If you are a UK company doing business overseas, it is usual to be asked to provide evidence of your company’s existence and its status as a registered entity in the UK. The documentation required depends on the country you are dealing with. Some jurisdictions will want to see a notarised certificate of good standing (often referred to as “extract of commercial register”), memorandum and articles of association and certificate of incorporation including any change of name certificates. You may be asked to provide details of the shareholders and to specify which shareholders are classed as beneficial owners. This is information that the notary will access from Companies House. Some countries will need the documents to be legalised/apostilled or attested by their embassy before they will be accepted as legally valid.