It is an international certification method provided under the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the Convention), used to certify documents which are to be used abroad. Its purpose is to verify the authenticity of relevant documents, ensuring that such documents hold corresponding legal validity in foreign countries. Apostillization only certifies the authenticity of issuers (specifically, the final seals and signatures) rather than the authenticity or legality of the content of such documents.

On March 8, 2023, China acceded to the Convention, which entered into force in the country on November 7 of the same year. From that date onwards, China commenced the issuance of apostilles, and any document bearing an apostille can be used among all the Contracting States to the Convention without the need for consular legalization.

The consular legalization procedure shall continue to apply to the documents circulated between China and non-Contracting States.

https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/full-text/?cid=41

An apostille is a certificate with a standardized form, applicable among the Contracting States to the Convention, serving as an alternative to the traditional consular legalization certificates. Once a document has been affixed with an apostille, it can be circulated freely among the Contracting States without any additional certification.

The Convention imposes strict requirements on the form of an apostille, which shall contain the following ten key elements:

1. Country: (the issuing country)

This public document

2. has been signed by: (name of an individual)

3. acting in the capacity of: (e.g. Notary Public)

4. bears the seal/stamp of: (e.g. the name of a notary public office)

Certified

5. at: (name of a city)

6. the: (date of issuance)

7. by: (the name of the issuer)

8. No.:

9. Seal/Stamp: (seal/stamp of the issuing authority)

10. Signature:

Furthermore, to facilitate the cross-border usability of public documents, apostilles are usually issued in bilingual or trilingual versions (including English, French, and the official language of the issuing country), so as to enhance their recognition.

http://hcch.e-vision.nl/index_en.php?act=conventions.status&cid=41

Eligible commercial documents include: registration certificates, legal person qualification documents, agreements, contracts, powers of attorney, statements, certifications, appointment letters, trademark certificates, asset statements, credit certificates, director information, shareholder information, articles of association, meeting minutes, documents of name changes of companies, invoices and receipts, certificates of origin, customs declaration forms, product certificates, product descriptions, and other corporate documents.

Select an individual capable of notarizing:

Notary public: A notary public is authorized to certify the authenticity of documents. Original documents and identity documents (passport, driver's license, etc.) are required.

Lawyer: Some countries require that commercial documents be notarized by licensed lawyers.

Submission of document(s): Submit the relevant document(s) (which must fall within the aforementioned categories) to the individual in charge.

Verification and notarization: The individual in charge verifies the authenticity of the document(s) and affixes notarial seal(s) on it/them.

Submit the notarized document(s) and a photocopy of the applicant's passport, either in person or by mail delivery, to the competent authority(-ies) designated for issuing apostilles.

Verification and legalization: The competent authority(-ies) shall examine the document(s) and, if the document(s) is/are confirmed to be correct, affix apostille(s) thereto.

Collection of apostilled document(s): Upon completion of the apostillization, the document(s) bearing apostille(s) will be available for collection.

The processing time may vary depending on the regulations of different Contracting States. Generally, from notarization to issuance of apostille(s), the process requires five to ten working days. Expedited services may be available in certain countries or in cases of emergencies, with additional fees usually charged.