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The Chinese Embassy and Consulates authenticate documents which are executed in the United States and will be used in China. Type of documents include: birth/death certificates, power of attorney, marriage certificates, diplomas, adoption application papers, business license, etc. Authentication is also called certification or legalization sometimes. Procedures:
- Sign before a notary public.
- Certified by the Secretary of the State Office of the state where the document is executed.
*Some states require the notarized document to be sent to the notary public's county clerk for verification before presenting to the Office of Secretary of State. Please contact Secretary of State Office of the state where your document is executed for details.
**Certain government or court document can be certified directly by the Office of Secretary of State, like Court Decree, Marriage License, Birth Certificate, etc. Please contact Secretary of State Office of the state where your document is executed for details.
- Certified by the relevant Consulate General. You must apply to the correct Consulate General which holds consular jurisdiction over your area of residence. The Consular District of the Chinese Consulate General in Houston covers: Alabama, Arkansas, Flordia, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas. Only documents certified by the Secretaries of State Office of the following listed 8 states.can be certified by the Chinese Consulate General in Houston.
- You may come to the relevant Embassy or Consulate Generals for application, or send a representative to apply for you. No appointment is required.
- Mailed applications are not acceptable and will be returned.
Documents to be included with applications:
- One Authentication Application Form (G1). The form must be completed and signed by the applicant himself.
- Photocopy of the applicant's passport.
- The original of the documents to be authenticated. For documents related to property, business or commercial use, a complete photocopy of all pages of the original documents must be enclosed. For all other documents, please enclose the photocopy of the pages with seal and signature of notary public and all other certification agencies/officers.
- Photocopy of Articles of Incorporation, if the document to be authenticated is a corporate or company document.
Fees and processing time
| Category |
Fee |
| Civil documents, e.g. Adoption, power of attorney, marriage, birth/death, kinship certificate, etc. |
$20.00 |
| Corporation documents, e.g. Business license, labor agreement, Certificate of Incorporation, Articles of the Incorporation,power of attorney, etc. |
$40.00 |
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- The regular processing time is 4 working days. For express service, additional fees of $30 per document for 1 working day (24 hours )processing(submit application before 11:00am), or $20 per document for 2-3 working days processing will be charged.
Contact Information of the Secretaries of State of
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