Arabic–English Articles of Association Translation for Incorporation

What an Arabic Articles of Association Contains, and How It Varies by Country

Core Sections Common to Most Arab Jurisdictions

An Articles of Association drafted in Arabic follows a largely standard structure across the region. The founding section records the company’s legal name, registered office, and the business activities it is authorised to pursue. Capital provisions follow, stating the total share capital, the number of shares, and each shareholder’s contribution. The document then defines how the company is managed, often through a board of directors or a managing partner, and sets rules for convening general meetings, passing resolutions, and distributing profits. Share transfer clauses detail any pre‑emption rights, board‑approval requirements, or restrictions on transferring shares, while later articles govern capital increases, capital reductions, and the procedure for dissolving the company.

Egypt‑Specific Elements: The Role of GAFI and the Commercial Registry

When the Arabic‑language AoA originates from Egypt, it carries several local peculiarities. The preamble will typically reference the Egyptian Companies Law and the approval of Egypt’s General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI). The AoA must be registered with the Commercial Registry, and the document often includes the registration number, date of issuance, and the registry office details. Egyptian law also imposes a fixed company duration, usually twenty‑five years, which must be set out in the founding contract. Because GAFI templates standardise many clauses, translators can encounter boilerplate language that repeats verbatim across different companies, but key customised data, names, capital figures, and IDs, still require careful extraction.

Common Arabic Terms in Articles of Association

Before tackling a translation, recognising a few recurring terms helps you gauge the document’s structure. The table below lists central vocabulary you will encounter in an Arabic AoA, with romanisation and English equivalents.

Arabic Script	Romanisation	English
عقد تأسيس	ʿAqd taʾsīs	Articles of Association
اسم الشركة	ʾIsm al‑sharika	Company Name
غرض الشركة	Gharad  al‑sharika	Business Purpose / Activities
رأس المال	Raʾs al‑māl	Capital
حصص	Ḥiṣaṣ / Ḥaṣṣah (sing.)	Shares / Quotas
المساهمين	Al‑musāhimīn	Shareholders
مجلس الإدارة	Majlis al‑ʾidāra	Board of Directors
نقل الملكية	Naql al‑milkiyyah	Transfer of Ownership
زيادة رأس المال	Ziyādat raʾs al‑māl	Capital Increase
التصفية	Al‑taṣfiyah	Liquidation / Winding‑Up

Why Translate Articles of Association from Arabic to English?

Practical reasons drive most requests we see. Entrepreneurs forming a subsidiary in an English‑speaking jurisdiction need the parent company’s AoA in English for the new registration. Investors applying for a business‑visa or a startup‑visa programme must submit an English translation of the founding documents as part of the application package. Banks abroad routinely request a translated AoA to open a corporate account or to conduct KYC checks on a foreign‑incorporated entity. Law firms and due‑diligence teams commissioning a commercial review of a Middle East target likewise rely on a clear, accurate translation to assess governance, shareholding, and transfer restrictions. In each case the translation must faithfully represent the source text without adding or omitting anything.

AI Translation vs Human‑Certified Translation: When Each Fits

When AI Translation Is Sufficient

A fast, machine‑generated translation works well when the end‑use is internal. Companies preparing a draft for their legal team, investors wanting to understand the governance model before committing funds, or applicants assembling supporting documents for a visa, where the reviewing officer will ultimately rely on the original or a certified version, can all benefit from an instant, low‑cost translation. The AI output gives you a legible DOCX that preserves the original paragraph structure, tables, and terminology. It is enough to grasp the content, share with colleagues, or hand to a certified translator as a clean base.

When You Need a Certified Human Translation

Official filings with a foreign company registry, embassy submissions, or court proceedings, any scenario that requires a notarised statement of accuracy, call for a human‑certified translation completed by a sworn translator. A certified translation carries the translator’s signature and stamp, confirming that it is a true and complete rendering of the original. Embassies, consulates, and commercial registries will rarely accept an uncertified AI‑generated document as a stand‑alone submission. AI output cannot replace a sworn translator’s attestation, nor does it provide a certificate of accuracy for legal use.

What Lekhak’s AI Translation Delivers

Lekhak’s translation platform processes an Arabic PDF, scanned or digital, and returns a fully formatted English DOCX in minutes. The engine extracts text layout and tables, translates them using a specialised pipeline trained on legal‑corporate material, and reconstructs the document preserving the same section order as the original. The output includes the company name, registered office, capital structure, management rules, and the standard boilerplate clauses. No translator’s certificate, notarisation page, or stamp is added; the file is a plain‑language, best‑effort translation intended for review or internal use. Users can download the DOCX immediately and compare it side‑by‑side with the Arabic source.

When You Need Notarisation, Apostille, or Embassy Attestation for Your Articles of Association

If you intend to file the translated AoA with a foreign authority, you may need a notarised translation followed by an apostille (for countries party to the Hague Apostille Convention) or embassy legalisation for non‑Hague states. Lekhak does not supply certified translations as a self‑serve product, but we are rolling out these as managed services for clients who require attested documents. If your incorporation plans depend on a notarised, apostilled, or embassy‑attested translation, reach our support team through the website, we will outline the available options, coordinate the necessary steps, and keep you informed about timelines.

Egyptian Companies Law, GAFI, and How to Obtain a Copy of Your Articles of Association

The Egyptian Companies Law and GAFI’s Role

Egypt’s corporate framework is rooted in the Egyptian Companies Law and administered by GAFI. All limited‑liability companies and joint‑stock companies must file their AoA at the time of incorporation. GAFI reviews the founding contract, approves the company name and objects, and upon registration assigns a unified registration number that appears on the Commercial Register extract. Because this process is centralised, the AoA for an Egyptian entity almost always bears GAFI‑imposed clauses, such as the mandatory company duration and the prohibition on engaging in activities outside the stated objects, which translators encounter consistently across files.

How to Request a Copy from the Commercial Registry

If the original AoA is lost or unavailable, a shareholder or director can request a certified copy from the Commercial Registry office where the company was registered. The request typically requires a letter bearing the company stamp, a copy of the commercial registration certificate, and the applicant’s ID. The registry issues a machine‑printed extract that contains the full text of the AoA, this extract is the document most often presented for translation. Because the extract includes official stamps and registration annotations, anyone preparing an AI translation should ensure the scanner captures these clearly so the text elements are recognised correctly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Articles of Association?

It is the foundational constitutional document of a company, setting out the internal rules governing its management, shareholding, and operations. In Arab jurisdictions it is often called the “founding contract” and is registered with the local commercial authority.

Can I use an AI translation for company incorporation abroad?

You can use the translation to understand the document or as a draft for your legal advisor, but most foreign registries demand a certified translation signed by a sworn translator. An uncertified AI-generated DOCX will not satisfy official filing requirements on its own.

How accurate is AI translation of Egyptian legal documents?

AI handles the boilerplate GAFI‑imposed clauses well and translates terminology consistently, but it may occasionally misread a handwritten annotation or misplace a numeric value. A human review is prudent before relying on the output for a critical decision.

What does the translated DOCX look like?

It mirrors the original layout: the company name appears at the top, followed by the capital table, management articles, and closing provisions. Paragraphs keep their sequence, and footers and stamps are represented as typed text where legible.

Does AI translation retain the original stamps and seals?

The AI pipeline attempts to recognise and transcribe the text within stamps; purely graphical elements are omitted because the output is a text‑based DOCX. If a stamp contains only a logo, that section may appear blank.

Can Lekhak provide notarised translations?

Not as a self‑serve product. We are introducing managed services for notarised and attested translations. Contact our support team via the website, and we will explain the process and current availability.

How long does it take to translate an Arabic AoA with Lekhak?

The AI processes the file in minutes once upload is complete. The DOCX is ready for download almost immediately, no hours‑ or days‑long queue.

Is it necessary to redact or hide personal details before uploading?

Lekhak treats uploaded files with strict confidentiality. If you prefer to remove sensitive identifiers such as shareholder names or passport numbers, you can do so; the translation engine handles the remaining text without issue.

What if my AoA is a scanned image, not a digital PDF?

Our platform uses OCR to extract Arabic text from scanned pages. Good‑quality scans (300 DPI or higher, clear contrast) yield the best results. Poor‑quality images may produce gaps that require manual checking.

Where can I obtain an official copy of my Egyptian company’s AoA?

Request a certified extract from the Commercial Registry supervising your company’s registration. You will need the company’s registration number, a letter of request, and identification; the registry issues a stamped official copy suitable for translation.