Apostille and Authentication for Use in China

According to the Chinese Consulate, “In accordance with international practice and consular practice in China, the purpose of consular authentication is to ensure that notarial deeds issued in one country can be acknowledged by relevant authorities in another country, and the deeds can have its due legal effect, which shall not be affected by doubts on the authenticity of the seal or signature on the deeds.

“The Chinese Consulate General in the United States can authenticate notarial deeds and other documents issued by relevant authorities of the United States for use in China. The deeds or documents should be certified by the Authentication Office of the Secretary of the State first.”

Most documents go through the California Secretary of State in Sacramento and the Chinese consulate in San Francisco. Federal documents need to be apostilled by the US Secretary of State and legalized by the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC. SF Notary + Apostille can help with either process.

Note: The Chinese Consulate in SF and the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, are both closed to the public due to Covid-19. They are also both experiencing severe delays in processing times. Documents may take weeks or months to process, and rush service is not available. Please contact us for the latest estimated turnaround times.

How do I get my document apostilled and legalized for use in China?

1. Email us for a price quote.

Pricing varies depending on your location, the turnaround time needed, and the shipping destination. For a quick price quote, send an email to [email protected] with the following information:

• Your name, address, and phone number
• The name, address, phone number, and email address of the recipient (if you’d like us to ship it to a third party)
• The number of documents that need to be authenticated
• The date by which you need the documents authenticated
• A statement that the destination country is China

We will respond ASAP with a price quote and payment instructions.

After you agree to your quoted price, we will request some additional documentation. The Chinese consulate and embassy have very strict, frequently updated policies regarding applications and supporting documentation. Don’t worry–we’ll make sure we obtain everything needed to get your authentication issued as quickly as possible.

2. Get the document notarized.

The document must be signed in front of a notary public. If you’re in San Francisco, we can come to your location and notarize the document for you.

3. Get the document to us.

If we notarize the document, we’ll simply take it with us. If someone else notarizes it, you can send it to our office:

SF Notary + Apostille
315 Montgomery Street, 10th floor
San Francisco, CA 94104

Please include a check or money order made out to “AMN SF” or call us at +1 (415) 655-9455 to arrange credit-card payment.

4. We’ll take it from there.

We will obtain an apostille from to the California Secretary of State or the US Secretary of State. Then we will obtain authentication from the Chinese consulate or embassy.

We will ship the apostilled and authenticated document to you or directly to a party in the receiving country via FedEx Priority.

That’s the whole process of apostilling and authenticating documents for use in China. Questions? Please email [email protected] or call +1 (415) 655-9455.