1. On 8 March 2023, China acceded to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the Convention). The Convention shall enter into force between China and Barbados on 7 November 2023. The Convention shall continue to apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China and the Macao Special Administrative Region of China.

2. From 7 November 2023, public documents as referred to in the Convention that are executed in Barbados for use in Chinese mainland need an Apostille from Barbadian Authorities and not the legalization by the Barbadian Authorities or Chinese Embassy in Barbados.

Public documents as referred to in the Convention that are executed in Chinese mainland for use in Barbados shall apply for Apostille, instead of applying for legalization by competent Chinese authorities and the Embassy of Barbados in China. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China is the designated authority to issue Apostille certificates onto the public documents executed in Chinese mainland. Meanwhile, certain Foreign Affairs Offices entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China can also issue Apostille certificates onto the public documents executed within their own administrative jurisdiction (please refer to the list enclosed). For online Apostille verification, please visit https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/. For specific procedures and requirements for applying for an Apostille in Chinese mainland, please visit https://cs.mfa.gov.cn/ or the official websites of relevant Foreign Affairs Offices.

3. From 7 November 2023, the legalization business at Chinese Embassy in Barbados will be ceased. For the public documents as referred to in the Convention that are executed in Barbados for use in Chinese mainland, please apply for an Apostille from the competent authority in Barbados.

4. According to the Convention, the Apostille issued by a state is to certify the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted and, where appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which it bears. The public documents with an Apostille onto them aren’t necessarily accepted by the relevant Chinese authorities. Applicants shall check the format, content, time limit, translation and other specific requirements of foreign public documents with the Chinese authority where the documents are to be used before going through the relevant procedures.

List of Foreign Affairs Offices that Issue Apostille

(31 in total)

Anhui Province, Chongqing Municipality, Fujian Province, Guangdong Province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guizhou Province, Henan Province, Heilongjiang Province, Hubei Province, Hunan Province, Hainan Province, Jilin Province, Jiangsu Province, Jiangxi Province, Liaoning Province, Sichuan Province, Shandong Province, Shanghai Municipality, Shaanxi Province, Yunnan Province, Zhejiang Province, Gansu Province, Hebei Province, Shanxi Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Changchun City, Harbin City, Ningbo City, Jinan City, Qingdao City and Shenzhen City