The Convention on the Abolition of the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents” will come into effect in China on November 7, 2023.
On March 8, 2023, China acceded to the “Convention on the Abolition of the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents” (hereinafter referred to as the “Convention”).
The Convention is the most widely applicable and extensively subscribed international treaty under the framework of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, aiming to simplify the process of cross-border circulation of public documents. Starting from November 7, 2023, public documents originating from China and intended for use in other contracting states only require the issuance of the additional certificate provided for by the Convention (Apostille). This allows such documents to be used in other contracting states without the need for consular legalization by the Chinese authorities or the authorities of the contracting state in question. Likewise, public documents from other contracting states destined for use in mainland China only need to obtain the additional certificate of that state, without requiring consular legalization by the authorities of that state or the Chinese authorities in the respective foreign mission.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the competent authority designated by the Convention for issuing authentication certificates, and it issues authentication certificates for official documents issued within its own territory. Under the authorization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the foreign affairs offices of relevant provinces, autonomous regions, directly-administered municipalities, and some municipal governments can issue authentication certificates for official documents issued within their respective administrative regions. For specific procedures and requirements regarding authentication certificates, please visit the Consular Service website of China (http://cs.mfa.gov.cn) or the relevant websites of local foreign affairs offices.
Chinese authentication certificates are issued in the form of adhesive stickers with the addition of a silver national emblem seal. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, as well as the relevant local foreign affairs offices, supports online verification of the issued authentication certificates. For details, you can visit http://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/.
Individuals residing abroad can check relevant information on the official website of the Chinese embassy or consulate in their place of residence.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China
