Authentications of Documents by Chinese Embassy or Consulate in the United States

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The Chinese Embassy and Consulates authenticate documents which are executed in the United States and will be used in China. Type of documents include birth/death certificates, power of attorney, marriage certificates, diplomas, adoption application papers, business license, etc. Authentication is also called certification or legalization sometimes.

 

Procedures:

  1. Sign before a notary public.
  2. Certified by the Secretary of the State Office of the state where the document is executed.

 

*Some states require the notarized document to be sent to the notary public’s county clerk for verification before presenting to the Office of Secretary of State. Please contact Secretary of State Office of the state where your document is executed for details.

**Certain government or court document can be certified directly by the Office of Secretary of State, like Court Decree, Marriage License, Birth Certificate, etc. Please contact Secretary of State Office of the state where your document is executed for details.

  1. Certified by the relevant Consulate General. You must apply to the correct Consulate General which holds consular jurisdiction over your area of residence. The Consular District of the Chinese Consulate General in Houston covers: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas. Only documents certified by the Secretaries of State Office of the above listed 8 states (Click Here for Their Contact Information) can be certified by the Chinese Consulate General in Houston.

 

Note:

  • You may come to the relevant Embassy or Consulate Generals for application or send a representative to apply for you. No appointment is required.
  • Mailed applications are also acceptable. Make sure you read the Mail Application Instructions.

 

Documents to be included with applications:

  1. One Authentication Application Form (G1). The form must be completed and signed by the applicant himself.
  2. Photocopy of the applicant’s passport.
  3. The original of the documents to be authenticated. For documents related to property, business or commercial use, a complete photocopy of all pages of the original documents must be enclosed. For all other documents, please enclose the photocopy of the pages with seal and signature of notary public and all other certification agencies/officers.
  4. Photocopy of Articles of Incorporation, if the document to be authenticated is a corporate or company document.

 

Fees and processing time

Category Fee
Civil documents, e.g. Adoption, power of attorney, marriage, birth/death, kinship certificate, etc. USD20.00
Property or Commercial documents, e.g. Business license, labor agreement, inheritance, property transfer, etc. USD40.00

 

  • For mail service, an additional 5 dollars PER PACKAGE for handling will be charged. Make sure you read the Mail Application Instructions.
  • The regular processing time is 4 working days. For express service, additional fees of $30 for 1 working day processing, or $20 for 2-3 working days processing will be charged.
  • Please pay by Money Order, Cashier’s Check, Company Check or Cash. Personal checks are not acceptable. Please make the check or money order payable to Chinese Embassy or Chinese Consulate.

 

Contact Information of the Secretaries of State of AL AR FL GA LA MS OK TX

 

(For Reference Only, Subject to Change)

Alabama

Office of the Secretary of State

Authentication Section

State Capitol, Room E-204

600 Dexter Ave.

Montgomery AL 36104

Tel: 334-242-7210

http://www.sos.state.al.us/authenticate/index.htm

 

Arkansas

Office of Secretary of State

Corporations Division or Elections Division

State Capitol, Little Rock AR 72201

Tel: 501-682-1010

http://www.sosweb.state.ar.us/elections_filings.html

 

Florida

Department of State

Division of Corporations/Apostille Certification

P.O. Box 6327

Tallahassee, FL 32314

Tel: 850-245-6945

http://notaries.dos.state.fl.us/notproc7.html

 

Georgia

Office of Secretary of State

Elections Division, Suite 1104 – West Tower

2 Martin Luther King Jr.Drive SE

Atlanta GA 30334

Tel: 404-656-2871

http://www.sos.state.ga.us/elections/great_seal.htm

 

Louisiana

Office of Secretary of State

Commissions Division

P.O. Box 94125

Baton Rouge, LA 70804

Tel:225-342-4983

http://www.sec.state.la.us/elections/commis/commis-index.htm

 

Mississippi

Office of Secretary of State

P.O. Box 136

Jackson, MS 39205

Tel:601-359-1350

http://www.sos.state.ms.us/

 

Oklahoma

Office of Secretary of State

P.O. Box 53390

Oklahoma City, OK 73152

Tel:405-521-3912

 

Texas

Different address applies to different application

Please call or visit web site for detailed information

Tel: 512-463-5705/5650/5578

http://www.sos.state.tx.us/authinfo.shtml

 

Source: Chinese Embassy and Consulate General in the USA

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