Translation and Notarization of Official Documents – Frequently Asked Questions

In recent months, we have been inundated with all kinds of questions about document certification, notarization, and the Hague convention apostille. In this article we will list as many of your questions as possible, and give you our answers for each one.

However, if you cannot find your question in this list, don’t hesitate to contact us

Questions for those currently in China

If you are not in China, please go to the next set of questions.

I need to get my non-criminal record for the time I spent in China. How do I do it?
To obtain your Chinese non-criminal record while still in China, you firstly need to go to your local Exit-Entry Administration Bureau (出入境管理部门). For the complete process, take a look at our guide here.

I already have my Chinese non-criminal record, but I now need to get it notarized at a Chinese notary. How do I do it?

To have your Chinese non-criminal record notarized by a Chinese notary, you need to go to a local notary in China. For the complete process, take a look at our guide here.

I already have a notarized copy of my Chinese non-criminal record, but I need to have the Hague convention apostille applied it. How do I do this?

To have the Hague convention apostille applied to your notarized non-criminal record, need to go to your local Foreign Affairs Office (外事服务中心). For the complete process, take a look at our guide here.

If I don’t want to handle all the above steps myself. Can I get them all done by someone else, or an agent?

Yes. if you want a third party to take care of all the steps to obtain and notarize your non-criminal record, and have the apostille applied to it, all the steps are outlined in our article here.

I (or my partner) is Chinese. I need to get a Chinese hukou document notarized, and have the Hague apostille applied to it. How do I do it?

You can get it done yourself by going to the notary (notarization & translation), and then to the foreign affairs office (apostille). You will need your Chinese ID card.

If you prefer, an agent such as HI-COM can handle the above steps on your behalf. However, the agent would need your Chinese ID card (not a copy), the original copy of your birth certificate, and a signed Power of Attorney. The processing time would be around 2 weeks

I studied at a university in China, and I now need to get my university diploma notarized at a Chinese notary. How do I do it?

To have your university diploma notarized by a Chinese notary, you need to go to a local notary in China. As you are currently living in China, the notary doesn’t have to be in the same city where your diploma was issued. For the complete process, take a look at our guide here.

I already have a notarized copy of my university diploma, but I need to have the Hague convention apostille applied to it. How do I do it?

To have the Hague convention apostille applied to your university diploma, you need to go to your local Foreign Affairs Office (外事服务中心). For the complete process, take a look at our guide here.

If I don’t want to handle all the above steps myself, can I get them all done by someone else, or an agent?

Yes. if you want a third party to take care of all the steps to obtain and notarize your university diploma, and have the apostille applied to it, all the steps are outlined in our article here.

I need to have a document that was not issued in China notarized by a Chinese notary. How do I do it?

The simple answer to this question, is that you can’t. Any document such as a birth certificate or diploma that was issued outside China cannot be notarized by a Chinese notary.

I need a translation of some documents from my home country translated into Chinese. The translations need to be accepted by the Chinese authorities. What should I do?

The quickest and easiest way to do this is to have them translated by an agency in China that is recognized by the Chinese authorities. The agency will provide a certified translation with their company stamps, translation certificate and a copy of their business license. Therefore there is no need to go to a notary to get this done.

I am a foreign national. My child was born in China and has a Chinese birth certificate. I am applying for a foreign passport (of my home country) for my child. I therefore need a certified translation of my child’s birth certificate from Chinese into the language of my home country, but I also want my child’s foreign name (and not their Chinese name) to appear on the certified translation, so that their foreign name appears on their foreign passport. Is there a way to do this?

Yes there is. Simply contact us and we will take care of it!

Questions for those currently outside China.

I need to get my non-criminal record for the time I spent in China, but I have already returned to my home country. How do I do it?

If you have already left China, but you wish to obtain your non-criminal record for the time you spent in China, it is still possible. Read our guide here. However, not every case is the same, so contact us and we will guide you through the process.

I need to get my university diploma for the time I spent in China, but I have already returned to my home country. How do I do it?

If you have already left China, but you wish to obtain your Chinese university diploma, it is still possible. Not every case is the same, so contact us and we will guide you through the process.