Hague certification can also be called Apostille, which refers to the "Hague Convention on Cancelling the Requirement for the Certification of Foreign Official Documents", a type of mutual recognition between the signatory countries of The Hague, which is signed and stamped by the competent authority on its certified official documents by a specific official agency. A specific certification of the course of action and the result of the verification of the authenticity of the chapter, which is usually referred to as "Hague certification".

However, Hague certification is not a certification of the authenticity of the content of the required certification documents, but a secondary certification of the issuer (notary office or international notary) of the original certification, which certifies that the notary office or international notary is qualified to issue the original certification Certification documents. Before signing, the certified documents must be notarized internationally, and then the Supreme People's Court of Hong Kong should be signed. Therefore, the whole process is called Hague certification or signing.

Hague Certification→International Notarization

At present, Hague certification is one of the more common international notary certifications. This certification is mainly aimed at Hague member states. The documents issued by the Hague Convention countries can be recognized by other Hague member states. Especially for the foreign trade export industry, most of the documents such as product authorization letter, ISO/EC certificate, sales certificate, company qualification (such as business license, tax registration certificate), etc., often need to apply for Hague certification when going abroad. .

As of August 30, 2016, 112 countries around the world have joined the Hague Convention, and Chile is the latest to join the Hague Certification. In addition, 42 non-Hague member states have also participated in the Hague Convention on the Legalization of Official Documents. It should be noted that mainland China is not currently a member of The Hague, but Hong Kong and Macau have joined the Hague member organization, so relevant documents from home and abroad that need to be certified by the Hague can be certified through Hong Kong.

As a citizen of mainland China, if you need to take a certificate or document overseas (excluding Hong Kong) for use or investment or to prove certain facts, then you need to have an international notarization:

If it is used between countries under the Hague Convention, international notarization can be done in Hong Kong; if one party is a non-Hague Convention country, it needs to be certified by the embassy. This process is to hand the above notarized documents to the ambassadors of overseas countries in China. The official signature of the embassy or consulate "authentication" of the document, a confirmation process called "embassy authentication".

Scope of Hague Certification

Not limited to the following categories

1. Certification company, registration certificate, power of attorney, business registration certificate and business documents, commercial CE certificate, ISO certificate, sales contract, certificate of good reputation of the company

2. Attestation of personal documents and information for immigration, marriage, adoption, inheritance, etc., preparation of power of attorney for overseas use and witnessing its signature, witnessing the signature of overseas land or property sales documents

3. Birth certificate, degree certificate, marriage certificate, no criminal record, birth certificate, etc., certify the identity of the witnesses in person, and prepare a maritime report

4. Provide authentication and keep notarized records for transactions, documents or events 5. Other documents

How to apply for Hague certification?

Hague Certification

All you need to do is hand over the certified documents to Mecbes, and our expatriate team will go to the member states of The Hague to handle it in person.

Hague Certification FAQs

Q: Why apply for Hague certification?

A: If Chinese citizens want to use documents or identity certificates overseas or prove certain facts, they need to apply for international certification, that is, Hague certification.

Q: What is the difference between Hague certification and embassy or consulate certification?

Answer: The difference between Hague certification and embassy and consulate certification is that: Hague certification can be used in any member state of the Hague Convention, and the processing time is short, only 3 working days; embassy and consulate certification can only be processed in the country where the Use, such as the US consulate in China, can only be used in the United States, but it cannot be used outside the United States, and the processing time is long, usually about a month, depending on the time of the local government.

Q: How much does it cost to do a Hague certification?

A: Hague certification includes two types of fees: one is the fee for notarization by an international notary public, and the second is the fee for the High Court’s additional signature certification. The specific notarization fee depends on the number, number and type of documents.

Hague certification is generally carried out by a designated government agency, usually the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Supreme Court. Mainland China is not yet a member of The Hague, and Hong Kong, China is a member of the Hague Convention, so the documents that need to be authenticated by the Hague can be handled by an international notary in Hong Kong.

Q: Can the notary office notarize the name change information of the ID card?

A: Yes, send the required documents to the agency. Before the Hague certification, it is better to show the scanned copy or picture to the agency, and the agency will check whether it can be issued. After the certification is completed, the agency will express the certification documents to the customer. (The premise is that you must confirm which country the file is used in)

Certification documents also include: company documents, company qualification certificates, power of attorney, export documents, passports, study abroad materials, transcripts, degree certificates, etc.