Chinese Apostille Translation
Chinese apostille translation covers the 附加证明书 sticker and the document beneath it, which in mainland practice is almost always a 公证书 from a 公证处. Mainland China has issued apostilles since 7 November 2023 in place of consular legalization, and a US recipient wants both layers in English. We translate the whole bundle into certified English, and US apostilles into Chinese for an office in China.
- Up to 250 words per page
- $25 per page
- Standard turnaround
- From 24 hours
- Certificate of accuracy
- Signed & stamped
Rated "Excellent" by Trustpilot with 2,700+ reviews
Written for Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified apostille records
Who issues a mainland apostille, and what sits under it
In China the apostille rarely goes on the birth certificate or the diploma itself. It goes on a notarial certificate about that document, so the bundle is thicker than people expect.
The 公证书 comes first
A 出生医学证明, a 学位证书 or a 无犯罪记录证明 is taken to a 公证处, which issues a 公证书 certifying the original or a copy of it and binds the result as a booklet. The 外交部 in Beijing, or a provincial or municipal 外事办公室 it has authorized, then applies the apostille to the 公证书, not to the underlying paper. What you hold is a sticker, a notary cover, the notary's certificate, a copy of the document and often the notary's own English page. We translate every layer and name each one in English so the reader can tell the apostille from the notarization.
The sticker itself
The Chinese apostille is a sticker with the ten numbered Hague fields and a silver 国徽 seal, and its number can be checked on the 外交部 consular verification site. We translate the line naming the issuing authority, which may be the ministry or a specific office such as the 上海市人民政府外事办公室, the signer's name and position, the date, and the description of the seal it certifies. The number is copied exactly as printed, since that is what the checker types in.
What the apostille does and does not prove
The apostille proves the seal and signature of the 公证处. It says nothing about whether the document's contents are true and nothing about any translation. USCIS does not ask for apostilles on foreign civil documents at all, only for a certified translation, so a 公证书 for a green card needs our translation and not a trip to the 外办. Apostilled Chinese documents turn up instead at state licensing boards, probate and family courts, universities and employers, each of which reads the apostille page too.
Who is asking for your Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified apostille translation?
The translation is the same. What changes is whether the recipient wants anything added to it.
Registries and courts abroad
A civil registry, a court or a notary in another country reads the apostille as proof the US document is genuine, and wants the whole set translated into its language. Tell us the country in the order notes.
Consulates
Consulates processing a citizenship, marriage or residency application accept a certified translation of the apostilled document. Add notarization at checkout if the checklist asks for it.
Italian comuni and consulates
Italian citizenship applications ask for US vital records with an apostille and an Italian translation of both the record and the apostille page.
Before you upload
Three things that save a day of back and forth on a Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified apostille.
Send the apostille with the document it certifies
An apostille is a page stapled or glued to another document. Upload both, since the recipient reads the apostille only as proof that the document under it is genuine.
Scan the apostille whole, including the seal
The ten numbered fields, the seal and the signature of the issuing officer are what a foreign registry checks. Keep the full page in frame, including any ribbon or embossed stamp.
Get the apostille before you order
The translation has to cover the apostille page too. Have it issued first and then upload the complete set, so nothing is missing from the translation.
Details and pricing
What is included in a Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified apostille translation
One price per page covers the translation and its certification. A page is up to 250 words, and the quote tells you the page count before you pay.
Everything on the apostille is translated, including stamps, seals and handwritten notes. Tell us the English spelling you use for each name when you order.
Certified Translation
Word-for-word translation with a certificate of accuracy for official use.
$25
USD / page
up to 250 words per page
Included
- Signed & stamped certification of translation accuracy
- Certified by a professional translator
- Digital delivery via PDF
- Review and approve final translation
- 100% Guaranteed Acceptance
- Standard turnaround starting at 24 hours
Optional services
- Expedited turnaround
- Priority handling when your deadline is shorter than the standard turnaround.
- By deadline
- Notarization
- A notary public signs and stamps the certification statement.
- $20 per order
- Physical copy
- A wet-ink original of your translation, mailed by express courier.
- $35 per order
- Apostille
- Authenticates the notary’s signature and seal for use in Hague Convention countries.
- $180 per document
What the certificate of accuracy states
Your translation arrives with a Certification of Translation Accuracy issued by ImmiTranslate. It is the page the receiving organization checks first.
- The translation is complete and accurate.
- The document title and the language pair.
- The translator is competent in both languages.
- A signature and the ImmiTranslate certification stamp.
- Our American Translators Association corporate membership.
Our translation process
Our goal is to make the translation process as simple as possible for you. Our service is streamlined specifically for documents of this nature.
Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified Apostille FAQ
Most questions about pricing and turnaround can be answered faster by requesting a quote.
- Is a Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan apostille the same thing?
- Not quite. Hong Kong has issued apostilles since long before 2023, through the High Court, and the certificate is already in English. Macau issues its own. Taiwan is not a party to the convention, so a Taiwanese document is authenticated through its 外交部領事事務局 and a TECO office instead. Hong Kong and Taiwan papers are in Traditional Chinese and go under that language on our site.
- Does an apostille replace the Chinese consulate's legalization for a US document going to China?
- Yes. A US birth certificate, FBI background check, diploma or power of attorney for use in China now gets an apostille from the Secretary of State of the issuing state, or from the US Department of State for a federal document, and the consulate no longer legalizes it. The receiving office in China, a 公安局, 民政局, court or the 教育部留学服务中心, usually wants a Chinese translation of the document and the apostille page as well.
- Can you get my Chinese document apostilled?
- No. The apostille is requested in China, first at a 公证处 and then at the 外交部 or the authorized 外办 for that province, and many 公证处 now forward the booklet to the 外办 for you. Most people living abroad ask a relative in China or a local agent to do it. Once the sticker is on, scan every page of the booklet and we translate it.
- How much does a certified translation cost?
- Certified translation is $25 per page, with a page counted as up to 250 words. Notarization, a mailed physical copy and an apostille are optional and priced separately.
- How long does a certified translation take?
- Standard turnaround starts at 24 hours and depends on the length and language of your documents. If you have a deadline, include it in your quote request.
Other Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified documents we translate
Apostille translation in other languages
Each of these pages is written for that language's apostille records.
Sending it with an application? Read the Apostille service, Notarized translations before you order.