LEGALIZATION-BUSINESS
Legalization / Apostille
If you need a public document abroad, many foreign authorities require the document to be legalized. A legalization is a confirmation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the signature on the given document is genuine.
This confirmation is given in the form of an ordinary stamp or a so-called Apostille stamp. A legalization makes the document legally enforceable abroad, which means that the document becomes legally valid. Without legalization, the document has no legal force in the country in question. A legalization is merely a confirmation of the authenticity of the signature and is thus not a confirmation of the content of the document itself.
Many foreign authorities also require that the document is translated into the language spoken in that country by an authorized translator. All translated documents must be endorsed by a notary at the district court or at the Danish Chamber of Commerce (Dansk Erhverv), which confirms the identity of the person signing the translation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs can then apply the Apostille to the endorsement of the notary or Danish Commerce
As an English solicitor, Flemming Keller Hendriksen has the authority to endorse English documents. Very specific rules apply in this regard.
Keller Advokatfirma has a network of skilled translators who can assist with translation of documents.
Which documents should be legalized?
All translations must be endorsed by a notary or by an authority such as Dansk Erhverv (Danish Chamber of Commerce), Dansk Industri (Confederation of Danish Industry), Erhvervsstyrelsen (Danish Business Authority) etc. before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can give the apostille to the translation.
Some documents are perceived to be directly related to exports and are thus not covered by the Apostille Convention. Therefore, they must not be endorsed with an Apostille, but receive a regular verification stamp (with the wording “This is the true signature of”).
This includes:
Certificates of Origin
Free Sale Certificates
Health Certificates for export goods
Phytosanitary Certificates
Invoices
Export Licenses
After legalization in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it’s possible that the above-mentioned documents must be legalized at the country’s embassy.
See more on the Foreign Ministry’s website here
Documents from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Turkey usually does not need to be legalized or have an Apostille endorsement in order to be approved in Denmark.
The same applies to documents from all European countries except those (exception countries): Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Some export documents are covered by the Apostille Convention.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs therefore endorses them with an Apostille if they are signed by an authority such as Dansk Erhverv, Dansk Industri, Erhvervsstyrelsen , etc.
Agent and distributor agreements
Contracts
Price lists / Offers
Articles of association
ISO certificates / WHO certificates
Printouts from the Danish Commerce and Companies Agency
Certificates of Registration
Certificates of Residency
Declarations of Conformity
Statements on Good Manufacturing Practices
Certificates of a Pharmaceutical Product
Certificates confirming that a company is CE-marked
Quality System Certifications
Certificates of Approval
Certificates of Analysis
Certificates of Manufacture and Auto-Control
Letters of Authorization /To Whom It May Concern-letters
Contact Flemming Keller Hendriksen at 70 90 90 60 for more information.