Please be advised that the United States and China (Hong Kong SAR) * are signatories to the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961, abolishing the requirement of consular legalization for foreign public documents.

Quite often, American citizens and business persons require that certain documents be "legalized" so that they can be accepted in China (Hong Kong SAR) *. The procedures to be followed depend on the nature of the documents and are similar to the requirements of all other governments throughout the world.

The documents which are issued by the US authorities, or which are business documents or documents which have been previously notarized in accordance with the procedures of the various states must be "authenticated" in accordance with the Rules and Regulations for Authentication of Documents promulgated by the United States Department of State.

In accordance with the Convention, in order for U.S. documents to be valid in China (Hong Kong SAR) * , they must bear an Apostille - certificate confirming the capacity of the government official signing the document, authenticity of the signature and, where appropriate, of the seal or stamp on the document. Documents with Apostille do not require any further legalization.

The following documents are considered official documents in accordance with the Hague Convention (documents for public use), and an Apostille may be placed in them:

• Documents issued by organizations or officials associated; with courts or state tribunals, including documents issued by a public prosecutor, court secretary, or bailiff;
• Documents of administrative (executive) authorities;
• Documents certified by a notary public;
• Official validating endorsements, placed on documents signed by individuals acting in a personal capacity, such as official certificates of the registration of a document or of its existence on the date indicated, as well as official and notarial verifications of signatures.