Legalization of documents in China may go through several steps before the documents can be used in China. As is the case, documents issued in foreign countries and to be used in China mainland shall first be notarized and legalized by the competent authorities in that country, and then be legalized by Chinese Embassies or Consulates in that country. For documents issued by member countries of the Apostille Convention, they can only be used in Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR of China directly after getting Apostilles from the competent authorities.
Introduction to Legalization of Documents in China
In line with international practice and Chinese regulation, documents issued by Chinese agencies to be used in foreign countries, in general, shall first be legalized by the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China (hereafter referred to as "the Department") or authorized Foreign Affairs Offices of local governments (FAO), and then be legalized by the embassies or consulates of the countries in which the documents are to be used. The Department and its authorized FAOs are the competent authorities handling legalization affairs in China.
After finishing its legalization, the Department and FAOs could help the applicants to transfer the documents to embassies or consulates to apply for their legalization.
Generally, documents required for legalization are as follows: birth, death, marriage, no criminal record, kinship, academic qualification, professional qualification, declaration, entrustment paper, power of attorney, contract, articles of association, certification of inspection and quarantine of animals or plants, certificate of origin, invoice, and other notarial certificates, certifications or notes for civil or business purposes etc.. These documents are issued by Chinese notary public offices, entry-exit inspection and quarantine bureaus, and China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).
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Applying Documents Legalization to the Department of Consular Affairs
(1) When applying for legalization of documents for business purposes, the original notarial certificate (or CCPIT certificates or commercial bills), one original authorization letter issued by the enterprise concerned, one copy of valid passport of the authorized person, and other materials required by the concerned embassy must be submitted. The enterprise shall authorize its own personnel to file the application for legalization.
(2) For documents needed to be legalized by the Department and the foreign embassies in Beijing,some FAOs or other authorized agencies can help applicants transfer the above said material to the Department .
For documents needed to be legalized in foreign consulates in cities other than Beijing, provincial and some municipal FAOs in the jurisdiction region of the consulates are authorized by the Department to legalized the documents.
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If you have further inquires, please do not hesitate to contact Tannet at anytime, anywhere by simply visiting Tannet’s website english.tannet-group.com, or calling Hong Kong hotline at 852-27826888 or China hotline at 86-755-82143422, or emailing to tannet-solution@hotmail.com. You are also welcome to visit our office situated in 16/F, Taiyangdao Bldg 2020,Dongmen Rd South, Luohu, Shenzhen, China.
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