Consular Legalization/Apostillisation Q&A

深圳翻译公司

01.

How to verify whether the documents should be legalized or apostilled？

Re: Generally, documents issued in Chinese mainland and to be used in member countries of the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the Apostille Convention), shall be apostilled. Documents issued in Chinese mainland and to be used in non-member countries of the Apostille Convention, shall be legalized.

02.

What needs to be done before documents issued in Chinese mainland can be used in foreign countries?

Re: If consular legalization or apostillisation is required for documents issued in Chinese mainland by the foreign country, the documents should first be either notarized by the Notary Public Offices in Chinese mainland or verified by competent authorities and then be legalized or apostilled.

03.

Do I need to have my Notarial Certificates legalized or apostilled for use in foreign countries? Where should I go to apply for the Consular Legalization/Apostillisation?

Re: If consular legalization or apostillisation for documents issued in Chinese mainland is required by the foreign country, the documents should be legalized or apostilled before used in the foreign country. Kindly be advised to inquire in advance for requirements of the content and format of the documents where they will be used.

Please apply to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China (MFA) or authorized Foreign Affairs Offices of local governments (FAO) for the Consular Legalization/Apostillisation. If needed, documents should be legalized by the embassies or counsulates of the foreign countries in China after being legalized by MFA or authorized FAOs.