Document Apostille for use in China

On Nov. 7, 2023, China officially acceded to the Hague Convention abolishing the requirements of Consular legalization for foreign public documents. The Convention has entered into force between China and the United States. Documents originating from the United States need to be Apostilled by the relevant Secretary of State or the US Department of State before they can be used in China, without the need of Consular legalization.

Apostille is a method of certifying a document for use in another country. Apostille authenticates the seals and signatures of officials on public documents such as birth certificate, marriage certificate, certificate of good standing, court orders, background check, etc. or confirms the name and signature of a notary public on other non-government issued document such as diploma, transcript, etc.

The Apostille certificate will verify that the named individual and his/her position is a matter of record in the Secretary of the State's Office. The certificate will only be prepared if the official has in fact executed the document properly and can only be attached to a signed original or a sealed certified copy from a public record keeper, such as a Town Clerk.

Here is the outline of two major steps for document apostille for China

1) Notary: For non-government documents such as affidavit, diploma, passport copy, power of attorney, bank letter, etc., a notary public must notarize the document first; For government documents such as birth certificates, good standing certificates, etc., you will need to obtain a certified copy from the state; notary is not required.

2) Secretary of State Apostille: The State Apostille Office must certify the notary seal or the certified copy by adding a certificate page with big state seal. Some states require county clerk to certify the notary seal first. Federal documents such as FBI background check will require apostille from the US Department of State.

Type of documents can be apostilled include, but are not limited to:

Diploma, TEFL, TESOL
FBI criminal background check
State issued criminal background check
Vital records such as marriage certificate, birth certificates
Power of attorney for real estate transaction
Affidavit of Single Status
Adoption application papers
Copies of documents, passport, invoice, etc (How to notarize passport copy?)

VisaRite can assist you with the Secretary of State Apostille

STEP 1 - Notarized by Local Notary Public

Non-government issued document should first be notarized by a Notary Public. The document should be signed in presence of the notary. The notary should add an acknowledge statement such as "Signed and sworn (or affirm) to before me this__________day of_______________, 20___." and complete with notary seal and signature.
Document notarized in AL, GA, HI, KY, MD, NY and TN must be certified by the county before state authentication. County certification can be obtained from a circuit clerk, circuit court, county clerk, probate judge or superior court clerk.
State issued document such as vital record, certificate of corporation, etc doesn't need to be notarized. You should obtain a certified copy and skip notary process.

How to obtain a notarize copy of your document such as passport ?

STEP 2 - Select a Service

Civil Documents (Such as: Adoption, Birth/Death/Marriage Certificate, Affidavit of Single Status, Personal Declaration, Personal Real Estate Transaction, Inheritance, Foster Care, Name Change Order, etc. )

Regular Processing (3-8 weeks) : US$150.00/per document

Express Processing (2-3 weeks) : US$250.00/per document * (not available for all documents. Additional government expediting fee may apply.)

Remarks:

Processing time is approximate and for reference only. The government processing time is subject to change without notice.

Forms of Payment:

Personal check is not acceptable. You may pay by money order or credit card. Credit card payment is subject to 3.6% surcharge. If you would like to avoid the credit card surcharge, you may choose to pay by Zelle to: service@visarite.net
If your return address is in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or Canada, please include an extra extended delivery area fee of $20.00 per order. If you need to ship back to other international address, additional fee and time is needed, please email us for details.

STEP 3 - Complete Service Request Form

Click here for Service Request Form

Please specify your service level and return address by submitting the service request form online.
Please provide email address and phone so that confirmation and status update can be sent to you during the process.
Please include one copy of service request confirmation with the documents you ship to us and keep one copy for your record.

STEP 4 - Send the Document(s) to VisaRite Service

Put all following items together in one package

The original document(s)
Service Request Form confirmation page
Cashier's check or money order payable to VisaRite Service to cover the total cost or online payment confirmation.

To prevent delay caused by any errors or omissions, please email us at: service@visarite.net a scanned copy or images of the complete application paperwork for a pre-check. We will email you the detailed shipping instruction once the pre-check is completed.