China legalization is a method to obtain authentication on documents destined for use in China.
China is considered a non-participating country in the Hague Convention. Thus, to use your documents over there, you will need to follow some legal procedures placed by China embassy to use your documents in their country, whether personal or corporate records, the instructions are the same.
Bear in mind, that Hong Kong and Macao accepted the Hague convention in 1997 and 1996, respectively.
Therefore, if you are traveling to one of those cities, you will only need the apostille seal to be able to use your document.
Check the list of Hague participant countries.
In this article, I will cover the following questions:
• What are the required steps to use your documents in China?
• Does China Embassy have different instructions for each state?
• What is type of documents could be legalized by China Embassy?
• Are there any expedited services provided?
So, first of all, what are the steps required to use your documents in China?
1. Have your document notarized by a state notary public unless its original governmental document is issued from the Federal /State/ Local office.
2. The documents must be authenticated from Secretary of the State where it was issued from.
- Some states may require certifying the document from County Clerk first.
Such as Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Tennessee, and New York.
3. Authentication of US Department of State is required in some states
Such as Washington DC, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Besides, all FBI reports must be authenticated by the US Department of State.
4. Finally, Authenticate your document from the Chinese Embassy or Consulate.
Authentication is required by the Chinese Embassy/Consulate that holds consular jurisdiction over the state where the document is certified.
Individuals provide one passport/driver’s license copy of the applicant; for corporate documents, please provide a cover letter and one passport/ driver license copy of the legal representative of the company.
Does China Embassy have different instructions for each state?
Yes. As I mentioned above, requirements differ slightly according to the state.
The difference is in two steps:
• States Such as Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Tennessee, and New York require a signature from a counter clerk.
• States Such as Washington DC, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming Required authentication from the US Department of State.
What is type of documents could be legalized by China Embassy?
• Extracts from the commercial register
• Certificates of civil status (certificates of birth, death, marriage, and divorce)
• Education documents (school reports, certificates, diplomas)
• Court decisions
• Notary certified copies of documents
• Notary certified translations
• Further notarial documents (authorizations, last will, declarations)
Single affidavits/certificates intended to be used for marriage registration in China, and certain adoption documents regarding marital status, health status, or criminal records are only valid for six months from the date of issuance. The Embassy / Consulate-Generals will NOT authenticate a document if it becomes invalid.
Are there any expedited services provided?
During, the current COVID-19 situation, processing time may be delayed dramatically; however, there are numerous third-party agencies that can provide you with expedited apostille/embassy legalization services.
One of the best agencies that may provide you with expedited China embassy legalization services is U.S. Legalization as one of the well-established agencies out there in
One Day Apostille provides expedited services with nominal additional fees to legalize your document to use in China.
To figure out more about their prices and services visit their
China legalization page for documents designated for use in China.
