For those who need documents legalized for China, please note that the embassy is currently not offering an expedited service. As the processing time for all legalization work is 9 to 10 business days at this time, we are advising clients to submit any documents for legalization well before they are needed.
Another issue that can delay processing is the upcoming expiration of a notary’s commission. The Chinese Embassy will no longer authenticate documents if the notary’s commission will expire within six months. They argue that the notary commission will have expired by the time the document is reviewed in China, and so the notarization will not be valid. Arguments that the commission was active on the date the document was notarized and will likely be renewed and continue to be active when the document is reviewed have not been successful in getting the embassy to amend their policy.
However, we are pleased to report that another recent issue, relating to documents authenticated by the California Secretary of State, is no longer a problem. The Chinese embassy in DC is again accepting documents authenticated by the California Secretary of State.
Please reach out to your knowledgeable COGENCY GLOBAL service specialist for assistance in managing the legalization process for documents that will be used in China.
