Introduction to the Survey

  • What are 'Public Documents'?

Constitutional documents, Patents, Permits, and many more.

"Public Document" refers to documents issued by a competent public authority. Such authorities can be Courts, Notaries, Civil Servants, etc..

The function of a public document is to record information to provide proof in certain legal or administrative situations.

National public authorities usually require proof of certain facts before they can take decisions.

  • Some examples for Companies...

Establishing abroad? Proof of the company's registration in its State of origin: Extract from the Commercial Register

Provide cross-border services? Proof of the company's authorisation in its State of origin: Business Licence

Export goods into the EU or between Member States? Proof of the origins of the goods: Certificate of Origin

  • Do you need documents abroad?

Foreign authorities will not take your word for it..

If you want to commercial activities abroad it is more than likely that you will need to use public documents abroad.

Like national public authorities, foreign public authorities require proof of certain facts before they can take decisions.

The proof your company will need abroad can often only be provided by means of a public document.

  • Are there more situations where I will need documents abroad?

More than you think!

In many more situations than the situations mentioned your company will need public documents abroad.

  • Some examples:
  1. Incorporation
  2. Registration in Commercial Registers
  3. Business authorisation (licence, permit, exemption)
  4. Tax authorities registration
  5. Labor/social security authorities registration
  6. Safety and health authorities registration
  7. Environmental authorities registration
  8. Patent registration
  9. Export/Import
  10. Providing services
  11. Buying/selling property
  12. Litigation
  13. Winding up a company
  • Is it easy to use domestic documents abroad?

Within Europe this should not be difficult, at least in theory.

Foreign public authorities, however, need to ensure that the foreign documents they receive are real, and that the information they contain is reliable.

Only when the foreign document is real and its information reliable will the public authority be able to take the decision your company needs.

In other words the document must be authenticated.

  • Authentication of a foreign public document may force you to carry out certain formalities.

A number of international agreements - and provisions of European Community law - aim at abolishing unnecessary formalities.

Whether this has been effectively realised is uncertain, however.

  • The European Commission's aim is to ensure that companies in Europe can develop their business freely throughout the European Union.

This requires a system for the use of public documents abroad which does not cause unnecessary difficulties.

  • The aim of this survey:

Identifying your company's difficulties

The European Commission has requested the British Institute to carry out a pan-European study aimed at identifying difficulties that companies experience as a result of formalities that still exist.

The British Institute will evaluate whether the remaining formalities are unnecessary or cause unnecessary difficulties.

If this is the case, it will propose solutions.

  • Take the survey:

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