We translate and notarize corporate documents in Tbilisi when a company's paperwork has to be submitted to a foreign or Georgian authority: to register a branch or subsidiary, to pass a bank's KYC check, for an investor's due diligence or for a tender. We translate the extract from the Register of Entrepreneurs, the charter, meeting minutes, powers of attorney, contracts, financial statements and other documents. A typical one- or two-page document is ready with notarization in one working day, or in 1-2 hours in express mode if the order arrives during working hours. All you need to send is a scan of every page, the signatory's passport and the name of the body that will receive the document. The key rule: if an apostille is needed, it is placed first on the original or on a notarial act, then the document is translated together with the apostille, and finally the notary certifies the authenticity of the translator's signature.
Which document needs what
The certification route for a company document depends first of all on who issued it. An apostille can be placed on a document of a state body, a court or a notary, but not on paper issued by a private company. Each document below has its own page that describes its route in detail:
- Extract from the Register of Entrepreneurs: issued by the National Agency of Public Registry, so it is a document of an administrative body and the apostille is placed directly on it.
- Company charter: a foreign partner wants the current version; an apostille is not placed on a notarized copy, so we clarify the form in advance.
- Meeting minutes and founders' resolutions: a private document; for use abroad the signatures are certified by a notary and the apostille goes on that notarial act.
- Company power of attorney: a power of attorney executed before a notary is a notarial act and can be apostilled.
- Agreements and contracts: agreements submitted to a bank, a registry, a tax authority or a partner, where a notarized translation is most often enough.
- Financial statements: for a bank or an investor, who compares figures and totals line by line.
- Audit report: an audit firm is a legal entity of private law, so an apostille is not placed directly on its report.
- Tax certificate: Revenue Service certificates, including proof of tax residency, for double taxation matters and tenders.
- Licences and permits: the official name of the issuing body and the licence conditions word for word.
- Tender documentation: the company's qualification documents for a bid package, in the form the procuring entity requires.
- Invoices and customs documents: documents related to customs and commercial operations cannot be apostilled, so the form of the translation decides the matter here.
- Certificate of conformity: ISO, CE and HACCP certificates that a company submits for export and tenders.
- Court judgments and arbitration: decisions in company matters, for registry changes, insolvency and enforcement.
This section treats the document as company paperwork: which form is accepted, how it is certified and how long it takes. If you are interested in the specialised translation itself (terminology, bilingual contracts, large volumes for law and accounting firms), see legal translation and financial and business translation.
What the receiving side checks and which form is accepted
A foreign bank's compliance department checks whether the company exists, who the ultimate owner is and whether the signatory has the right to act on the company's behalf. So it starts by comparing the extract, the charter and the resolution appointing the director with each other and with the passport. A foreign registry mostly asks for an apostille and a translation into its own official language. An investor's lawyers pay attention to consistent terminology, and a tender commission asks for exactly the form written in the tender conditions.
In practice there are four forms:
- A translation certified by the bureau, with the translator's signature and the bureau's seal, when the receiving side does not ask for a notary (internal checks, some tenders).
- A notarized translation, where the notary certifies the authenticity of the translator's signature. This is the most common requirement of Georgian and foreign authorities.
- A translation by a sworn translator of the receiving country: the registries and courts of some countries accept only the work of their own sworn translators.
- Consular certification of the translation, which some countries require in addition. This is a procedure of the receiving country's consulate.
The receiving side decides which one you need, so the first step is to get its requirement in writing. If the country's requirements are unclear, start with the document route page.
The correct order for a company
- Clarify the receiving side's requirement: language, form of translation, whether an apostille is needed and how recent the document must be.
- Prepare the original: obtain a fresh extract from the Public Registry, sign the resolution or power of attorney before a notary.
- An apostille for a country that is party to the Hague Convention, or consular legalization for a non-party. The apostille is issued by the Public Service Development Agency, and you can also file the application at a Public Service Hall.
- The translation, which also covers the apostille or legalization stamp, with names as in the passport and consistent terminology.
- Notarization: the translation is attached to the original and the notary certifies the authenticity of the translator's signature.
- If the receiving country requires more, for example a translation by its own sworn translator or consular certification of the translation, check this with it in advance.
An apostille is not placed on a notarized translation or on a notarized copy: this is stated directly in the Agency's list. If the receiving side insists on an apostille on the translation itself, there is one official route: the Agency itself translates a document that is subject to apostille and places the apostille on that translation. Our service is the notarized translation.
What must be right in the translation
The company name is not translated: it is transliterated exactly as it already appears in the company's documents in Latin script, its bank details and its contracts. The legal form keeps the original abbreviation and gets an explanation, for example "shps" (Georgian LLC) explained as LLC in English. The identification code, registration number and personal numbers are carried over digit by digit, and one missing digit means a different company to a bank.
The names of the director and partners are written as in the Latin line of the passport and are identical in every document. A date such as 05.03.2026 has to be rendered so that an American reader does not take it as 3 May, so the month is written as a word. In amounts the decimal separator changes to the target-language convention (the Georgian "1 250,50" becomes 1,250.50 in English), while the currency stays unchanged. Stamps, signatures, the QR code and the note on the electronic signature are described in square brackets, and the apostille is translated in full, with its number, date and the official who signed it.
The rule of representation needs separate attention. If the extract says that two directors represent the company jointly, "jointly" must not turn into "each individually" in the translation: for a bank that is an entirely different signing rule.
Typical situations
- A Georgian company opens a subsidiary in Europe. The foreign registry asks for the extract, the charter, the founder's resolution and the local representative's power of attorney, all with an apostille and a translation.
- A foreign company registers a branch in Georgia. Its documents get the apostille in the issuing country, and we translate them into Georgian and notarize them for the Public Registry.
- Opening an account with a foreign bank or payment system. The KYC package often contains the extract, the charter and a translation of the director's passport; for the passport see passport and ID card translation.
- Investment and due diligence. The investor asks for financial statements, the audit report and the key contracts with consistent terminology.
- An international tender. The commission asks for licences, certificates and attestations in the language of the tender, and the submission deadline does not move.
- Export and import. Invoices, certificates of conformity and contracts for the bank and customs.
Common mistakes that get documents sent back
- The document was translated first and apostilled afterwards: the apostille stays untranslated and the package has to be redone.
- A notarized copy of the minutes or charter was taken for an apostille, which is not placed on such a copy.
- The extract is several months old, while the receiving side wants a fresh one.
- The director's surname is spelled one way in the charter and another way in the power of attorney, and the bank sees two different people.
- Annexes, the back side or the notary's endorsement are missing from the translation.
- The company expects a "second apostille" on the notarized translation, which does not happen in Georgia.
What to send us
- A clear scan or photo of every page, including back sides, annexes and the apostille.
- Copies of the passports of the director, partners and signatories for the Latin spelling of names.
- The company's existing name in Latin script and earlier translations, if you have them, so that the terms match.
- The country and the specific receiving body: bank, registry, notary, tender commission.
- The text of the receiving side's requirement and the submission deadline.
You can send the order via the website form, WhatsApp, Viber or email. We keep files for 30 days and then delete them.
Timelines: ours and the state's
Our turnaround for a typical one- or two-page document (an extract, a certificate, a power of attorney) is one working day including notarization, or 1-2 hours in express mode if the order arrives during working hours. For a multi-page contract or a large package we tell you the deadline before work starts. The office is open Monday to Friday 10:00-19:00 and Saturday 11:00-16:00.
Our express service cannot shorten state timelines. The Public Registry issues an extract in one working day or on the same day. The Agency's apostille service terms are the 8th, 4th or 2nd working day or the same day, and up to 8 working days through a consular office. Legalization is a two-stage procedure (the Agency, then the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), after which the consulate of the receiving country also certifies the document, so allow more time for it.
Official sources
- Public Service Development Agency: apostille and legalization: which documents can and cannot be apostilled, service terms and the stages of legalization.
- Public Registry: frequently asked questions: confirms that an extract from the Registry of Entrepreneurs and Non-entrepreneurial Legal Entities is issued to any person on request.
- Contracting parties to the Hague Apostille Convention: use this list to check whether you need an apostille or consular legalization.
- Law of Georgia on Notaries: the list of notarial acts, including certification of the authenticity of a signature and of a translation.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a notarized translation of a corporate document take?
A typical one- or two-page document takes one working day, including notarization. In express mode it takes 1-2 hours if the order arrives during working hours, and for a large package we agree the deadline before starting.
Can meeting minutes or a company certificate be apostilled?
Not directly, because an apostille is not placed on a document of a legal entity of private law. The signatures on the minutes are certified by a notary, and the apostille is placed on that notarial act.
Is an apostille placed on a notarized translation?
No. According to the Agency's list, notarial certification of a translation or of a copy is not subject to apostille. The apostille is placed on the original and is translated together with the document.
Is an English-language extract from the Public Registry enough?
Sometimes, yes. If the receiving side accepts an English text, the Public Registry's English-language extract may be enough, but many authorities ask for a translation into their own language or a notarized translation.
Is the company name translated?
No, the name is transliterated as it appears in the company's documents in Latin script. The legal form keeps the original abbreviation and an explanation is added.
Does the director have to come to the office?
Not for the translation, because the notary certifies the translator's signature. The director needs to be present only when signing the power of attorney or the resolution itself before a notary.
Can a translation be certified without a notary?
Yes, if the receiving side does not ask for notarization. In that case we certify the translation with the translator's signature and the bureau's seal; we choose the notarized form when the requirement calls for it.
Send us scans of the documents and the text of the receiving side's requirement via the website form, WhatsApp, Viber or email (info@targmnadamowmebit.ge), or visit our office at 115 Davit Aghmashenebeli Avenue, near Marjanishvili metro: we will help you plan the order of the steps correctly and deliver the notarized translation within the agreed time.