1. Q：What needs to be done before documents issued in Chinese mainland can be used in foreign countries?

A：If consular legalisation or apostillisation is required for documents issued in Chinese mainland by the foreign country, the documents should first be either notarized by the Notary Public Offices in Chinese mainland or verified by competent authorities and then be legalised or apostillised.

2. Q：Do I need to have my Notarial Certificates legalised or apostillised for use in foreign countries? Where should I go to apply for the Consular Legalisation/Apostillisation?

A：If consular legalisation or apostillisation for documents issued in Chinese mainland is required by the foreign country, the documents should be legalised or apostillised before used in the foreign country. Kindly be advised to inquire in advance for requirements of the content and format of the documents where they will be used.

Please apply to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China (MFA) or authorized Foreign Affairs Offices of local governments (FAO) for the Consular Legalisation/Apostillisation. If needed, documents should be legalised by the embassies or counsulates of the foreign countries in China after being legalised by MFA or authorized FAOs.

3. Q：How to verify whether the documents should be legalised or apostillised？

A：Generally,documents issued in Chinese mainland and to be used in member countries of the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the Apostille Convention), shall be apostillised. Documents issued in Chinese mainland and to be used in non-member countries of the Apostille Convention, shall be legalised. Kindly click the link for the list of member countries of the Apostille Convention:

https://cs.mfa.gov.cn/zggmcg/fjzms/dygmd/202310/t20231018_11162993.shtml

4. Q：Are Diploma/Graduate Certificate, Degree Certificate and transcript issued by the Chinese educational institutions acceptable for Consular Legalisation/Apostillisation applications?

A：The documents should be first notarized at the Notary Public Offices before Consular Legalisation/Apostillisation.

5. Q：Is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in Beijing the only authority to conduct Apostille? Could Apostille be conducted directly in the city where the documents were issued?

A：The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in Beijing can apostillise documents issued within the scope of the Chinese mainland. Some authorized Foreign Affairs Offices of local governments could apostillise documents issued within the relevant province, autonomous region or municipality. Kindly click the link for the list of agencies for Apostille: https://cs.mfa.gov.cn/zggmcg/fjzms/bzxz/202310/t20231018_11163030.shtml

6. Q：Are the original paper documents required for the Consular Legalisation/Apostillisation applications? Are electronic documents or scanned documents acceptable for applications?

A：At present, only e-Certificates of Origin issued by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade are accepted for e-Apostille applications. All other original verification documents need to be printed.

7. Q：How is an appointment made for the Consular Legalisation/Apostillisation applications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China?

A：Kindly search for mini app “Consular Service Center” on Alipay and follow the instructions to make an appointment, and then go to the Legalisation Service Reception of Ministry of Foreign Affairs as instructed.

8. Q：Does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provide mail service for the Consular Legalisation/Apostillisation applications?

A：Yes, you could submit applications by mail and receive return-mails by making appointments at mini app “Consular Service Center” on Alipay.

9. Q：How are the fees charged for the Consular Legalisation/Apostillisation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)? Is express service available?

A：Fees for Apostillisation are 50 Yuan/document of civil affairs and 100 Yuan/document of business affairs.

Fees for the Consular Legalisation by MFA for Chinese applicants are 50 Yuan/document and 100 Yuan/document of business affairs. Fees for the Consular Legalisation by MFA for foreign applicants of different nationalities are charged on the reciprocal basis.

Express service is provided by MFA with an extra 50 Yuan/document.