What document does the recipient need?

A bank, buyer, public authority or business partner may ask for proof that your LLP or limited partnership was registered, who its members or partners are, who can sign for it, or what decision it has made. Tell us what they have requested before you buy a certificate, certified copy or apostille. The best starting document depends on the fact they need to check.

An LLP, an ordinary limited partnership and a Scottish limited partnership do not have identical records. An LLP has members and designated members; a limited partnership has general and limited partners. A Scottish limited partnership has separate legal personality under Scots law, but remains a limited partnership with those partner roles. We check the type of partnership and the available document rather than treating one form of certificate as suitable for all three.

If you have the recipient's written instructions, send them to us. Tell us the partnership name and number, the receiving organisation, the country of use and your deadline. If you do not yet have the instructions, we can help you identify the questions to put to the recipient.

Common reasons customers ask for these documents

You might need a document soon after formation, or years later when the partnership enters a new market, opens an account or changes its arrangements. The request can be simple, even when it comes from overseas.

• An overseas bank asks whether the LLP exists. Its incorporation certificate may answer that question. Check whether the bank wants a recent certified copy, an apostille or something further before ordering.
• A counterparty asks who can sign. A public filing may identify a member or partner, but the relevant agreement, decision, mandate or power of attorney may be needed to establish authority for that transaction.
• A foreign authority asks for the partnership's agreement. First identify the signed version in force. It is ordinarily a private document; obtaining a Companies House copy of another filing would not replace it.
• The recipient asks for documents in another language. Check whether a certified translation is needed, which document must be translated and whether the recipient wants translation before or after other steps.
• The LLP's name or status changed. The recipient may need evidence connecting an older document to the current name or explaining the date on which a particular fact was recorded.

Choose the help you need

The four packages above give you starting points. One is for checking which document or steps you need; one is for an appropriate Companies House product; one is for a single confirmed specialist step; and one coordinates an agreed series of steps. Their displayed prices are Coddan's fees for the stated work, with VAT and the additional official, professional or delivery charges identified in the package descriptions.

You do not need to purchase a multi-step service if one document will do. If your request crosses the displayed options, or you need help with documents after the partnership was registered, explain the combination you want. We can check what is available and quote the agreed work and external costs before you commit to that additional instruction.

Tell us if the recipient needs paper originals or accepts an electronic document, and whether the document must be recent. Format, dispatch and timing depend on the issuer, the professional involved and the receiving organisation. We will explain the realistic next steps once those facts are known.

What will the document actually show?

• Formation or registration: an LLP incorporation certificate confirms incorporation; an LP or Scottish LP has its own registration evidence. Ask whether the recipient needs the issued document, a certified copy or further authentication.
• Membership, partnership or signing authority: public information may show who is recorded in a role, but it may not prove that a particular person was authorised to sign a particular transaction. The operative agreement, decisions or power of attorney may also matter.
• Terms and decisions: an agreement or written decision is a private document unless the particular document has also been filed. Its date, version and signatories need to be checked before it is presented as evidence.
• Changes or earlier status: a name change, partner change, dissolution or restoration may affect what an older document proves today. We check the dates before recommending a document.

We cannot create a historical decision that did not occur, certify a disputed fact as settled or give a legal opinion on contested rights. Where those issues determine the answer, the relevant professional advice must be obtained.

Official copies and the partnership's own records

Companies House can supply copies of records it holds, and certified versions of available documents. That can be useful when a bank or authority wants evidence from the public register. Tell us the exact filing, certificate or fact requested. If the recipient needs a document for an apostille, the signature and form of the official copy matter too. An ordinary download from the register may not meet that requirement.

A partnership's own signed documents are a different matter. LLP agreements, partnership agreements, written decisions and powers of attorney may never have been filed at Companies House. We can ask for the operative signed version, check its date and the people who signed it, and discuss what certification or notarial work the recipient has requested. A copy of a public record cannot prove a private agreement's terms simply because both concern the same partnership.

Paper and electronic documents both have their place. If the recipient wants an original signature, a posted certified copy or a paper apostille, say so at the start. If it accepts an electronic record or an eligible electronic apostille, we can examine that option. There is no need to buy a printed set just to satisfy a requirement that accepts electronic evidence, or to rely on a PDF when the recipient insists on paper.

When is an apostille or another step needed?

An apostille authenticates a qualifying UK signature, seal or stamp. It does not confirm that the contents of a partnership agreement are correct or ensure that an overseas bank or authority will accept the document. For a Companies House document that needs an FCDO apostille, the relevant signed certified document must be obtained through the appropriate ordering route.

Some recipients want a notary to act on a document; some ask for a certified translation; others require embassy or consular legalisation. A certified Companies House document may sometimes be enough on its own. Ask the organisation that will receive it which document, age, language and form it requires. Coddan can then arrange the steps that apply and put them in the correct order.

A request for “good standing” also needs clarification. Companies House's current company summary statement is available only to certain limited companies; it must not be assumed to be an official LLP or LP product. Tell us what the recipient wants proved, and we will check what available evidence could answer it.

What if a notary, translation or embassy is involved?

Notarisation. A recipient may require a UK notary to certify a copy, witness a signature or make a statement concerning a document. Those are different acts. The notary must know what is being asked, inspect the relevant evidence and decide what they can properly certify. Coddan can arrange the notarial work through its notaries once the document and purpose are known. If the recipient expressly accepts a solicitor-certified copy instead, ask us about the available option rather than ordering a notary by default.

Translation. A translation can be arranged for the document the recipient identifies. Confirm the language, whether the entire document or selected parts are required, and the form of translator certification the recipient expects. A translated document does not by itself replace notarisation or legalisation if a separate step is required. Equally, a document that the recipient accepts in English need not be translated just because it will be used abroad.

Embassy or consular legalisation. Requirements vary by country, institution and document. Where this step applies, Coddan can coordinate the submission once the preceding requirements are clear. Do not assume an embassy is necessary for every overseas use, or that an apostille is always enough. If the recipient has provided a checklist, send it to us so that the steps can be arranged in the right order.

How will the work and costs be agreed?

Coddan checks the requested document, the partnership type and any written instructions. We identify what we can obtain or arrange, what a notary or translator must do, and what will be submitted to Companies House, the FCDO or an embassy where relevant. We then confirm the agreed scope and the charges that apply to it.

The quoted price will distinguish Coddan's fee from Companies House fees, notarial or translation charges, apostille or consular fees and any postage or delivery costs. If the recipient changes the requirements after the work begins, we will explain any different work and cost before arranging it.

Companies House issues its own documents, a notary performs the notarial act, the FCDO issues the apostille, and any embassy or overseas organisation makes its own decision. Their processing and the recipient's acceptance are outside Coddan's control. Once the documents and instructions are available, we can explain likely timing for the particular request.

Already have an LLP, or working to a deadline?

You can return to Coddan for a later document without buying a new formation service. Tell us whether you already hold the signed original, need an official replacement or certified copy, or have been sent a fresh request by a bank, authority or other recipient. If more than one document is required, we can review the list together and quote the work that applies to each.

For an urgent request, send the deadline and the recipient's instructions before ordering. We can check available official dispatch and professional options and tell you what timing appears achievable. A same-day issue or delivery option for one stage does not mean that later apostille, embassy, translation or overseas delivery stages can be completed on the same day.

Ask about your partnership document

Send the partnership name and registration number, the document or fact requested, the recipient's written instructions, the country of use and any deadline. If you already have an original or signed document, tell us. We can explain which service fits, what can be supplied and which charges need to be confirmed.

Questions about disputed signing authority, tax treatment or regulated activity may need a solicitor, accountant or authorised adviser. Coddan can still help with the document work once the appropriate facts and instructions are settled.

Email Coddan about your document