What is Apostille? Is Apostille recognized by China

Apostille certification refers to the secondary certification of the issuer of the original certification issued by the national ** agency, and the seal or label is stamped on the certificate, this process is called apostille certification (i.e., apostille certification and endorsement).

It should be noted that China is not a member of The Hague, but Hong Kong, China and Macao, China are members of The Hague, so the requirements for certification subjects in different countries are different.

In short, Chinese mainland companies can do VAT double certification, Hong Kong companies, and American companies need to do apostille.

What is apostille: "apostille" is in French, that is, "legal", but it is different from the "embassy or consulate certification" referred to in China. "Apostille" refers to the mutual recognition between the signatories of the 1961 Hague Convention on the Abolition of the Requirement for the Legalization of Foreign Official Documents, and the process and result of the act of confirming the authenticity of the signatures and seals made by the competent authorities on the official documents by a specific official body, which is a specific kind of "authentication".

Apostille simplifies the process of embassy authentication in the past, making the circulation of documents simpler. At present, 117 countries around the world have joined the Hague Convention, including Britain, France, Germany and the United States, and some countries have not joined but recognize the Hague Convention. It is worth mentioning that Chinese mainland has not yet joined and is not recognized, and domestic documents used in Hague member countries can be directly sent to Hong Kong or Macao for apostille.

"apostille" is French for "authentication", but it is different from "embassy or consulate certification" in China. "Apostille" refers to the mutual recognition between the signatories of the 1961 Hague Convention on the Abolition of the Requirement for the Legalization of Foreign Official Documents, and the process and result of the act of confirming the authenticity of the signatures and seals made by the competent authorities on the official documents by a specific official body, which is a specific kind of "authentication".

Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Hong Kong, China, and Macau, Colombia, Cook Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Commonwealth, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia (from 14 May 2007), Germany, Greece, Grenada, Honduras, Hungary, India Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova (from 16 March 2007), Monaco, Montenegro, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niue, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela.

The processing period is also different in different countries or regions, with Hong Kong, China taking 3 working days, and other countries or regions ranging from 3 to 15 working days.

To put it simply, it is similar to *** certification and embassy certification, but the location is different.

In addition, the apostille is relatively restrictive, and only the Hague contract country or region can handle it.

The mainland of China is not a Hague contract country, but Hong Kong and Macao have signed an Ague contract, so if you want to apply for an apostille, you can go to Hong Kong or Macao to handle it.

Need. When applying for apostille, it is necessary to provide the applicant's passport, some places only need to provide a scanned copy, and some places need to provide the original. It depends on the country that handled The Hague.

Currently, there are 108 Hague member states, and 42 non-Hague member states are also parties to the Apostille Convention. Chinese mainland has not joined the Hague member states, but Hong Kong and Macao are member organizations of The Hague, so documents that need to be legalized can be notarized by a Hong Kong notary public, and then endorsed by the Hong Kong High Court have the same legal effect.

Legal basis: Rules of the People's Republic of China for the Examination and Issuance of Competency for Seafarers

Article 28 The competency examination includes the theory examination and evaluation. The theoretical examination takes theoretical knowledge as the main test content, and focuses on testing the mastery and understanding of the professional knowledge of seafarers. Through the operation of the corresponding ship, simulator or other equipment, the international common language listening test and oral test, etc., the assessment focuses on the comprehensive application of professional knowledge, operation and emergency response ability of seafarers.

Article 43 The validity period of the recognized visa shall not exceed the validity period of the recognized certificate of competency, and shall not exceed 5 years at most. When the recognized certificate of competency becomes invalid, the corresponding recognized visa automatically becomes invalid.

It refers to the secondary certification issued by the Hague member states or regional ** institutions, and the issuer of the original certification, and affixes a seal or label on the certificate, this process is called apostille certification and endorsement.

It is generally divided into personal documents, company documents and third-party agency documents

1.Personal documents: marriage certificate, birth certificate, power of attorney, declaration, single certificate, innocence certificate, academic certificate, etc. can be apostilled in Hong Kong.

2.Company documents: Certificate of registration, legal personality, agreement, contract, power of attorney, company name change document, product introduction and other company documents, etc. can be apostilled in Hong Kong.

Apostille is applicable to the members of the Hague Convention, at present, there are a total of 108 Hague members, but Chinese mainland is not currently a member of the Hague State, so relevant documents at home and abroad can be authenticated in Hong Kong, the United States, Australia or other Hague member countries.

a.If it is used between countries of the Hague Convention, it can be notarized in Hong Kong;

b.If the document is from a country other than the Hague Convention, it will need to be legalized by the embassy.

1. Original or scanned copy of certification documents;

2. Scanned copy of passport.

PS, Hong Kong Apostille Template.

Hong Kong Apostille Template.

Legal analysis: It refers to the secondary certification issued by the national ** agency (generally the Supreme People's Court) to the issuer of the original certification (usually a local notary office or an international notary), and the certification is stamped with a seal or label.

Legal basis: Administrative Measures of the People's Republic of China for the Issuance of Ordinary Passports and Exit-Entry Permits Article 4 Citizens applying for ordinary passports shall submit their applications to the exit-entry administration of the local people's ** public security organs at or above the county level where their household registration is located, and submit the following true and valid materials:

1) A recent barehead** and a completed Application Form for Chinese Citizens Going Abroad (Outside the Territory) for Private Purposes (hereinafter referred to as the application form);

2) Resident ID card and household registration booklet and photocopy; During the period of collection, replacement and replacement of resident identity card, temporary resident identity card and household registration booklet and photocopies may be submitted;

3) Citizens under the age of 16 shall be accompanied by their guardians and submit their guardians' opinions agreeing to leave the country, their guardians' resident identity cards or household registration booklets, passports and photocopies thereof;

4) State functionaries shall, in accordance with relevant provisions, submit a certificate of consent to leave the country issued by their work unit or the competent unit at a higher level after examination and approval in accordance with the personnel management authority;

5) Other materials required to be submitted by the exit-entry administration of the provincial-level local people's ** public security organs upon approval by the exit-entry administration of the Ministry of Public Security.

Active-duty servicemen applying for ordinary passports shall, after completing the approval procedures in accordance with the administrative authority, submit the application to the exit-entry administration of the local people's ** public security organ at or above the county level in the place where the unit is stationed.

1. Although China has not yet acceded to the Hague Convention, the Convention applies to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region of China, so relevant documents at home and abroad can be authenticated through Hong Kong.

2. Member States of The Hague:Albania, Germany, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China (Hong Kong, Macau), Cyprus, Costa Rica, Colombia, Republic of Korea, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, United States, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Nicaragua, Neuswie, New Zealand, Netherlands, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela.

3. Countries that recognize the Hague Convention:Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Cape Verde, Canada, Dominica, El Salvador, Fiji, Granada, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Malawi, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Moldova, Mongolia, Namibia, Niue, Oman, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Satsuma, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Eswatini, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu.

4. Apostille template for Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong apostille format template.

The above is for reference, thank you.