The definition and core functions of Apostille document authentication
Apostille，Mainland China has officially unified it as the "Additional Certificate" since the "Hague Convention" officially came into effect on November 7, 2023). It is a secondary authentication system established in accordance with the 1961 "Hague Convention Abolition of the Requirements for Authentication of Foreign Public Documents"。This certification is provided by the competent government authority of the contracting state (such as the Supreme Court of Hong Kong)、U.S. Secretary of Stateoffice、issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, etc.)，Designed to confirm the signature of the original certification issuer (such as a government official or international notary)、Authenticity of seals and qualifications，The document content itself is not authenticated.。By stamping a specific "Apostille Stamp/Additional Certificate"，This instrument will directly obtain legal effect in all member states.。
Completely eliminate the cumbersome consular and embassy double authentication procedures，大幅降低跨国文件流转的合规时间与经济成本，手续时间缩短70%以上。
带有海牙附加证明书的文书，在超百个海牙公约缔约国（含中国、Britain、beautiful、day、Australia、新、欧盟成员国等）之间直接具备法定证明及执行效力。
一份文件在A国办理海牙认证后，只要使用的B国、C国、Country D is a member of the Hague Convention，This document can be used in these countries，No need to repeat the process。
The first-instance notary is certified by an officially designated agency (such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Supreme Court)、The signature and seal of a judge or government official for authoritative endorsement，Ensure the legality of instruments in international forums。
Scope of applicable documents for Apostille document authentication
海牙认证的适用文书范围极其广泛，主要分为个人民事类文件与商业合规类文件两大核心板块。港信通法务团队可为您提供全类别的文书预审与认证代办服务。
including but not limited to：birth certificate、marriage certificate、离婚书、No criminal record certificate、学历证书、transcript、Proof of kinship、个人授权委托书（如房产买卖、遗产继承委托）、passport、同一人声明书、单身声明书、Will, etc.。
including but not limited to：Certificate of Incorporation (CI)、Business Registration Certificate (BR)、Articles of Association、annual return、Board resolution、Power of attorney、Asset/Credit Proof、Trademark registration certificate、purchase and sale contract、Product certificate、Director/Shareholder Information Form、Meeting minutes, etc.。
Application process for Apostille document certification
Confirm that the country using the document is a contracting country in The Hague，Professional consultants from HKIT will verify the original commercial or civil documents provided by the client、Scanned copy and proof of identity，确保格式符合官方要求。
将非官方文书（如委托书、contract、声明书）递交至文件出具国当地的执业公证人（Notary Public）进行核实、签字并盖章出具公证书。政府出具的原始文件（如出生证、公司注册证）通常可免除此步。
Send the notarized original document to the highest designated official authority in the country/region (such as the High Court of Hong Kong、The U.S. Secretary of State’s Office or the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs) will issue a signature.，Stamped with Apostille seal or attached with additional certificate。
After Hong Kong Information Communications obtains the certification documents，Take photos or scans for customer confirmation，随即通过高安全性国际快递将实体海牙认证文书寄送至客户指定的国内或海外地址。
The cost and cycle of Apostille document authentication
The cost of apostille certification is usually based on the principle of "pay-per-piece"，The total cost is determined by official fees (such as administrative fees charged by the Hong Kong High Court or the US Secretary of State)、The notary/lawyer fee for the first step (depending on the complexity of the document and the number of pages) and the agency service fee and translation fee of Hong Kong Information Communication。The processing cycles and requirements vary in different countries and regions.，Details are shown in the table below：
| Handling area | regular cycle | Expedited cycle | Document requirements and characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong, China | 5-7working days | 3-4working days | Original government documents can be sent directly to the High Court for signature.；非官方文件需香港国际公证人前置公证。 |
| 美国各州 | 10-15working days | 4-6working days | 部分州支持扫描件办理，Faster；个人私人文件需经当地公证员公证。 |
| Mainland China | 7-10working days | 3-5working days | 需先经涉外公证处公证，再送外交部或其委托的地方外事办出具附加证明书。 |
| 其他欧洲国家 | 2-3week | 视具体国别而定 | 如英国、德国等，流程较为严谨，通常需要提供文件原件。 |
Frequently Asked Questions about Apostille Document Legalization(FAQ)
Ordinary notarization is a verification of the authenticity of the contents of the document by a notary office or a notary lawyer.、Confirm legality；Apostille is a secondary certification of the signature and seal of the notary lawyer or official.，Confirm that their professional qualifications are true and valid。Apostille does not verify the specific content of the document，Rather, it gives the document international legal effect.。
China officially joined the Hague Convention on November 7, 2023。Since then，Document transfer between China and other Hague member states，Just apply for apostille (with additional certificate)，Completely canceling the previous cumbersome and time-consuming "embassy and consulate dual authentication" steps，The process was shortened by more than 70%。
目前全球有120多个国家和地区是海牙成员国，包括中国（含港澳）、USA、U.K.、France、德国、Japan、South Korea、Singapore、Australia、新西兰等。只要文件出具国和使用国双方都是成员国，即可使用海牙认证。
如果文件的接收国/使用国不是海牙公约成员国，Apostille authentication cannot be used。The document still needs to follow the traditional process，Perform territorial notarization first，Then send it to the country’s local embassy or consulate for “consular double authentication”。Hong Kong Xintong can also handle such dual authentication services for you.。
Yes，Hong Kong Xintong provides full-process online agency services。You only need to take a photo or scan the documents required for certification and upload them，Our legal team will complete the preliminary review for you、Certificate issuing agent、Submit the Hague signature and finally have the physical certificate delivered to your home.，You don't have to do the legwork yourself。
Apostille certification is usually charged per piece。The total cost is determined by official fees (such as administrative fees charged by the Hong Kong High Court or the US Secretary of State)、公证律师费（视文件复杂度和页数而定）以及港信通的代办服务费和翻译费构成。具体费用需根据您的文件类型和使用国家进行评估。
海牙认证证书本身没有明确的截止日期。but，被认证的原始文件本身可能存在有效期。For example，用于结婚登记的“无配偶声明书”或“无犯罪记录证明”，国内或国外接收部门通常要求其出具日期在6个月以内。
申请海牙认证的文书如果包含两页及以上，必须由公证人装订成册，并加盖骑缝章。在认证完成后，绝对不能任意拆装、涂改或抽换页面，否则该海牙认证将立即失效并失去法律效力。
totally ok。海牙认证申请表或文件上的当事人无需亲自前往官方机构。您可以全权委托港信通进行代办，我们拥有专业的涉外法务渠道，能够确保您的文件合规、快速地通过官方审批。
海外银行开户通常需要公司注册证书（CI）、Business Registration Certificate (BR)、Articles of Association、annual return、董事会决议以及董事/股东的身份证明和地址证明的海牙认证件。港信通可为您提供全套商业文件的公证及海牙加签服务。
您需要起草一份“同一人声明书”，写明两张护照属于同一个人，并在美国当地公证员面前签字公证，随后送交州务卿办公室办理海牙认证（Apostille）。认证后的文件即可在国内用于处理房产、银行账户等事宜。
