1. On March 8, 2023, China acceded to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the Convention). On November 7, 2023, the Convention shall enter into force between China and Netherlands. The Convention shall continue to apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China and the Macao Special Administrative Region of China.
2. From 7 November 2023, An Apostille shall be issued onto the public documents as referred to in the Convention (hereinafter referred to as the public documents) that are issued in the Netherlands and are to be used in Chinese mainland, instead of legalisation by Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands.
An Apostille shall be issued onto the public documents that are issued in Chinese mainland and are to be used in the Netherlands, instead of legalisation by the Chinese side and Dutch Embassy and Consulates in China. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China is the designated authority to issue an Apostille onto the public documents issued in Chinese mainland. Besides, certain Foreign Affairs Offices (listed below) entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China can also issue an Apostille onto the public documents issued within their own administrative jurisdiction. The website https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/ enables online verification of the Apostilles issued in Chinese mainland. For the procedures and requirements for applying for an Apostille in Chinese mainland, please visit http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/ or the official websites of relevant Foreign Affairs Offices.
3. From 7 November 2023, Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands will cease to provide legalization service. For the public documents that are issued in the Netherlands and have to be used in Chinese mainland, please apply for an Apostille from the Dutch authorities.
4. According to the Convention, the Apostille issued by a state is to certify the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted and, where appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which it bears. However, there is possibility that the public documents with an Apostille be rejected in China. Therefore, applicants are recommended to check the format, content, time limit, translation and other specific requirements of foreign public documents with relevant Chinese authorities in advance.
5. The Foreign Affairs Offices in China that issue Apostille are (31 in total): 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, Shenzhen City.
6. For information on applying for an Apostille in the Netherlands, please refer to the Dutch Government website: https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/legalisation/what-is-legalisation-apostille.