China Legalization of Documents

DOCUMENT AUTHENTICATION

Capital City: Beijing

Whether you have found a new job, opening a business or looking to move abroad to China, we can help you legalize your personal or business documents at the Embassy of China in Washington D.C.

Authentication of Documents

Documents that will be used in China have to be legalized at the consular section of the embassy in Washington, DC (WDC). We undertake document authentication on behalf of the client, significantly reducing the turnaround time and making the entire process fast, efficient and effortless. Having dealt with hundreds of authentication cases we use our experience to review the requirements for each document. We have established a solid working relationship with many foreign embassies and government offices located in Washington, DC. We have developed a reputation of reliability, professionalism and personal attention.

1. The procedure to authenticate the different types of documents is as follows:

A. Academic documents, business documents, etc.

The document is received by Roca Authentications LLC

A public notary notarizes the document.*
The secretary of the state certifies the document.*
The US Department of State (USDOS) in WDC authenticates document.
The Chinese Consulate authenticates the document.

*Steps 1 and 2 may be done in the state in which the document was issued. However, we are able to complete these two steps here in Washington D.C on your behalf.

B. Personal Documents (vital records)

All personal documents, birth, death, marriage, divorce decrees, etc. must first be certified by the respective secretary of state in which they were issued. Following this they must be authenticated by the US Department of State (USDOS) and embassy here in Washington, DC.
**All vital records must be issued within 6 months.

C. Federal Documents

Notarization or state certification is not required for these documents. The original documents can be authenticated by the USDOS as they are, without additional certifications. Example: FBI background checks, certificate of naturalization, IRS form 6166, etc. Then they can be presented to the embassy for legalization. For current turnaround time and total costs please e-mail us and we will provide you with a quote and plan of action.

Additional Requirements by the Chinese Consulate:

Notarized documents must show that the notary’s commission will not expire in less than 6 months. (This prevents the notary commission from expiring before the document arrives in China.) The notary must include a jurat statement, for example “signed and sworn before me, “notary” on “date”.
You must present submit a Chinese Application form (Click Here to download form) along with a copy of your passport.

Document should not mention either Taiwan or Hong Kong.

2. Cost per Document:	INDIVIDUAL		BUSINESS
	Personal	Federal	Legal	Federal
Notary and State Certification – D.C.	80		80
US Department of State Authentication	60	60	60	60
China Embassy Fee	25	25	50	50
Roca Embassy Services	70	70	70	70
TOTAL COST U.S. $	235	155	260	180

3. Processing Time

Currently the U.S. Department of State processing time depends upon their workload, backlogs, government health care guidelines and other matters. This same situation applies for the embassy turnaround time.

Note: Before sending any document, please contact us at info@rocadc.com to determine if the document is appropriate for legalization and if the current processing time meets your requirements.