When should the first book of minutes be prepared?

It is recommended to prepare the first book of minutes as soon as your company is formed, i.e., as soon as its certificate of incorporation is issued, within the framework of its initial legal organization.

The company legally exists from the moment of its incorporation, but several documents usually need to be prepared afterwards in order to complete its organization and to set up the required corporate records.

The first book of minutes generally includes:

• the statutes and the certificate of incorporation;
• the first resolutions of the shareholders and directors, namely the resolutions relating to the legal organization of the company;
• the company's regulations;
• the required corporate records, including those relating to directors, officers, shareholders and securities;
• documents relating to the issuance of the first shares, including share certificates when used;
• the other documents necessary for the initial organization of the company.

Preparing this documentation from the outset allows for the proper recording of the company's initial decisions and for keeping the minutes book up-to-date as it evolves.

However, it is never too late to rectify the situation. If the minutes book was not prepared at the time of incorporation or has not been kept up to date, the existing documents can be reviewed to determine the necessary updates, corrections, or, depending on the circumstances, ratifications.

In summary , the first set of minutes should ideally be prepared as soon as the company is formed, when its legal structure is being finalized. It can then be updated as new corporate decisions or operations occur.