China Pilots the Issuance of Electronic Apostilles
On 17th June, to adapt to the trend of digitizing document circulation, improve the efficiency of cross-border document transfer, and promote the initiative of “efficiently handling a single matter,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs(MFA), as the competent authority in China for issuing the Apostille under the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, will begin issuing electronic Apostilles (e-Apostille) for public documents issued within China.
Here is a Sample of an Electronic Apostille.
Starting from the date of the pilot program – 18th June 2025, applicants applying for an Apostille at the CCPIT can simultaneously apply for an electronic Apostille. Electronic Apostilles can be verified online via the “Consular Legalization/Apostille Online Verification System” of the MFA website.
We understand that the pilot program has just been launched, which relates to some aspects of exclusivity regarding the object. For the official policy to issue specific guidelines and practical experiences will take time. Still, the MFA will gradually promote the realization of issuance of electronic Apostilles in more areas and on a wider scale, which is an inevitable trend, and provide more efficient and convenient services for the flow of foreign-related documents for our citizens and enterprises.
For the standard apostille preparation applied to the current policy, you may check our previous article: Big Change | Apostille Documents in China SONG. If you have any questions, please contact us.
