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，Significantly reduce compliance time and economic costs for cross-border document transfers，Reduce processing time by more than 70%。
Document with Hague Additional Certificate，In more than 100 contracting countries of the Hague Convention (including China)、Britain、beautiful、day、Australia、new、Directly have statutory certification and enforcement effect between EU member states, etc.)。
After a document is apostille legalized in country A，Just use country B、Country C、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
The scope of applicable documents for apostille is extremely wide，It is mainly divided into two core sections: personal civil documents and commercial compliance documents.。Hong Kong Xintong's legal team can provide you with all types of document pre-examination and certification agency services。
including but not limited to：birth certificate、marriage certificate、divorce papers、No criminal record certificate、Academic certificate、transcript、Proof of kinship、Personal power of attorney (such as real estate purchase and sale、inheritance trust)、passport、Declaration from the same person、Single Statement、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，Make sure the format meets official requirements。
Bring unofficial documents (such as a power of attorney、contract、Declaration) is submitted to the local Notary Public in the country where the document is issued for verification.、Sign and seal to issue a notarial certificate。Original government-issued document (such as birth certificate、Company registration certificate) usually exempts you from this step。
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，The physical apostille document will then be sent to the customer's designated domestic or overseas address via high-security international express delivery.。
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.；Unofficial documents require pre-notarization by a Hong Kong International Notary.。 |
| US states | 10-15working days | 4-6working days | Some states support scanned copies.，Faster；Personal documents must be notarized by a local notary。 |
| Mainland China | 7-10working days | 3-5working days | It must be notarized by a foreign-related notary office first.，Then send it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the local foreign affairs office entrusted by it to issue an additional certificate.。 |
| other European countries | 2-3week | Depends on specific country | such as the UK、Germany etc.，The process is more rigorous，Original documents are usually required。 |
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%。
Currently, more than 120 countries and regions around the world are members of The Hague.，Including China (including Hong Kong and Macao)、USA、U.K.、France、Germany、Japan、South Korea、Singapore、Australia、New Zealand etc.。As long as both the country that issued the document and the country that used it are members，Apostille certification is available。
If the country of receipt/use of the document is not a party to the Hague Convention，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)、Notarization lawyer fees (depending on the complexity of the document and the number of pages) and Hong Kong Information Communication’s agency service fees and translation fees.。Specific fees will be assessed based on your file type and country of use。
The Apostille Certificate itself has no clear expiration date。but，The certified original document itself may have an expiration date。For example，"Declaration of No Spouse" or "Certificate of No Criminal Record" for marriage registration，Domestic or foreign receiving departments usually require the issuance date to be within 6 months。
If the document applying for apostille notation contains two pages or more，Must be bound into a book by a notary public，And stamped with riding seal。After the certification is completed，Never disassemble or assemble at will、Edit or swap pages，Otherwise, the apostille will immediately become invalid and lose its legal effect.。
totally ok。The parties named on the apostille application form or document do not need to go to the official agency in person。You can entrust Hong Kong Xintong with full authority to handle the matter on your behalf.，We have professional foreign-related legal channels，Ability to ensure your documents are compliant、Get official approval quickly。
Opening an overseas bank account usually requires a Certificate of Incorporation (CI)、Business Registration Certificate (BR)、Articles of Association、annual return、Apostille copy of board resolutions and proof of identity and address of directors/shareholders。Hong Kong Xintong can provide you with a full set of notarization and Apostille services for business documents。
You need to draft a "Same Person Declaration"，Specify that both passports belong to the same person，And sign and notarize it in front of a local notary in the United States.，Then send it to the Secretary of State’s Office for Apostille.。The certified documents can be used to process real estate in the country、Bank accounts and other matters。
