Other Services

Alongside the main practice areas, we handle the administrative matters that arise once a foreign company is trading. Individually these are small; left undone, they stop transactions.

Registration of trademarks and service marks abroad

Protection of a mark is territorial: a registration in one country gives no rights in another. We advise on where protection is worth obtaining given where you actually trade, run availability searches before filing, and handle national filings as well as international applications under the Madrid System.

We also advise on the classes to file in. Filing too narrowly is the most common and most expensive mistake, because it cannot be corrected later without starting again.

Registration of vessels and yachts

Registration under a foreign flag, with advice on which register suits the vessel and its intended use — commercial or private, chartered or owned for personal use. Considerations include tonnage measurement and survey requirements, crewing and safety obligations, VAT treatment on import and within the EU, and whether ownership through a company is appropriate.

The register determines the law that governs the vessel, so it is a decision worth making deliberately rather than by default.

VAT and EORI registration

VAT registration is required where a company makes taxable supplies in a jurisdiction, and the thresholds and rules on which state may tax a supply are not intuitive — particularly for digital services and for goods moved between countries. Registration in the wrong state, or failure to register in the right one, produces liabilities that accumulate quietly.

An EORI number is required for any business moving goods into or out of the customs territory of the European Union. Without it goods are held at the border. It is straightforward to obtain and routinely forgotten until the first shipment stops.

Translation and apostilisation of documents

Corporate documents presented to a foreign authority or bank generally need to be legalised and translated. We arrange certified translation and apostille under the Hague Convention, or full consular legalisation where the receiving country is not a party to it.

Requirements vary by receiving institution in ways that are difficult to anticipate — how recent the apostille must be, whether the translation must be performed in the destination country, whether originals are required. We confirm the requirement with the receiving party before the documents are prepared, which avoids the common outcome of a complete set being rejected on a formality.

Beyond this list

Our list of services is not exhaustive. Through a large network of foreign partners, who in turn have their own partners, we are able to perform other services concerning foreign economic activity, including consultancy in states not listed on this website.

Contact us and tell us what you need. If we are not the right people for it, we will say so, and where we can we will point you to someone who is.