Share registers and capitalization tables for every entity in the chain, articles and shareholder agreements, trust deeds where a trust holds shares, and citizenship documents for each ultimate individual owner. A clear diagram of the chain should accompany them.
Draw the chart first, then collect the documents it names
Working from a diagram prevents the common failure of assembling a thick file that still leaves a gap somewhere in the middle. Start by drawing every entity and every individual, mark each ownership percentage, then gather the document that proves each line. Where an entity was reorganized, the historic documents may also be needed to show how the current position arose.
Trust arrangements require particular care, since the deed determines who is treated as holding the interest. Corporate counsel and the family's accountant usually hold most of this material and can produce it far faster than an applicant working alone. A licensed adviser should decide what is presented and how the chain is explained.
Hypothetical example: Phúc is purchasing an independent book distributor through a Canadian holding company. He should trace ownership first from the U.S. company through every corporate layer to named individuals, then match bank statements, sale records and transfer confirmations to the purchase contract.
Incorporation records and share registers settle nationality; the contract and closing statement settle where the funds went. Request records before closing, when the seller and lender can still clarify terms. The familiar mistake is presenting a clean corporate chart without evidence of the individuals behind it.
Preserve invoices, lease documents and early sales evidence as well, because they demonstrate an operating enterprise rather than a dormant acquisition vehicle.