Update: China is now a member of the Hague Convention

As of 7 November 2023, China is now an active member of the Hague Convention for apostille. This means that consular or embassy processing is not longer required. Please note: the receiving party in China may not be aware of this change. Please double-check with the recipient prior to ordering an apostille. Additional certification from the consulate or embassy may be possible if the recipient will not accept a simple apostille. Call us for details.

Legalization of documents at the Chinese Embassy or Chinese Consulate will no longer be required starting 7 November 2023.

It’s true: the dream of a simple China apostille is almost a reality! On 8 March 2023, the Chinese ambassador to the Netherlands, Tan Jian, submitted China’s instrument of accession to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents.

Also known as the Apostille Convention, this treaty simplifies the procedure through which a document issued in one member state can be certified for legal purposes in any other contracting state.

A certification under the Convention is called an apostille or a Hague apostille. An apostille is intended to supplement a local notarization or government official signature certification of a document. It removes the necessity for further certification by the destination state.

The simplified China apostille process begins on 7 November 2023. Until then, we have paused submitting requests for Chinese Embassy and Chinese Consulate Authentication. At this point, it will be faster to wait for China to become a Hague member than to wait for document processing.

We are booking now for China apostille appointments starting on November 7. To schedule yours, give us a call or email us.