I.On March 8, 2023, China joined the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents(hereinafter referred to as "the Convention"). On November 7, 2023, the Convention will enter into force between China and Australia. The Convention will continue to apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region of China.

II.As from November 7, 2023, any public documents when properly executed in Australia within the scope of the Convention, can be sent to Chinese mainland for use with the APOSTILLE issued by the competent authority of Australia from which the document emanates,and the consular legalisation from the Australian side and the Chinese Embassy and  Consulates-General in Australia are no longer required.

All public documents within the scope of the Convention sent from China to Australia will no longer be subject to consular legalisation by the Chinese authority and the Australian Embassy and Consulate-general in China, but will be subject to APOSTILLE. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China is the competent authority for issuing APOSTILLE for public documents executed within Chinese territory. Entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, the Foreign Affairs Offices of relevant local governments in China can issue the APOSTILLE for public documents executed within their respective administrative regions (see the list attached). The APOSTILLE can be verified online by visiting this website:https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/. Specific procedures and requirements for applying APOSTILLE can be checked by visiting the China Consular Service website(http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/) or the websites of relevant local Foreign Affairs Offices.

III.As from November 7, 2023, the Chinese Consulate-General in Melbourne will terminate consular legalisation services. For public documents executed in Australia, which intended for using in Chinese mainland, please apply for APOSTILLE from related Australian authorities.

IV.According to the Convention, APOSTILLE may be required in order 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 the document bears.

The completion of APOSTILLE issued by relevant  Australian authority does not mean that the public document will be accepted by the receiving organization in China. It shall be inquired in advance with the receiving organization about the specific requirements for the format, content, time limit, translation, and other aspects of foreign public documents before proceeding with the relevant APOSTILLE application.    

Attachment:

1. List of Authorized Local Foreign Affairs Officesfor issuing APOSTILLE

2. Information for authority issuing APOSTILLE in Australia

Attachment 1:

List of Authorized Local Foreign Affairs Officesfor issuing APOSTILLE (31 in total)

Anhui Province, Chongqing City, 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 City, 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

Attachment 2:

Information for authority issuing APOSTILLE in Australia

Applicants can apply for APOSTILLE from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or their offices in various states and territories.

According to the notice from the Australian government, all mail applications submitted to the Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade must be sent to the Melbourne Passport Office.

For specific procedures, you can visit the following website to query:    https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/consular-services/notarial-services/documents-in-australia

For verifying an APOSTILLE issued by authority in Australia, you can visit https://orao.dfat.gov.au/pages/verifyapostille.aspx