Starting from November 7, the legal effects of the Hague Convention will enter into force in Chinese mainland. The procedure will be significantly simplified!
After that, the use of documents between China and other signatories to the Hague Convention does not need authentication and/or legalization by embassies or consulates. Any public document of any signatory state affixed with the apostille is taken as legally effective in China and vice versa. Currently, more than 120 countries and regions have acceded to the Convention.
Birth certificate, marriage certificate, court divorce decision, green card, passport, real estate certificate, etc.
Transcripts, academic certificates, etc.
Single certificate, no criminal record certificate, death certificate, etc.
Registration certificate, legal personality, agreement, contract, power of attorney, declaration, appointment letter, trademark certificate, asset certificate, credit certificate, director information, shareholder information, articles of association, meeting minutes, company name change document, invoice, certificate of origin, customs declaration, product certificate, product introduction and other company documents.
As of Oct. 23, the States parties to the Convention included:
China, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan
Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, Eswatini, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Tunisia
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Moldova Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Britain
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, The Commonwealth of Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu
Enterprises and individuals engaged in cross-border trade and judicial activities, such as investment, litigation, inheritance, immigration and other matters, will benefit from this change. The time to prepare documents in China can be shortened from about 20 working days to 3-5 working days.
