Apostillization and legalization of documents
in Hong Kong
Apostille or in full “Hague Convention of Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents” (Hague Apostille Convention), relates to the Certificate issued by the Government Departments (High Court or Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to certify the original certificate issuer. The apostille does not certify the authenticity of a document content, but it confirms the authenticity of the signature, seal or stamp on a public document is genuine. Apostille is valid among the member Hague Apostille Convention countries and has the following purpose: to specify the modalities through which a document issued in one country can be certified for legal purposes in all the other country. It is an international certification comparable to a notarisation in domestic law.
Documents valid for apostille service in Hong Kong may be divided into the following two categories:
- Documents signed by a notary public or a Commissioner for Oaths in Hong Kong.
- Public documents bearing the true signature of an official party such as a Hong Kong SAR Government recognized officer.
In Hong Kong apostille on documents is put by the Apostille Service Department of the High Court of Hong Kong.
How to apostille documents of a Hong Kong company?
To apostille the documents of a company incorporated in Hong Kong, the following steps must be taken.
- Documents of a Hong Kong company issued by the Registry of Companies must first be certified by the Registry of Companies. These are such documents as Articles of Association, Certificate of Registration, NNC1, NAR1 and others documents).
- Documents of a Hong Kong company issued by the Business Registration Office of the Inland Revenue Department must be certified by the Business Registration Office.
- After these documents have been certified, you need to deliver them to the High Court of Hong Kong for apostille service.
The whole procedure for apostille of corporate documenta of a Hong Kong company takes around 10 working days.
In general, the following business documents are common to apostille in Hong Kong: Certificate of Incorporation, NNC1 form, NAR1 form, ND2A form, Business Registration Certificate, Memorandum & Articles of Association, Meeting Minutes Trademark Certificate, Document of Changing Company NameCertificate of Assets, Credit Certificate, Directors/Shareholders Information, Memorandum & Articles of Association, Meeting Minutes, Document of Changing Company Name, Certificate of Origin, Custom Declaration.
General documents for apostille in Hong Kong
The documents that are issued or certified by the Government's competent authorities can be sent for appostille directly. These documents generally are:
- Marriage Certificates signed by Deputy Registrar of Marriage.
- Birth Certificates.
- Death Certificates.
- Certificate of Registered Particulars issued by the Director of Immigration.
- Certificate of Absence of Marriage Record.
Other documents may need notarisation before you can provide them for apostille in Hong Kong:
- Corporate Power of Attorney (or civil Power of Attorney).
- Passport copy.
- Driver License copy.
- Diplomas.
- Some transcripts.
- Authorization Letter.
Vita Liberta Limited
Office room 77, 7/F, Woon Lee Commercial Building, 7-9 Austin Ave, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Office room 77, 7/F, Woon Lee Commercial Building, 7-9 Austin Ave, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
+85268416177
