Year-end banking: how fresh must a UK COGS be?

23 December 2026

For year-end banking, order a UK Certificate of Good Standing to the bank’s written freshness rule and expected review date. About 90 days is a common recipient habit, not a universal expiry; a bank may demand a shorter window or issue after a filing.

This Advice Centre guide is practical document information, not legal advice, an immigration opinion, a banking decision or a promise of foreign acceptance. Ask the named recipient for its current written checklist before ordering.

Short answer

For year-end banking, order a UK Certificate of Good Standing to the bank’s written freshness rule and expected review date. About 90 days is a common recipient habit, not a universal expiry; a bank may demand a shorter window or issue after a filing. The safe approach is to identify the correct company, document, issue date and recipient requirement before paying for certification or delivery.

Why year-end is difficult

Banks may slow or change queues around holidays and internal deadlines. A COGS recent at upload may be stale at review. Ask whether age is measured at upload, review, account opening or final approval.

Get exact wording

Ask for a number of days and relevant date. Some use 30 or 60 days, others roughly 90 or an event-based date. Record the answer and use company number so a replacement is unambiguous.

Check filings first

Review overdue accounts, confirmation statements, officer and address changes and status notices. A filing may not yet appear. Ask whether the bank wants a current certificate, pending-change evidence or both.

Allow for legalisation

Overseas use can require apostille, translation or local steps. Working FCDO figures are £45 paper, £35 e-Apostille, £40 Next-Day and £100 Restricted Urgent where eligible. Holidays and courier transit still apply.

If bank asks for replacement

Do not reuse an old apostilled COGS merely because the apostille remains attached. Ask whether the new certificate also needs fresh apostille. Mark old files superseded.

Make pack reviewable

Include legal name, number, issue date, legalisation, checklist and contact. Separate current and old versions and state what the COGS does and does not show.

Practical checklist

• Use the exact registered company name, number and company type.
• Review the live Companies House record and recent filing history.
• Ask the recipient what the document must prove, how recent it must be and whether it accepts paper or electronic format.
• Confirm apostille, translation, embassy and courier requirements before paying.
• Keep the order confirmation, issued document and legalisation evidence together.
• Index the pack without claiming that a certificate proves ownership, solvency or authority unless it actually does.

Official fees and sources

Check the live GOV.UK guidance on ordering certified copies and certificates from Companies House before ordering. The current working figures for this batch are £22 for a standard Companies House certificate and £65 for a same-day certificate. These are official charges, not an agent’s full service price.

Where legalisation is needed, the live GOV.UK document legalisation guidance lists £45 for a paper apostille, £35 for an e-Apostille, £40 for Next-Day and £100 for Restricted Urgent where the relevant conditions apply. Certification, translation, courier, postage and any later embassy stage can be separate. Do not describe a provider as an FCDO partner unless current official terms expressly support that wording.

Freshness is a recipient rule

There is no universal 90-day legal expiry for every Certificate of Good Standing. About 90 days is a common recipient habit, but a bank, authority or counterparty may specify 30, 60, 180 days or a document issued after a particular filing. An apostille authenticates the relevant signature, seal or status; it does not refresh company information. Check the recipient’s written rule and the live Companies House record before presentation.

Questions to settle before payment

Ask the receiving organisation to confirm the exact document title, the legal entity, the maximum document age and the accepted delivery format. Ask whether it wants an original, a Companies House certified copy, a solicitor-certified copy or an electronic file. If the document will be used outside the UK, ask whether an apostille is enough or whether translation, embassy legalisation or local filing follows. Put the reply in the order file; a short written answer is more useful than an assumption based on a similar transaction.

Also check the practical hand-offs. Who will receive the certificate? Does the bank or authority need the complete pack uploaded in one session? Will it accept a scan for preliminary review and request originals later? Is a courier address different from the registered office? These details affect timing and can prevent a correctly issued document being sent to the wrong place. Keep tracking information and delivery confirmation with the final pack.

Keep the scope clear

A company certificate is one piece of evidence. It should not be described as a guarantee of incorporation history, ownership, financial health, tax compliance, authority to sign or permission to trade unless the document and recipient specifically establish that point. If a reviewer asks a question the certificate cannot answer, add the separate evidence it requests or obtain professional advice. Clear wording protects the client from relying on a document for a purpose it was never designed to meet.

Frequently asked questions

Is COGS valid only 90 days?

No. The bank sets freshness.

Order at start of year-end?

Order to the review window and allow for legalisation and holidays.

Does new apostille refresh old COGS?

No.

Can bank accept scan first?

Some can; ask about originals or e-file.

What if filing changes?

Tell bank and ask whether it needs a new certificate.

UKCOGS can help coordinate the relevant document route. See the Certificate of Good Standing service, apostille and legalisation information, order page or request a quote. Service prices and delivery times are separate from official fees, and the receiving organisation makes its own decision.