1. On 8 March 2023, China acceded to the Convention on the Abolition of the Certification Requirements for Foreign Official Documents (hereinafter referred to as the Convention). On November 7, 2023, the Convention will enter into force between China and Poland. The Convention will continue to apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China and the Macao Special Administrative Region.

2. From November 7, official documents issued by Poland within the scope of the Convention can be sent to Chinese mainland for use only with a Polish additional certificate (Apostille), without the need for consular legalization by the Polish and Chinese embassies and consulates in Poland.

3. From November 7, the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in Poland will suspend consular authentication business. For documents issued by Poland intended for use in Chinese mainland, please apply for an additional certificate from the competent Polish authorities (see Annex 1 for specific reference information).

4. In accordance with the Convention, an additional certificate issued by a State is used to certify the authenticity of the signature on the official document, the identity of the signatory of the instrument at the time of signature and, if required, the authenticity of the seal on the instrument. The completion of the Polish additional certificate does not mean that the official document will necessarily be accepted by the Chinese language unit. It is recommended that you check with the Chinese language user in advance about its specific requirements for the format, content, time limit, translation and other specific requirements of foreign official documents.

5. Official documents sent by China to Poland within the scope of the Convention will no longer be authenticated by the Chinese side and the Polish embassies and consulates in China, but will be subject to additional certificates. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China is the competent authority for issuing additional certificates, issuing additional certificates for official documents issued within the country. Entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Foreign Affairs Office of the relevant local people's government of China may issue additional certificates for official documents issued within their respective administrative regions (see Annex 2 for a specific list). The attached certificate supports online verification, which can be logged into the https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/. For specific procedures and requirements for applying for additional certificates, please visit the Chinese Consular Service Network (website: http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/) or the relevant websites of local foreign affairs offices.

October 30, 2023

Annex 1

Poland additional certificate processing information

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the competent authority for issuing additional certificates in Poland, and the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and other departments have the right to issue additional certificates for the corresponding documents. Applicants need to log on to the official Polish website:

https://www.gov.pl/web/dyplomacja/apostille (Bosnia).

https://www.gov.pl/web/diplomacy/certification-of-documents (English).

Fill in the relevant information to make an appointment, and prepare a paper appointment confirmation, a full set of documents, an application form, a stamp duty payment confirmation, etc., and go to the relevant department to handle it or submit it by mail.

Annex 2

List of foreign affairs offices of local people's governments that issued additional certificates

(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