1. On March 8, 2023, China acceded to the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the Convention). On November 7, 2023, the Convention shall enter into force between China and Iceland . The Convention shall continue to apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region of China.
2. Starting from November 7, 2023, public documents as referred to in the Convention that are executed in Iceland and to be used in China shall be exempted from Consular Legalization by the Icelandic authorities and the Embassy of China in Iceland. Instead, an Apostille certification in Iceland shall be completed before the public documents are sent to and to be used in Chinese mainland.
Public documents as referred to in the Convention that are executed in China and to be used in Iceland shall no longer require Consular Legalization by the Chinese authorities and Icelandic Embassies and Consulates in China. Instead, an Apostille certification by relevant authorities in China shall be issued onto the documents. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China is the competent authority for issuing Apostille certification and thus issues Apostille certification for public documents executed in China. Entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, the Foreign Affairs Offices of relevant local governments in China are granted to issue Apostille certification for public documents executed within the jurisdiction of their administrative regions (Please refer to Appendix One for the list of the above-mentioned Foreign Affairs Offices). Apostille in China supports online verification. For details, please visit https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/. For specific procedures and requirements for applying for Apostille certification, please visit the website of China Consular Service ( https://cs.mfa.gov.cn/ ) or the relevant websites of local Foreign Affairs Offices.
3. Starting from November 7, 2023, the Embassy of China in Iceland will abolish the service of Consular Legalization. For public documents that are executed in Iceland and are intended to be sent to the Chinese mainland, please apply for Apostille certification at from the Icelandic competent authority ( Please refer to Appendix Two for how to apply for Apostille Certification in Iceland).
4. According to the provisions of the Convention, Apostille issued by a country is used 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 the document bears. Public documents with an Apostille onto them are not necessarily accepted by relevant authorities of the destination in China. It is recommended that the applicants check with the authority of the destination in China in advance about its specific requirements for format, content, time limit, translation, etc. of foreign public documents before going through relevant procedures.
Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Iceland
October 24 , 2023
Appendix One
List of the Local Foreign Affairs Offices for Apostille Certification Authorized by the MFA of China
(31 in total)
Anhui Province, Chongqing City, 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 City, 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, Shenzhen City
Appendix Two
Information about Apostille Certification in Iceland
Competent Authority: Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland
Website of how to get Apostille Certification:
https://island.is/en/apostille-eng
Tel: +354 545 9900
Opening hours: 08:30 to 16:00 daily, Monday to Friday
Address: Rauðarárstígur 25, 105 Reykjavík
Email: mfa@mfa.is
