Document freshness helper
Enter the certificate issue date and the recipient freshness window (30, 60, 90 days or custom). The helper shows calendar-day age, days remaining or past the window, and a clear verdict — Still inside, Borderline (~7 days of the edge), or Outside. Shareable deep links and a copy-summary control. Planning only — not a UK legal expiry.
Private agent tool · Not Companies House or the FCDO · Not legal advice.
Ask the named recipient for its written rule before you order.
Official fees checked on GOV.UK week of 1 October 2026:
CH certificate / certified copy £22 standard · £65 express;
FCDO paper apostille £45 · e-Apostille £35.
Last updated 1 October 2026. Share a deep link with ?issue=YYYY-MM-DD&window=90 after a check.
How this helper works
Enter the certificate issue date and the age window your bank, registry or counterparty has asked for. The helper calculates calendar-day age and whether the document still sits inside that window on the date you choose. After a check it updates the address bar so you can bookmark or share the same maths, and offers a Copy summary control for email or chat.
There is no universal UK legal “expiry” for a Certificate of Good Standing. Companies House issues a company certificate with certified facts (including a summary statement where eligible) that reflects the register at the issue date. Overseas banks often treat roughly 90 days as a working maximum; some insist on 30–60 days, or on a certificate issued after a particular filing.
How recipient windows usually work
Recipients set operational age rules in onboarding packs, KYC checklists or counsel instructions. A common pattern is “issued within the last 90 days” measured from the date compliance opens the file — not from the day you downloaded a PDF. Others ask for “not older than 30 days at account opening”. Some destinations named on our embassy pages (for example UAE, China, Kuwait or Qatar) combine a freshness habit with apostille or embassy stages; those stages stay quote-only until a route is confirmed.
- 30-day habit — tight overseas account openings and some notary packs.
- 60-day habit — mid-range bank or counsel checklists.
- 90-day habit — the most common working maximum we see for COGS packs.
- Custom — use when the letter states 45, 100 or another day-count.
Upload vs review vs approval date
The day that matters is the day the recipient enforces. A certificate that is fresh when you upload documents can be outside the window by the time a compliance officer reviews the pack or the account is approved. Use the optional as at field to model a planned review date. If that date pushes you outside the window, reorder before you submit — do not invent a legal validity period.
An apostille does not refresh facts
An FCDO apostille (paper £45 or e-Apostille £35 — GOV.UK, checked week of 1 October 2026) authenticates a signature, seal or status for use abroad. It does not change the Companies House issue date or extend a bank’s age rule. If the recipient wants a newer certificate, order a fresh COGS first, then re-apostille if still required. UKCOGS keeps apostille and embassy work quote-only.
Check filings before you reorder
Overdue accounts or confirmation statements can block the summary statement (good-standing) route even when you pay for a new certificate. Run the free Companies House filings checker on the live register first. If filings look current and the freshness window is tight, continue to a buy-now UK Certificate of Good Standing (from £79 ex VAT; express £129) or build a set with the pack builder / company documents pack (£249–£299). Official Companies House dispatch for the underlying certificate or certified copy is £22 standard / £65 express (GOV.UK, checked week of 1 October 2026) and is shown separately from the UKCOGS agent fee.
Buy-now COGS path vs quote-only apostille
Order Companies House originals when you need a fresh certificate now. Apostille, e-Apostille, embassy legalisation and translations stay on the quote form until fulfilment is confirmed. Do not treat this helper as immigration, visa or bank-account-opening advice — it only does calendar maths against a day-count you supply.
Shareable deep links
After a successful check the address bar updates to
/tools/document-freshness/?issue=YYYY-MM-DD&window=90
(and &asof=YYYY-MM-DD when you set a custom as-at date; today is omitted).
Bookmark or paste that URL to re-run the same maths. Example:
?issue=2026-07-01&window=90.
Custom windows use the same window parameter (for example window=45).
How to read the verdict
- Still inside window — age is within the stated day-count with more than about seven days to spare.
- Borderline — still inside, but within about seven calendar days of the edge. Planning only; order early if review may slip.
- Outside window — age is past the stated day-count on the as-at date. Plan a fresh Companies House certificate (and fresh apostille if still needed).
Related: filings checker · pack builder · which document? · cost estimator · how fresh for a foreign bank? · reusing an old apostilled COGS · order.
Sources: GOV.UK Companies House certified copy / certificate fees (£22 / £65) and FCDO legalisation fees (£45 paper / £35 e-Apostille) checked week of 1 October 2026. Page last updated 1 October 2026.
Who we are
PASECOM GROUP LTD / Pasecom Group Ltd · 17139327 · 82a James Carter Road, Mildenhall, IP28 7DE · ICO ZC117546 · pete@pasecom.co.uk. Trading as UKCOGS. Private agent — not Companies House, not the FCDO, not GOV.UK.
FAQ — document freshness
Confirm every answer against the named recipient’s written rule. Last updated 1 October 2026.
Does a UK Certificate of Good Standing expire?
There is no universal statutory expiry date. The certificate records the company position at the issue date. Banks and overseas recipients set their own freshness windows — often about 90 days, sometimes 30–60 days, or an issue date after a named filing.
Does an apostille make an old certificate current?
No. An FCDO apostille authenticates the relevant signature, seal or status for use abroad. It does not refresh company information or extend a recipient’s age rule. If the bank wants a newer COGS, order a new certificate (and re-apostille if required). Apostille stays quote-only on UKCOGS.
What date counts — upload, review or account opening?
Ask the recipient in writing. A certificate that is fresh at upload can be stale by the time compliance reviews the pack. Use the optional “as at” field to measure age against the date they actually enforce.
Can Companies House put a “valid until” date on the certificate?
Companies House issues certificates and certified copies with certified facts as at the issue date. Confirm current product wording and fees on GOV.UK (£22 standard / £65 express — checked week of 1 October 2026). Recipients still apply their own operational age rules.
Should I check filings before reordering?
Yes. Overdue accounts or confirmation statements can affect a summary statement (good-standing) route. Use the free filings checker on the live Companies House record before you pay for a replacement pack.
What do 30, 60 and 90-day windows usually mean?
They are common bank and counsel habits, not UK law. About 90 days is a frequent working maximum; tighter 30–60 day rules appear on some overseas account openings. Always confirm the named recipient’s written day-count.
What does “Borderline” mean on this tool?
When the certificate is still inside the stated window but within about seven calendar days of the edge. It is planning maths only — not a legal label. If review may slip, order a replacement now.
Are Companies House certificates buy-now?
Yes for COGS, certified copies and packs (ex VAT; official CH fees £22 standard / £65 express where applicable — checked on GOV.UK week of 1 October 2026). Apostille and embassy stages stay quote-only (FCDO paper £45 / e-Apostille £35).
How do shareable deep links work?
After a check the address bar updates to include issue, window and optional as-of dates (for example ?issue=2026-07-01&window=90). Bookmark or paste that URL to re-run the same maths without retyping.
Is this legal advice or a guarantee of foreign acceptance?
No. UKCOGS is a private agent operated by Pasecom Group Ltd — not Companies House, not the FCDO, not GOV.UK. Confirm fees and acceptance with the named recipient and on GOV.UK before you pay.
Order a fresh Companies House certificate
Buy-now COGS when the window is tight. Apostille and embassy stages stay quote-only until we confirm the route.