Notice on the Cessation of Legalisation Business at Visa Application Service Center in Sweden
1. On 8 March 2023, China acceded to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the Convention). The Convention shall enter into force between China and Sweden on 7 November 2023. The Convention shall continue to apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region.
2. From 7 November 2023, Swedish public documents as referred to in the Convention that are to be produced in the mainland of China need only an Apostille from Swedish Authorities and not the legalisation by the Swedish Authorities and Chinese Embassy in Sweden.
From 7 November 2023, Chinese public documents as referred to in the Convention that are to be produced in the Sweden no longer need the legalisation by Chinese Authorities and Swedish Embassy and Consulates in China. Instead, an Apostille from concerned Chinese Authorities is necessary. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China is the designated authority to issue an Apostille onto the public documents executed in the mainland of China. Meanwhile, relevant Foreign Affairs Offices entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China are also entitled to issue an Apostille onto the public documents executed within their own administrative jurisdiction (please refer to the attachment for detailed information). The website https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/ enables online verification of such Apostilles. For the procedures and requirements for applying for an Apostille in the mainland of China, please visit http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/ or the official websites of relevant Foreign Affairs Offices.
3. From 7 November 2023, the legalisation business at Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Sweden will be ceased. For the Swedish public documents as referred to in the Convention that are to be produced in the mainland of China, please apply for an Apostille from Swedish authorities.
4. According to the Convention, the Apostille issued by a state is to certify the authenticity of the signature, the capacity of the person who has signed the public document and, where appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the public document bears. The public documents with Swedish Apostilles onto them will not necessarily be accepted by relevant Chinese authorities. Applicants shall check the format, contents, time limit, translation and other specific requirements of foreign public documents from the Chinese authorities where the documents are to be used before going through relevant procedures.