China joins the Apostille Convention

As from 7 November 2023, China officially became a member of the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (in Dutch: Apostilleverdrag). This will significantly simplify the process of document authentication for use in mainland China. There will no longer be a need to follow the extensive legalization route up to the Chinese Embassy in The Netherlands. Instead, an apostille affixed by the Dutch court will suffice, and this can usually be arranged within one to two business days.

In practice, it is advisable to check with the relevant authorities in China what the requirements are – next to apostille – for documents to be accepted locally, including format (requiring specific wording), time limitation (expiry date of issuance) and language (only English or English-Chinese).

If you have any questions regarding the legalization of documents for use in China, please contact Jan Greijdanus, Susanna Tang or any of the other BUREN specialists of Civil Law Notary / China Practice.