Exceptional preliminary work

For correction, records, governance, authority or restoration work that must be scoped separately.

The number of documents, authoritative sources, evidential gaps, required form, third-party acts, urgency and confirmed delivery arrangements affect the final scope. No acceptance or processing time is promised.

Choose the service that matches the request

Documents for Overseas Registration, Tax and Regulatory Use

When the evidence is required for an overseas registration, tax, licensing or regulatory procedure.

Chamber Certification of Export and Commercial Documents

For a verified Chamber-controlled trade or commercial-document route.

Certified Copies of Companies House Documents

For a particular filed document.

Company Certificates and Status Documents

For available official certified company facts.

Certificates of Incorporation and Change-of-Name Certificates

For evidence of incorporation or a company-name history.

Good Standing Requests and Summary Statements

For current status wording and eligibility.

Certificates of Incumbency and Officeholder Evidence

For private professional evidence based on verified sources.

Articles, Objects and Constitutional Documents

For the operative governing document and version.

Minutes, Resolutions and Corporate Decisions

For an existing board, trustee or member decision.

Statutory Registers and Company Books

For suitable evidence from internal company records.

Powers of Attorney and Corporate Authority Evidence

For transaction-specific signatory or representative authority.

Document Correction and Readiness

When the source record or authority is not ready.

Complete Document Certification and Legalisation Service

Only after a justified multi-stage route has been confirmed.

Information to provide

What to tell Coddan so we can identify the appropriate evidence set

Provide as much as you know. Do not decide the certificate, notarial act or authentication route yourself.

Organisation

Company or charity name; company, charity or other registration number; legal structure; jurisdiction; and current status.

Recipient and purpose

Receiving institution, department or adviser; intended account, funding, grant, investment, transaction or review; and destination country where relevant.

Written instructions

Checklist, portal wording, sample, rejection message, requested facts, age limits, certification language and any stated professional qualification.

Documents already available

Existing downloads, certificates, articles, governing documents, registers, minutes, resolutions, accounts, licences, mandates or authority documents and their dates.

People and authority

The relevant directors, trustees, members, owners, controllers, signatories or representatives; their roles; and what they are expected to approve or sign.

Form and treatment

Paper or electronic form; original or copy; requested certification, signature, seal or stamp; and whether notarisation, apostille, translation or legalisation has been mentioned.

Readiness concerns

Any inaccurate, incomplete, inconsistent, disputed or historic filing, record, decision, authority, signature or company status.

Timing and delivery

Deadline, reason for it, recipient’s delivery destination and any confirmed return or document-custody requirement.

“Not known” is an acceptable answer. Coddan can identify what requires confirmation. Do not send unnecessary identity evidence or sensitive unredacted documents until the appropriate transfer method and need have been confirmed.

Provide the information above using Coddan’s normal contact details shown on this website. This section explains what is needed for an assessment; it does not transmit an enquiry.

Questions about institutional evidence

Company and charity evidence: questions and answers

Which documents does a bank or funder require?

There is no universal set. The required evidence depends on the organisation, product, transaction, risk assessment and recipient’s own procedures. Start with its current written instructions.

Is a Companies House download sufficient?

Sometimes, if the recipient accepts ordinary public-register information. It is not automatically an official certified copy or company certificate.

What is the difference between a certified copy and a company certificate?

A certified copy reproduces a particular document filed at Companies House. A company certificate states available certified company facts. The recipient’s question determines which is appropriate.

Can Coddan prepare evidence for charities and non-profit organisations?

Coddan can identify and coordinate an appropriate documentary route within its agreed scope. The authoritative sources depend on the organisation’s legal structure, governing document and relevant UK jurisdiction. A charitable company, charitable incorporated organisation, trust and unincorporated association do not have identical records.

Does Companies House prove who may operate a bank account or sign a transaction?

Not necessarily. A public appointment and transaction-specific authority are different questions. Governing documents, mandates, resolutions, powers of attorney or other evidence may be relevant.

Will a foreign bank always require an apostille?

No. Many overseas recipients request authenticated documents, but the country, institution, document and intended use determine the route. Obtain current written requirements before ordering an apostille.

Can certification correct inaccurate company information?

No. The appropriate filing, replacement, correction, records or governance route must address the underlying problem before the resulting evidence is relied upon.

Is a Certificate of Incumbency issued by Companies House?

No. It is a privately or professionally prepared document based on defined and verified sources. It must not be presented as an official Companies House certificate.

Can Coddan guarantee that the recipient will accept the documents?

No. Coddan can reduce avoidable route errors by working from the recipient’s requirements, but the receiving institution controls its assessment and acceptance decision.

Can Coddan provide legal, investment, lending or grant advice through this service?

No. The service concerns documentary evidence and route coordination within scope. Advice on the transaction, eligibility, funding decision, investment merits, regulated activity or legal effect belongs to the appropriate adviser or institution.

What if the organisation is dissolved or being restored?

Its status may affect which current evidence can be issued, signed or relied upon. Certification does not restore a company. Restoration and any necessary record work remain separate.

What affects the cost?

The evidence requested, number and source of documents, readiness problems, Coddan’s work, official and professional charges, paper or electronic form, delivery and any separately justified authentication stage determine the scope.

What you receive

Provide the evidence the recipient actually needs

Begin with the institution’s written request, identify the proper documentary source and resolve any readiness problem before adding certification or international treatment.

What to Provide for an Evidence Assessment Determine an uncertain international route

Company & Charity Documents for Due Diligence.

Identify the evidence the recipient actually requires by establishing the purpose, authoritative source and appropriate documentary route before choosing certification or additional treatment.

If a company or charity needs documentary evidence for banking, funding, investment or due diligence, start by establishing what the receiving organisation needs and choose the appropriate level of professional support for the confirmed evidence route.

Follow a recipient-led route from identifying what must be proved to selecting the appropriate evidence and completing any justified documentary treatment.

Get Certified Corporate & Charity Documents for Funding, Banking & KYC Due Diligence