1. On 8 March 2023, China officially acceded to the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the Convention). The Convention will enter into force between China and the UK on 7 November 2023. The Convention will continue to apply to the Hong Kong Special Administration Region and the Macao Special Administration Region of China.
2. From 7 November 2023 onwards, public documents produced in the UK after obtaining an apostille issued by the competent authorities of the UK, can be used in the Chinese mainland directly without the need to apply for consular legalization.
The public documents produced in China need to be issued an apostille before being used in the UK, without the need for consular legalization any more. As the designated authority, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China will issue apostilles onto the public documents produced in China. Certain foreign affairs offices entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China can also issue apostilles onto the public documents produced within their own administrative jurisdictions (List of Foreign Affairs Offices That Can Issue Apostilles is enclosed).
Apostilles can be verified online at https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/. For the procedures and requirements for applying for an apostille in China, please visit http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/ or the official websites of relevant foreign affairs offices.
3. From 7 November 2023 onwards, consular legalization at the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in the UK will no longer be provided. For public documents produced in the UK to be used in the Chinese mainland, please apply for apostilles from the competent authorities in the UK. For detailed procedures, please visit https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised.
4. According to the Convention, apostilles issued by the country of origin is to certify the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document acts and, where appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which it bears. The public documents with an apostille onto them may not necessarily be accepted by relevant Chinese authorities requiring the documents. It is suggested that applicants fully understand the format, content, time limit, translation and other specific requirements regarding foreign public documents from the Chinese authorities where the documents are to be used before applying for an apostille.
Annex: List of Foreign Affairs Offices That Can Issue Apostilles
Anhui Province, Chongqing Municipality, Fujian Province,
Guangdong Province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,
Guizhou Province, Henan Province, Heilongjiang Province,
Hubei Province, Hunan Province, Hainan Province, Jilin Province, Jiangsu Province, Jiangxi Province, Liaoning Province, Sichuan Province, Shandong Province, Shanghai Municipality, Shaanxi Province, Yunnan Province, Zhejiang Province, Gansu Province, Hebei Province, Shanxi Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Changchun City, Harbin City, Ningbo City, Jinan City,
Qingdao City and Shenzhen City.
