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China Apostille: Get Your UK Documents Ready for China
Moving to China, starting a job, or joining family there? Since China joined the Hague Convention, China attestation for UK documents usually means a single UK apostille; no extra embassy stamp required. We’ll confirm your route, get the apostille through the UK Legalisation Office, and send your paperwork back safely, ready for visas, work, study or business in China.
- We check your route before we start
- Your document comes back to you, fully sorted
- No guessing - you'll hear from us at every turn
- Your apostille is included, start to finish
£95
Starting from
Next day
Priority turnaround
Tracked
Secure return delivery
- FCDO apostille obtained for you
- 3 working-day turnaround
- Return delivery included
- Route checked before processing
- Secure & confidential
- Officially registered
A Team the FCDO Recognises, Handling Your Apostille
Legalisation4You is based in London and registered with the UK Legalisation Office. That means we can use the FCDO’s premium next-day service and skip the delays that come with posting documents off yourself. Our team hand-delivers to the FCDO every working day; that’s true whether you need a simple apostille or the full Chinese embassy document authentication UK businesses often require, since everything stays in-house and your paperwork is never passed to a third party.
Daily hand delivery
to the FCDO
UK Legalisation Office
registered agent
Premium next-day
access
FCDO registered
Registered with the UK Legalisation Office
Daily service
We visit the FCDO every working day
Secure & confidential
Handled with the highest care
UK-based team
Real experts, Mon–Fri 8am to 5pm
Proven experience
Thousands of UK documents every year
What Exactly Is a
China Apostille? The China UK Agreement Explained
An apostille is an official certificate the UK Legalisation Office (FCDO) attaches to your document. It confirms the signature, seal or stamp on your paper is genuine, nothing more, nothing less. Since China’s membership of the Hague Apostille Convention took effect on 7 November 2023, often searched as the China UK agreement, Chinese authorities accept a UK China apostille on its own, without a separate embassy stage. For most UK documents, Chinese document attestation is now a single FCDO step.
You’ll usually need this for degree certificates, birth certificates, police checks, powers of attorney and business paperwork. Once it’s apostilled, your document is signed, stamped and recognised for use overseas, ready for visas, university admissions, marriage registration or setting up a business in China.
Good to know
An apostille is accepted in Hague Convention countries. Some destinations also need embassy attestation afterwards — we'll tell you if yours does.
How it works
document → 02FCDO
apostille → 03Used
overseas
FCDO apostille • UK documents • Overseas use
Simple Steps for a China Apostille and Chinese Attestation, Sorted Before We Start
Getting a document legalised shouldn’t feel complicated. Four clear steps take you from order to the return of your apostilled paperwork, no jargon, no guesswork, and nothing starts until your route is fully confirmed.
Need your document back fast?
Our Express Apostille is processed the next working day and it's eligible, so you're not left waiting.
We confirm eligibility before you order. →
- YOU START
- 1
Order online
Place your order and tell us your document type and destination country. It takes a couple of minutes.
- WE HANDLE IT
- 2
We check your route
Our UK team confirms the correct route and whether any certification is needed — before any work begins.
- 3
FCDO apostille
We hand-deliver your document to the Legalisation Office and obtain the apostille, keeping you updated.
- DONE
- 4
Returned securely
Your apostilled document comes back to you by tracked delivery — embassy attestation arranged too, if required.
Apostille China Birth Certificate and More: UK Documents We Prepare for China
We apostille and legalise a wide range of UK paperwork for people and businesses heading to China, from an apostille China birth certificate to marriage certificates, degree certificates and certificates of good standing. Some documents go straight to apostille; others need solicitor or notary certification first, which we’ll confirm before you submit anything.
Government-issued originals
Birth Certificate
Marriage Certificate
Death Certificate
ACRO Police Certificate
Criminal Record Check
DBS Certificate
Criminal Record Check
Other personal & official
Divorce documents
Name change
Court documents
HMRC letters
Companies House
Certification may apply first
Academic documents
Degrees
Diplomas
Transcripts
University letters
Certification may apply first
Business & corporate
Incorporation
Board resolutions
Invoices
Contracts
Route depends on format
Legal documents
Power of attorney
Affidavits
Declarations
Agreements
Notary certification first
Medical & financial
Medical consent form
Immunisation record
Financial guarantee
Sponsorship letter
Bank statements
Certification usually first
- Extra steps, handled for you
Some Documents Need Chinese Embassy Legalisation and Chinese Document Attestation Too
Most UK documents for China only need the apostille now, but a handful of cases, especially certain business or legal papers, may still call for Chinese embassy legalisation or Chinese embassy document attestation after the FCDO stage. If that applies to you, we’ll arrange every step and confirm the full route, including any notary or solicitor certification, before we start work.
Before the apostille
UK legalisation
FCDO apostille
The UK Legalisation Office authenticates the signature, seal or stamp.
dependent
After the apostille
Embassy attestation
Some non-Hague destinations require an embassy or consular stage after the apostille.
Government-issued originals often go straight to the apostille. Solicitor and notary are alternative certification routes — most documents do not need both.
Common attestation destinations
UAE Embassy
Qatar Embassy
Chinese Embassy
Malaysia
Kuwait
Jordan
Bahrain
Oman
Iraq
Yemen
Trusted by Individuals, Law Firms and Businesses
Real feedback from customers who’ve used our UK legalisation services, including Chinese attestation for company documents, degree certificates and personal paperwork bound for China.
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1,000s
Documents every year
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Embassy destinations
Mon–Fri
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Frequently asked questions
Still unsure?
Tell us your document and destination — we'll confirm the route.
How long does the Standard Apostille take?
Standard Apostille turnaround is 3 working days from when we receive your document. Need it sooner? Our Express Apostille can turn eligible documents around the next working day, just ask when you order.
What does the £95 include?
The £95 covers your FCDO apostille, tracked return delivery, and a route check before we start. There are no hidden extras. If certification is needed first, we’ll tell you the cost upfront.
What is a Standard Apostille?
A Standard Apostille is the FCDO’s regular-speed certificate confirming a signature, seal or stamp on your document is genuine. It’s processed within our usual 3 working-day turnaround, as opposed to the next-day Express option.
Is a Standard Apostille accepted overseas?
Yes. Once apostilled, your document is recognised in China and any other Hague Convention country, without needing a separate embassy stamp. We’ll confirm this applies to your specific destination before we begin.
Do I need to send my original document?
In most cases, yes, Chinese authorities generally require the original, not a copy. We’ll tell you exactly what’s needed for your document type when you order, so nothing gets held up.
Can you apostille a copy of a document?
Sometimes, but the copy usually needs certification by a solicitor first before it can be apostilled. We’ll check what’s required for your document and arrange the certification if needed.
Wait, do I need to get this notarised before the apostille?
Good question, and honestly, it depends on what you’re apostilling. If you’ve got an original document that came straight from a government body (think birth certificates, marriage certificates, that sort of thing), you can usually go straight to the apostille without any extra steps. But if it’s something like a power of attorney or a business agreement, that’ll normally need to be signed off by a notary or solicitor first. If you’re not sure which camp your document falls into, just ask us; happy to check.
What if it's an academic document - degree, transcript, that kind of thing?
Most of the time, yes, these need a bit of prep first. Universities and employers in China are often pretty strict about this, so degree certificates and transcripts usually need solicitor certification before they can be apostilled. But don’t stress about figuring this out yourself; we’ll take a look at your specific document and let you know exactly what’s needed before anything gets started.
And business documents - contracts, incorporation certs, board resolutions?
Yep, these almost always need certifying first too, either by a notary or a solicitor, before the apostille goes on. The nice part? You don’t have to sort any of that separately; it’s already built into how we handle your order. Just send it over, and we’ll take it from there.
What happens if my destination country is not part of the Hague Convention?
If you’re sending a document somewhere outside the Hague Convention, it’ll usually need Chinese document attestation or another embassy stage after the apostille, not the apostille alone. We’ll confirm the full route and handle both stages for you.
Can you apostille documents in languages other than English?
Yes. Documents in other languages can be apostilled, though some destinations ask for a certified translation too. Let us know your document’s language, and we’ll confirm what’s needed.
Are electronic documents eligible for apostille certification?
Some digital documents are eligible for an e-Apostille, delivered by email once approved. Not every document type qualifies, so we’ll check suitability for yours before you order.
Is apostille legalisation valid indefinitely?
Generally, yes, an apostille itself doesn’t expire. That said, some receiving authorities in China only accept documents issued within the last few months, so it’s worth checking their specific requirements.
Can my document be rejected by the FCDO?
It can happen if a document isn’t eligible, is incomplete, or needs certification it doesn’t have yet. That’s why we check your route before any work starts, to catch issues early.
Can you handle multiple documents?
Yes, we regularly process multiple documents in one order, for individuals, families and businesses alike. Just list everything you need when you order, and we’ll confirm timing and cost together.
Can you help if I do not know what service I need?
Absolutely, this comes up a lot. Tell us what the document is for and where it’s going, and our team will confirm the right route before you pay anything.
Looking for Full China Attestation Instead?
Compare our faster, digital and certification options if a straightforward apostille isn’t quite what your document needs.
For urgent deadlines
Express Apostille
- Eligibility confirmed first
- Paper documents
For eligible digital documents
E-Apostille
- Suitability checked first
- Delivered by email
Before the apostille
Solicitor Certification
- Arranged with your order
- Only where required
The Team Behind Every China Apostille
No call centres, no handoffs to strangers. The same UK-based team checks your route, handles your Chinese embassy document legalisation, and stays with your document until it’s back in your hands.
Trust built into every stage
Route checked
We confirm exactly what your document and destination require before any work begins.
Service prepared
We coordinate certification, notary, apostille, translation and embassy attestation where required.
Authorities handled
Our team submits to the right authorities and manages every step.
Updates sent
We keep you informed at every stage, so you always know what is happening and when.
Tracked return
Your documents are returned securely by tracked delivery.
Google Reviews
Correct from the start
We confirm your document and destination route before work begins, then coordinate certification, notary, apostille, translation and embassy attestation where required.
Real people. Clear updates.
Speak to our UK-based team Monday to Friday. We keep you informed at every stage. so you always know what is happening and when.
Secure handling. Wider expertise.
Your documents are handled securely and confidentially, with support available for more than 15 embassy destinations.
Google Reviews
Checked before processing
We confirm the correct route first
Updates throughout
We keep you informed at every step
Returned securely
Your documents returned by tracked delivery