I.On 8 March 2023, China acceded to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, hereinafter referred to as “the Convention”, which will enter into force between China and New Zealand on 7 November 2023. The Convention has been and will remain in force for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region of China. 

II.Starting from 7 November, public documents issued in New Zealand within the range of the Convention can be sent to Chinese mainland for use after the documents have been apostilled by the competent authorities of New Zealand, without the need of consular legalisation by the New Zealand authorities and the Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in New Zealand. 

Public documents issued in Chinese mainland within the range of the Convention and to be used in New Zealand shall not require consular legalisation by the Chinese competent authorities and the New Zealand diplomatic and consular missions in China, which will be replaced with Apostilles. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China is the competent authority for issuing Apostilles for public documents issued in Chinese mainland. Entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, the Foreign Affairs Offices of the relevant local people's governments in China may issue Apostilles for public documents issued within their respective administrative areas. (see Annex 1 for a detailed list). The Apostilles can be verified online by accessing https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/. For specific procedures and requirements of Apostilles, please visit China Consular Service Website (https://cs.mfa.gov.cn/) and websites of relevant local Foreign Affairs Offices.

III. Starting from 7 November, Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in New Zealand will end the consular legalisation services. For public documents issued in New Zealand to be used in Chinese mainland, please apply for Apostilles from the competent authorities of New Zealand (see Annex 2 for further details).

IV. According to the provisions of the Convention, Apostilles  issued by a state are 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. Please note that having your documents apostilled does not guarantee the acceptance of the documents. It is recommended therefore that you confirm with the parties to which your documents are sent for the specific requirements such as the format, content, time limit, translation etc. before going through the relevant procedures. 

Annex 1: List of Foreign Affairs Offices of the Local People's Governments Issuing Apostilles

Annex 2: Information on Applying for New Zealand Apostilles

Embassy of the P.R.China in New Zealand

Consulate General of the P.R.China in Auckland

Consulate General of the P.R.China in Christchurch

23 October, 2023

Annex 1: List of Foreign Affairs Offices of the Local People's Governments Issuing Apostilles

Provinces Autonomous Regions Municipalities

Annex 2: Information on Applying for New Zealand Apostilles

The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs, located at 45 Pipitea Street, Wellington, is the Competent Authority for Apostilles services in New Zealand.   

Postal Address: Department of Internal Affairs, PO BOX 10526, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

Phone:+64 (4) 460 2221

Email: auth.unit@dia.govt.nz

Website: www.govt.nz/authentications