What Is a Certificate of Incorporation?
A certificate of incorporation, also called "articles of incorporation," is one of the basic, foundation documents for any officially incorporated business. The certificate of incorporation is one of the very first documents filed with a local governmental agency to formally and officially incorporate the company.
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Contents of a Certificate of Incorporation
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Certificates of incorporation often include, but are not limited to, information on a company's official name, its liability policies, its board of directors, and, if appropriate, stock and shareholder information. As a formative document of any business, the guidelines set forth in a certificate of incorporation take priority over nearly any other business policy.
Availability of Certificates of Incorporation
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Certificates of incorporation are generally public documents and can often be found in the investor relations section of a major business's website.
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Why the Certificate of Incorporation is Important
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A corporation does not officially exist in the eyes of the law (and thus, cannot do business of any kind) until the certificate of incorporation has been filed and accepted by the appropriate government agency.
Differences in Various Countries
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In the United States, a certificate of incorporation is a mandatory document of great importance filed with the appropriate state government. In other countries, a certificate of incorporation is not quite as important, but does still serve as proof of official formation of a business.
Requirements for a Certificate of Incorporation
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In most jurisdictions, certificates of incorporation can be extremely simple documents, consisting of little more than a business name, address, owner, contact information and date of formation. Most U.S. states offer a simple one-page form which, when completed and filed, can serve as a new business's certificate of incorporation. Through an amendment and refiling process, information can later be added to a certificate of incorporation as the business grows.
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definition of certificate of incorporation.
