What is UK Embassy Certification?
For UK company documents to be used in mainland China, it is first necessary to confirm the type of document and the requirements of the receiving entity in China. For official documents falling within the scope of the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, notarisation plus an Apostille issued by the country of origin is sufficient for use in mainland China, and consular legalisation by the Chinese embassy or consulate in the UK is not required; only for documents that do not fall under the Convention or where the receiving entity explicitly requires consular legalisation is the full chain required: notarisation + authentication by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office + consular legalisation by the Chinese embassy or consulate in the UK.
Many foreign trade enterprises easily choose the wrong authentication path, resulting in business delays and rework. There are two paths for UK documents to be used in mainland China: ① Official documents covered by the Convention: notarisation + Apostille issued by the country of origin; ② Circumstances where the receiving entity explicitly requires consular legalisation: UK notarisation + authentication by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office + consular legalisation by the Chinese embassy in the UK. Before proceeding, it is essential to verify the requirements of the receiving institution.
