China Document Apostille & Visas
Order NowWhy should I use an agent to get my documents apostilled?
Save the headache
An agent can do all steps of authentication for you. Let them handle the entire process for you, stress-free.
Stay where you are
An agent can do your U.S. document authentication no matter where you’re located. They can even take your documents to the consulate so you don’t have to worry about travel expenses.
Results guaranteed
You have a lot to do to prepare for your move overseas or new job – let the experts take care of this for you! An agent can guarantee their services and will keep you updated every step of the way.
Steps for getting ready to work in China
Determine the documents required for apostille
To obtain a work permit for China, you’ll need to apostille your university degree and recent background check. If you plan on teaching in China, your employer may also require that you apostille your teaching qualification such as a 120-hour TEFL certificate, a teaching license, or a reference letter for 2+ years of classroom experience.
Get in touch with your employer to ensure that you’re getting the proper documents apostilled.
If you are bringing a spouse and/or children with you to China, you will need to apostille your marriage license and/or the birth certificates of your children.
Documents that typically need an apostille:
Have other personal or corporate documents?
Those can receive the apostille too!
You can obtain a background check report from a local, state, or national organization (FBI). Local and state police stations often have a turnaround time in as little as 1 day or as many as 5 business days. The turnaround time for ordering a background check from the FBI is around 2 weeks.
If you get a local or state-level background check on your own, be sure that the police station notarizes it at the time that it is run.
An FBI check is not always required, but if your employer does require it, here’s some information about how to obtain an FBI background check. If you reside overseas you must order directly from the FBI, if you’re based in the US you can utilize the assistance of channeler, we suggest this one.
Here’s information for obtaining a background check through Royal Canadian Mounted Police. There’s information for obtaining it while residing in Canada or overseas.
You can apply for a background check at a local police station or you can apply for a full national check here.
Here’s information for obtaining your background check from the Irish National Police.
You can obtain your background check through a local police station or through the Australian Federal Police.
Here’s information for obtaining a national police background check for New Zealand.
You can obtain a background check through the South African Police Department.
In order to authenticate U.S. documents for use in China, they must go through a 3-5 step process, depending on what state the notarization is done in.
1. Notarization. Certified copies of your original documents are typically accepted for authentication, however, verify this with your employer. Please only complete notarization if your employer requires the original document to be authenticated, otherwise, we can do the notarization!
2. County Clerk. Documents notarized in the following states must be authenticated at the county level: Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, and Tennessee.
3. Secretary of State. Take your documents to the SOS to get authenticated. If you are doing this step on your own, make sure you indicate that the document will be used for China and do not take apart staples!
4. U.S. Department of State. This step is only relevant for federal documents such as an FBI background check.
Ready to get started? Fill out the order form now.
1. The document shall be notarized by a local notary public, lawyer, or Commissioner of Oaths of Canada.
2. The notarized document shall be authenticated by the Authentication and Service of Documents Section of Global Affairs Canada — if the applicant would like to bring the document to this Embassy for authentication. The notarized document shall be authenticated by the authentication office of the corresponding province (territory).
3. The document shall be authenticated by the Chinese Embassy if it has been authenticated by the Authentication Office of Global Affairs Canada. The document shall be authenticated by one of the Chinese Consulates General in Canada in accordance with its consular jurisdiction where it has been authenticated by a local authentication office.
You can read more about this process on the Chinese Embassy of Canada website.
If you do not live near a consulate, we suggest using www.mychinavisa.com to complete the third step for you. Use code “NOMAD2020” to receive a discount on your order.
*Teaching Nomad can easily get your degree fully authenticated for use in China. This means there’s one less document that you need to worry about on your own! Visit our order form to get started today, or email [email protected] for more information!*
1. Relevant documents (diploma, certificates, teaching license, etc.) will need to be notarized by a solicitor or public notary in the U.K.
2. After the documents have been notarized, you must take them to get authenticated by the Foreign Commonwealth Office. Once the FCO assesses that the documents are genuine, they will attach an Apostille to your documents.
3. Once apostilled by the FCO, take your documents to the Chinese Embassy to receive Chinese consulate legalization.
*Teaching Nomad can easily get your degree fully authenticated for use in China. This means there’s one less document that you need to worry about on your own! Visit our order form to get started today, or email [email protected] for more information!*
A great agency that provides the full legalization of documents for U.K. citizens is https://www.vitalconsular.com/.
Contact Emma at [email protected]. Let her know that Teaching Nomad referred you, and she’ll make sure you’re taken care of!
Estimated prices using this service are:
- £209 for authentication of 1 document
- £398 for authentication of 2 documents
- £540 for authentication of 3 documents
2. Send the documents to the Legalization Office of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, or visit the Cork or Dublin office in person.
3. Submit the documents to the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General for authentication. Note – this must be done in person or via a courier service.
Find more information about the requirements and the application form here.
*Teaching Nomad can easily get your degree fully authenticated for use in China. This means there’s one less document that you need to worry about on your own! Visit our order form to get started today, or email [email protected] for more information!*
A great agency that provides the full legalization of documents for Irish citizens is https://www.vitalconsular.com/.
Contact Emma at [email protected]. Let her know that Teaching Nomad referred you, and she’ll make sure you’re taken care of!
Estimated prices using this service are:
- £209 for authentication of 1 document
- £398 for authentication of 2 documents
- £540 for authentication of 3 documents
1. Your documents must be notarized by any Australian notary public.
2. Degrees need to be verified by your university before going to DFAT which can be done before or after they are notarized. Doing this step while applying for your police check might save you a bit of time.
Info for people applying from outside of Australia can be found here.
Info for people applying within Australia can be found here.
3. Once notarized, all documents are to be authenticated (not apostilled) by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or an office of theirs in a state or territory. This can be arranged to be done either in person or by post, but the mailing service can only be used for Sydney or Melbourne.
4. Lastly, take your notarized and authenticated documents to the relevant Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General. You must take your documents to the Embassy or Consulate in the Jurisdiction where they were ‘notarized’, not ‘authenticated’.
*Teaching Nomad can easily get your degree fully authenticated for use in China. This means there’s one less document that you need to worry about on your own! Visit our order form to get started today, or email [email protected] for more information!*
A great agency that provides the full legalization of documents for Australian citizens is https://www.vitalconsular.com/.
Contact Emma at [email protected]. Let her know that Teaching Nomad referred you, and she’ll make sure you’re taken care of!
Estimated prices using this service are:
- £209 for authentication of 1 document
- £398 for authentication of 2 documents
- £540 for authentication of 3 documents
1. Send your documents to the New Zealand Authentication Unit. Before sending your documents to them, make sure they meet the Authentication Unit guidelines, or else they cannot be legalized.
- For school records (excluding the University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology), medical records, employment documents, and any other personal documents, please make sure they are first notarized by a local public notary.
- If you attended the University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology, your records must be emailed to the Authentication unit via My eQuals. Contact your university if you need assistance with this.
2. Once you have ensured that all of your documents meet the Authentication Unit requirements, fill out the document authentication application form and send it to the Authentication Unit. The notarized documents plus payment must be attached to this application.
3. Documents will then be authenticated by the Department of Internal Affairs Authentication Unit then sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) for verification.
*Teaching Nomad can easily get your degree fully authenticated for use in China. This means there’s one less document that you need to worry about on your own! Visit our order form to get started today, or email [email protected] for more information!*
A great agency that provides the full legalization of documents for New Zealand citizens is https://www.vitalconsular.com/.
Contact Emma at [email protected]. Let her know that Teaching Nomad referred you, and she’ll make sure you’re taken care of!
Estimated prices using this service are:
- £209 for authentication of 1 document
- £398 for authentication of 2 documents
- £540 for authentication of 3 documents
1. The first step in authenticating any documents will be to get them notarized by a notary public/registrar at the high provincial courts in South Africa.
2. Documents will then need to be taken to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa (DIRCO) to get legalized.
3. Take the authenticated documents to the Embassy or Consulate of China to get the Chinese authentication on your documents.
*Teaching Nomad can easily get your degree fully authenticated for use in China. This means there’s one less document that you need to worry about on your own! Visit our order form to get started today, or email [email protected] for more information!*
Previous Teaching Nomads have successfully used this document authentication organization.
A great agency that provides the full legalization of documents for South African citizens is https://www.vitalconsular.com/.
Contact Emma at [email protected]. Let her know that Teaching Nomad referred you, and she’ll make sure you’re taken care of!
Estimated prices using this service are:
- £209 for authentication of 1 document
- £398 for authentication of 2 documents
- £540 for authentication of 3 documents
The apostille process
Obtaining a document apostille can be a stressful and difficult process, especially if you don’t live near your secretary of state, you’re currently overseas, or you just don’t have the time or desire to deal with the intricacies of the process.
An agent can offer a comprehensive service where they do the entire apostille process for you.
Do you meet one of the following criteria?
If so, please fill out the order form so that you can begin the document authentication process as soon as possible!
Now that your documents are apostilled, send scans of these documents to your employer. They will apply for your work permit which will likely take somewhere between 5-20 business days.
It’s important to tell them which Chinese consulate you will use to apply for your work visa, as you cannot change this later. Find your Consulate here!
Once approved, your employer will email your work permit approval to you which is submitted as part of your visa application. Teaching Nomad can complete this quickly and accurately.
Considering other countries?
Learn more about the authentication process in each.
Have a question you don't see answered here? Try our FAQ first!
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