Official translations of commercial documents are very often required: in particular, the official translation of the certificate issued by the Registro Mercantil, the Spanish Companies Registry. The certificate confirms the information regarding a Spanish company held on the Register’s online database.
The official translation into English of the certificate may be needed if the Spanish company plans on opening an office in the UK, for example. The official translation may also be needed in the divorce proceedings in the UK to prove that one of the parties is the director of a Spanish company, for instance.
The certificate confirms relevant particulars such as the share capital, the directors, the type of company and its purposes and Tax Identification Code, CIF. As to the directors, the certificate also indicates the date of appointment.
Furthermore, the certificate refers to the deed by virtue of which the company was set up. In Spain, companies are set up by virtue of a deed executed by the relevant parties before a Notary. Regarding the deed, the certificate includes information as to the Notary’s particulars, date of execution of the deed and protocol number. As to the Registry, the certificate states the date of registration of the deed by the Registry and the registration particulars.
Finally, the certificate will provide information as to the annual account.
The Spanish and English legal systems are very different. These differences are also obvious in the way companies are set up and therefore in the legal terminology. In most cases, there is no equivalent between the Spanish and English business entities which means that the translation is never straightforward.
Only an official translator can produce an official translation. Official translators are experts in the legal terminology involved; therefore they will produce accurate translations.