On 8 March 2023, China officially deposited the instrument of accession with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the depository of the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the Apostille Convention). The said convention will take effect in China on 7 November 2023.

According to the Apostille Convention, the use of public documents between the member countries of the Apostille Convention only have to complete the Apostille. Consular legalization is no longer required. That means starting from 7 November 2023, the public documents issued by the member countries of the Convention can be used in China directly after getting the Apostille from the competent authorities. No need to seek consular legalization. For public documents issued by China to be used in other member countries or regions of the Apostille Convention, consular legalization is also not required. It will significantly reduce the time and cost of the cross-border use of public documents.

The Apostille refers to the certification of the authenticity of the signature, seal and the capacity of the local notary office or international notary public who issued the notarial certificate conducted by the competent authorities of the member countries of the Apostille Convention by affixing the seal or label on the notarial certificate. Before applying for the Apostille, the documents must be notarized by the local notary public first.

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