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). On 7 November 2023, the Convention will enter into force between China and Cyprus, while it will continue to apply to the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions of China.

2. Starting from November 7, public documents within the scope of the Convention issued in Cyprus only need to apply for a Cyprus Apostille before they can be used in the Chinese mainland. They will no longer be required to apply for consular legalization by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus and the Chinese Embassy in Cyprus.

Public documents within the scope of the Convention sent from China to Cyprus for use will no longer be required for consular legalization by Chinese government and the Cyprus Embassy in China, and shall apply for an Apostille. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China is the competent authority for issuing Apostilles for public documents issued within the country. Entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the foreign affairs offices of relevant local governments in China can also issue Apostilles for public documents issued within their own administrative regions (see Appendix 1 for the list). Chinese Apostilles could be verified online through https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/. For the procedure and requirements for applying for Apostille, please log on to http://cs.mfa.gov.cn or the relevant websites of local foreign affairs offices.

    3. Starting from November 7, the Chinese Embassy in Cyprus will no longer provide consular legalization service. For public documents issued in Cyprus that are intended to be used in the Chinese mainland, please apply for an Apostille from the Cyprus competent authority (see Appendix 2 for the reference information).

4. According to the Convention, an Apostille issued by a country is used to prove the authenticity of the signature on a public document, the identity of the signer at the time of signing, and to confirm the authenticity of the seal on the document when necessary. The completion of the Cyprus Apostille does not necessarily mean that the public document will be accepted by the relevant institution in China. It is recommended that you check with the Chinese institutions that will use the document in advance about its specific requirements for format, content, time limit, translation, etc. of foreign public documents before going through the relevant procedures.

Appendix 1 List of foreign affairs offices of local governments in China that are entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue Apostille.docx

Appendix 2 Information on applying for Cyprus Apostille.docx

                                           Embassy of the People’s Republic of China

                                                   in the Republic of Cyprus

                                                           October 23, 2023