The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Serbia to Cease Legalisation of Document Services

October 30, 2023
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From 7 November 2023, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Serbia of will no longer provide legalisation of document services. For documents issued in the Republic of Serbia and intended to be used in mainland China, please obtain for an apostille from the ordinary (basic) court in the Republic of Serbia.

On 8 March 2023, the People’s Republic of China officially became a signatory to the Convention on Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (“Apostille Convention”). The Apostille Convention will enter into force between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Serbia on 7 November 2023 and will continue to apply to the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong, and Macau, respectively.

From 7 November 2023, public documents issued in the Republic of Serbia in accordance with the Apostille Convention may be used in mainland China by obtaining an apostille without the need for legalisation of the documents by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Serbia. Accordingly, official documents issued in the People’s Republic of China in accordance with the Apostille Convention no longer require legalisation by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Serbia or the Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia in the People’s Republic of China when they are sent to the Republic of Serbia for use, but must be certified with an Apostille.

Under the terms of the Apostille Convention, the additional certificate is issued by a state to certify the authenticity of the signature on the document, the identity of the signatory and, if necessary, to confirm the authenticity of the seal on the document. Please note, however, that the processing of a document with an Apostille from the Republic of Serbia does not necessarily mean that the document will be accepted by the recipient of the document in China. Therefore, we recommend that you consult with the Chinese recipient of the document before proceeding with the relevant procedures to find out their specific requirements regarding the format, content, deadline, translation, etc. of the foreign document, in order to handle the relevant matters more smoothly.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China is the competent authority for issuing apostilles for official documents, which are used to authenticate official documents issued in the People’s Republic of China. With the approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the foreign affairs offices of the relevant local people’s governments in the People’s Republic of China may issue apostilles for official documents issued within their administrative jurisdiction (see list of approvals below). These apostilles can be verified online and detailed information can be found at https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/网站查询.  Specific steps and requirements for obtaining an apostille can be found on the website of the Consular Service of the People’s Republic of China at http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/ or on the relevant website of each local foreign affairs office.

List of Foreign Affairs Offices of Local People’s Governments Issuing Apostilles (31 in total).

  • Provincial Foreign Affairs Offices (25):

Anhui, Chongqing, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Heilongjiang, Hubei, Hunan, Hainan, Jilin, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Liaoning, Sichuan, Shandong, Shanghai, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Zhejiang, Gansu, Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia.

  • Municipal Foreign Affairs Offices (6):

Changchun, Harbin, Ningbo, Jinan, Qingdao, Shenzhen

If you would like to know more about the matter, please feel free to contact our firm.