1. Has China joined the "Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents"?
China has joined the "Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents". It will enter into effect on 7 November, 2023. At present, the Convention applies to Hong Kong Special Administration Region and Macao Special Administration Region.
2. Can documents issued in the U.K. to be used in China be legalized by the Chinese Embassy or Consulates in the U.K. directly?
The document should be certified by local Notaries Public/Solicitors and then legalized by UK FCDO or its authorized institutions, before any application for legalization could be lodged to the Chinese Embassy or Consulates in the UK.
3. How to apply for legalization of the notarized documents or business certificates issued in China?
When a document issued in China is to be delivered and used abroad and the foreign country concerned requires consular legalization, the document shall be first notarized by a Chinese notary or certified by a Chinese certifying institution, then delivered to the Consular Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a local foreign affairs office for consular legalization before being delivered to the embassy or consulate of the said country in China for legalization.
From 1st May 2016, the British Embassy and Consulates in China no longer provide service of legalizing documents to be used in the U.K.. Accordingly, documents such as Degrees, Marriage Certificates are not required to be legalized by the British Embassy or Consulates in China. Please make inquiries to recipients in the U.K. for more detailed requirements regarding notarization etc..
4. Does the Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) have the authority to approve the legalization applications?
The CVASC is an independent commercial organization that handles routine work, such as answering inquiries, receiving applications, returning documents and collecting charges for legalization. Decision on a legalization application will only be made by the Chinese Embassy or Consulates in the U.K.. The CVASC will strictly follow the laws of China and the U.K. to ensure the safety of personal information and the contents of the documents submitted.
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