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Articles of Incorporation Legalization for Arab Countries
Arab ministries, free zones and banks often ask a U.S. corporation for its “memorandum and articles of association.” The U.S. answer is the articles of incorporation, usually with the bylaws. The Arab American Chamber of Commerce gets you a state-certified copy that can be legalized and completes the apostille or embassy route for your destination.
A state record. Certify it, don’t notarize it. The articles of incorporation are filed with the Secretary of State, so the version you legalize is a certified copy issued by that state. In Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Bahrain and Algeria, the state’s apostille is enough. Elsewhere in the Arab world, the U.S. Department of State and the embassy follow.
What Articles of Incorporation Are
Articles of incorporation (called a certificate of incorporation or a corporate charter in some states) are the document a corporation files with its state to be created. They set out the corporate name, purpose, registered agent, and authorized shares. Arab registries use them to confirm that your company exists and who owns it, together with the bylaws and a good standing certificate.
Articles of incorporation
The charter of a corporation as filed with the state.
CorporationCertificate of incorporation
The same charter in states that use this name.
CorporationRestated articles & amendments
The current version after any change to name, shares or purpose.
UpdatesBylaws
Internal rules that aren’t filed with the state, so they’re legalized through a notarized true copy.
Not a state recordChoose the Destination Country
Choose the country where the corporation will register or invest to start your order.
Country
U.S. steps
Final step
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State apostille
Final stepApostille (since July 9, 2026)
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State → U.S. Department of State
Final stepEgyptian Embassy or consulate
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State → U.S. Department of State
Final stepEmbassy of Iraq
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State → U.S. Department of State
Final stepEmbassy of Jordan
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State → U.S. Department of State
Final stepEmbassy of Kuwait
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State → U.S. Department of State
Final stepEmbassy of Lebanon
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State → U.S. Department of State
Final stepEmbassy of Libya
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State → U.S. Department of State
Final stepEmbassy of Oman (business documents since 2021)
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State → U.S. Department of State
Final stepPalestinian legalization arranged by our team
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State → U.S. Department of State
Final stepEmbassy of Qatar
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State apostille
Final stepApostille (since December 2022)
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State → U.S. Department of State
Final stepEmbassy of Sudan
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State → U.S. Department of State
Final stepEmbassy of Syria
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State → U.S. Department of State
Final stepEmbassy of Tunisia
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State authentication
Final stepUAE Embassy (through VFS Global), then MOFA in the UAE
U.S. stepsState-certified copy → Secretary of State → U.S. Department of State
Final stepEmbassy of Yemen
Embassy fees for corporate charters differ between countries. We confirm the amount with your order.
How Articles of Incorporation Are Legalized
- Request the certified copyThe Secretary of State of the incorporation state issues a certified copy of the articles, including restatements and amendments, if you ask. Downloaded filings and plain photocopies can’t be certified.
- Line it up with the rest of the fileCheck that the corporate name matches your good standing certificate, board resolution and POA exactly, including “Inc.”, “Corp.” or punctuation.
- Certification by the same stateFor destinations that accept the apostille (Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Bahrain and Algeria), the state’s apostille is the final step. Other destinations get a state authentication certificate.
- Washington: State Department and embassyThe U.S. Department of State certifies the state seal, then the destination embassy legalizes the charter. UAE files go through VFS Global, then MOFA.
- Ready for the Arab registryWe ship it with tracking, ready for the Arabic translation the registry, free zone or bank will ask for.
Common mistakes: notarizing a copy of the articles, sending the original charter instead of a certified copy, leaving out a later amendment, or sending the bylaws expecting the state to certify them. Bylaws need a notarized secretary’s certificate instead.
Required Documents
What to send us
- A state-certified copy of the articles or certificate of incorporation, with amendments. We can order it for you.
- The corporation’s exact name and state of incorporation.
- Your online order for the destination country, paid online or through Pay Invoice.
- A prepaid return label: a FedEx or UPS air waybill, or a USPS Priority Mail envelope with tracking. You can also buy one at checkout.
Requested for
- Branch or subsidiary registration, and free zone setup
- Shareholder documents when a U.S. corporation invests in a local company
- Commercial agency, distributor and tender registration
- Corporate bank accounts and investment licenses
The Rest of the Corporate File
Company Bylaws
The internal rules, often requested with the articles as “articles of association.”
NotarizedProcessing Time and Fees
Apostille countries
| Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Bahrain, Algeria | State apostille |
| Notary | Not needed |
| Time | Varies by state |
Embassy countries
| State and U.S. Department of State | Required |
| Embassy fee | By country |
| Time | Call us for your country |
Timing starts when the certified copy is in our hands. The state’s copy fee (if we order it), our service fee and return courier are listed at checkout.
Why Choose the Arab American Chamber of Commerce?
Certifiable copy orderedWe know which state copies can be apostilled and order the right one the first time.
No wasted embassy feesApostille destinations stop at the state.
Full corporate fileArticles, bylaws, good standing and incumbency, legalized together in one order.
Where to Send Your Documents
Maryland office (fastest)
Arab Chamber of Commerce
1615 Bay Head Rd., Annapolis, MD 21409
(410) 349-1212
Washington, D.C. headquarters
1330 New Hampshire Ave. NW, B1, Washington, DC
(202) 347-5800
Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm ET
Articles of Incorporation Legalization: Common Questions
Do articles of incorporation need to be notarized?
No. They’re a state record, so you order a certified copy from the Secretary of State and legalize that. Notarizing a photocopy doesn’t make it acceptable.
What do I send when an Arab country asks for the “memorandum and articles of association”?
For a U.S. corporation, send the articles (or certificate) of incorporation and the bylaws. The articles are a certified state copy, and the bylaws are certified by your corporate secretary before a notary.
Is a certificate of incorporation the same as articles of incorporation?
Yes. Some states, such as Delaware, call the corporate charter a certificate of incorporation. It is legalized the same way.
Which Arab countries accept apostilled articles of incorporation?
Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Bahrain and Algeria (Algeria since July 9, 2026). Oman and the other Arab countries require embassy legalization for corporate documents.
Can you order the certified copy for me?
Yes. Give us the corporation’s exact name and state, and we’ll order the copy and legalize it in one order.
Setting up your corporation in an Arab country?
Tell us the state and the destination. We’ll order the certified copy and legalize your full corporate file.
Case 1 Examples
Business documents
Federally Issued documents
Case 2 Examples
Commercial Document:
Case 3 Examples
Personal Document:
Mailing
If you are using FedEx or UPS, please include a self-addressed air waybill for the return of your document.
Alternatively, you may use a USPS Priority Mail envelope with prepaid postage and a tracking number.
If you do not have a FedEx or UPS account, you can purchase an air waybill through this site in the next step.
Arab American Chamber of Commerce Headquarter Office
1330 New Hampshire Ave. NW, B1Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 347-5800
1 888-939-ARAB
Arab Chamber of Commerce
1615 Bay Head Rd.Annapolis MD, 21409
(410) 349 - 1212
