Documentation Overview

Whether you are an exporter or a freight forwarder, we can assist you with the certification and legalization of your export documentation in order to clear customs overseas. .

As Belgium's largest consular documentation provider, we specialize in raising Certificates of Origin, liaising with Chambers of Commerce and obtaining any required Embassy stamps. We can assist you every step of the way, providing advice on proof of origin and country requirements, in addition to information on how to claim preferential duty rates or collating documents for banking purposes when your customer payments are made by Letter of Credit.

We offer a range of Chamber certification services to suit your needs. All of our documents are treated as urgent, however you can also visit our Brussels offices in person to collect your stamped documents.

If you require Embassy legalization, our own couriers lodge and collect at the relevant departments on a daily basis, and we can even return completed documents directly to your offices if you are located in one of our many collection/delivery areas, or we can forward them to any requested third party worldwide.

Documents we process on a daily basis include:

• EC Certificates of Origin
• Legalized Certificates of Origin
• EUR-1s & ATR-1s
• Company Contracts/Agreements
• Price Lists

Please contact our experts on [email protected] to discuss your Export Shipping Document needs.

The notarization of a document usually involves a Notary Public checking the identity of an individual and his/her capacity to sign the document. Once the required checks have been performed, the Notary will affix a notarial seal (and often also a notarial certificate) on the document. notarization might also be required to certify the authenticity of an official document, e.g. an Education Certificate, or to issue a certified copy of an original document, e.g. a Passport.

A Notary Public is a qualified lawyer, whose primary role is to:

• Prepare and witness power of attorney for use overseas
• Authenticate company and business documents and transactions
• Authenticate and Certify signatures and documents for use abroad
• Deal with purchase or sale of land and property abroad
• Authenticate documents for immigration or emigration purposes, or to apply to marry or to work abroad

We work with a network of Notaries, allowing us to assist with the notarization of documents across Belgium in as little as 24 hours. We also frequently arrange company visits to allow multiple signatories/signatures to be witnessed in one session (online option available), which ensures that future document processing will be actioned more efficiently.

Please contact our experts on [email protected] to discuss your document notarization needs.

An Apostille is issued by the FPS Foreign Affairs and is used to certify a Belgian document for use in another country.

An Apostille is issued by the FPS Foreign Affairs and is used to certify a Belgian document for use in another country. An Apostille is a streamlined method of document legalization, which is accepted by all countries who are party to the 1961 Hague Convention Act. Participating countries have agreed to do away with lengthy legalization processes and will instead accept documents with the Apostille as being authentic, saving significant time compared to Embassy legalization.

We offer a complete Apostille service, offering either a 24 hour or same day service. In addition to arranging an apostille, we can arrange other required steps, such as notarization, Chamber of Commerce certification and Embassy legalization.

Please contact our experts on [email protected] to discuss your FPS Apostille needs.

Embassy legalization is the process of presenting a document to an Embassy for authentication and is a required step for many countries prior to a document being recognized for use in the country in which the Embassy represents. Prior to a document being lodged for Embassy legalization, it may also need to be Notarized, certified by the Chamber of Commerce and/or legalised by the FPS Foreign Affairs.

Embassy legalization can be a lengthy process, with many country specific guidelines which must be strictly adhered to prior to a document being lodged to ensure compliance with local authorities.

We offer a complete legalization service, including arranging any steps prior to Embassy legalization. Please contact our experts on [email protected] to discuss your Embassy Legalization needs.

A Documentary Letter of Credit is a secure method of payment in international trade, which is used to guarantee payment for exports and to provide financial protection to the buyer and seller. An exporter will usually choose to use this method of payment when selling goods to high-risk clients or markets.

Although a Letter of Credit remains the safest method of export payment, preparation of shipping documents covered under this system requires great care and attention to detail, not to mention shipping and banking expertise. Many exporters face multiple problems when preparing Letter of Credit compliant documentation, including:

• Late presentation of documents to the bank
• Delays in payment
• Discrepant documents and associated fees
• Too much time spent dealing with documentation
• Inconsistent service/information
• Ongoing training needs for staff in L/C compliance

We were the first Dutch Consular company to recognize that the correct preparation of Letter of Credit documentation could dramatically minimize payment risk and accelerate receipt of funds for its clients. Using experienced members of staff and a pioneering web-based document management platform, we can eradicate high discrepancy fees and improve a company's working capital.

• Taking care of your credit from the outset, be it the checking of documentation to ensure that it complies with the terms of the credit, or the raising of documents such as invoices and packing lists, liaising with exporter and shipper every step of the way.
• Downloading of L/C directly from selected banks.
• Arranging authentication and legalization of documents if required, using our own in-house documentation service, including online certification, courtesy of the Local Chamber of Commerce.
• Presenting documents (electronically where possible) to the bank and ensuring that payment has been made.

Please contact our experts on [email protected] to discuss your Documentary Letter of Credit needs.

Regulatory Documentation Support

We provide a comprehensive list of services for the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, including global legalization services and submissions and filing in both the Netherlands & overseas markets.

Our service for Regulatory documents was initiated in the early '90s as a result of the increasing level of services requested by our existing client base. In addition to providing a comprehensive external legalization service, we also provide both external and in-house support for our clients' global submission of documents to the relevant Health Authorities. We prepare and complete applications for submission to the FPS - Federal Public Service, fasfc.be, European Medicines Agency, as well as authorities overseas.

Legalization

We process 1000's of documents for legalization on a weekly basis, and a significant proportion of this volume are CPP, GMP, M/L and pharmaceutical related documents (e.g Price Certificates), which we either receive directly from the manufacturer/exporter directly or via third party agencies.

Depending on the market concerned, we evaluate the 'optimum' legalization route in terms of compliance, speed and cost to deliver the best possible service to our customers.

Typical applications with which we deal on a daily basis include:

• FPS
• fasfc.be
• EMA
• Veterinary Sector of EMA

We also provide technical translations for all pharmaceutical documents, using experienced certified translators, a service which is often required when lodging documents at Embassies/Consulates overseas for certain markets.

Please contact our experts on [email protected] to discuss your Regulatory Affairs Document needs.

Intellectual Property Support

We provide a comprehensive list of services for corporate legal departments across a wide range of industry sectors, assisting Group Legal and Patent & Trade Mark Formalities teams with their notarization, legalization and filing requirements. Our service extends to global legalization assistance and liaising with both Belgium & overseas markets and associates. We support companies who have a network of worldwide offices, offering a one-stop-shop solution for documents to be managed effectively from one source, overcoming delays and extra costs which can be incurred by using local markets where legalization support is lacking or difficult to obtain. We also offer comprehensive advice on legalizing documents overseas, including costs, procedures and any issues which may arise.

Documents we process on a daily basis include:

• Patent & Trade Mark Documentation
• Powers of Attorney
• Assignments
• Authorisations
• CBE Business Registration

Our Services

We process 1000's of documents for legalization on a weekly basis from clients all over the world, and a significant proportion of this volume is legal documentation, which we either receive directly from our corporate clients, their associates or Notaries. We offer a “one-stop” solution for your documentation authentication requirements, including arranging authentication by a Notary Public, Apostille by the FPS Foreign Affairs and legalization by the relevant Embassy. We also provide technical translations for all legal documents, using experienced certified translators, a service which is often required when lodging documents at Embassies/Consulates overseas for certain markets.

Depending on the market concerned, we evaluate the 'optimum' legalization route in terms of compliance, speed and cost to deliver the best possible service to our customers.

Please contact our experts on [email protected] to discuss your Legal, Corporate & IP Document needs.