For people in getting married or to clear up family affairs in China, it is often required to use the documents which have gone through legalization in the Chinese Embassy. It is called the China Embassy attestation to correlate with attestation of documents in the Chinese embassy and confirm that the presented documents are legal and allowed by the authority. Let us have a look at the general procedure of getting China Embassy attestation for marriage and family matters.

Document Preparation

Assemble the required legal documents such as the marriage certificate or the birth certificate or a divorce record or any document that is relevant to the family and requires China Embassy attestation.

Certified Translation: If the documents are in a language other than English or Chinese, then need to provide translation also certified by some translator. In execution of this mandates, these translations must be true to the contents of the source documents.

Notarization

In case the documents are signed and executed in a foreign country, get the documents notarized through a notary public working in the said country. This step attests to the fact that the counter signatories of the documents are real people, and that the notary’s signature is original.

Attestation by Local Authorities

One of the last steps for the documents is to be taken to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or any department in the issuing country that deals with notary services. Finally, according to the legal requirement, MOFA attests the signature and seal of the notary to affirm the genuineness of the document.

Contact Chinese Embassy or Consulate

The documents to be submitted include all the documents attested by the MOFA, valid passport, capped application form obtained from the Chinese embassy or consulate and or any other document as prescribed photocopy of identification documents or letter from the relevant authority.

Submit the Documents: 

Send the documents to the respective Chinese embassy or consulate without the MOFA attestation, and the latter will be done there prior to collection by the applicant. This can be done in person, by post or through an agent as dictated by the policy of the concerned embassy.

Payment of Attestation Fees:

Other requirements include, submit the China Embassy attestation fee as demanded by the Chinese embassy or consulate. Fees depend on some factors such as the type of document required as well as the policies in the embassy involved. The other possibilities for payment may be cash, credit or debit card or through the bank transfer.

Document Review and Processing

The Chinese embassy or consulate will verify the documentation whether the documents are in the correct formality or not in terms of notarized and attested by local authorities. They will also ensure that all the documents are meeting the required standard.

The time taken to process the orders depends on the order and usually take between 5-21days. It is advised that you consider checking with the embassy for these processing time and any other fast track if available.

Collection or Delivery of Attested Documents:

After processing, it is also important to pick the processed documents that has been attested from the embassy or consulate. In the other case, if the corresponding mail delivery is available, the documents will be delivered to you through post service.

Marriage and family related certificates need China Embassy attestation and people need to collect the relevant documents, as well as, ensure they go through the correct China Embassy attestation process. Thus, it is required that individuals have sufficient knowledge in the requirements to avoid making mistakes and to ensure that all the documents are correctly filled before presenting them to the Embassy. China Embassy attestation process may take a quite a while and may therefore demand patience but remains inevitable for effective resolution of marriage and family issues in China.