I.On March 8, 2023, China acceded to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents(hereinafter referred to as "the Convention"). On November 7, 2023, the Convention will enter into force between China and Greece. The Convention will continue to apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region of China.

II. From 7 November 2023, An Apostille shall be issued onto the public documents as referred to in the Convention (hereinafter referred to as “the public documents”) that are issued in the Greece and are to be used in Chinese mainland, instead of legalisation by Chinese Embassy in the Greece.

An Apostille shall be issued onto the public documents that are issued in Chinese mainland and are to be used in the Greece, instead of legalisation by the Chinese side and Greece Embassy and Consulates in China. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China is the designated authority to issue an Apostille onto the public documents issued in Chinese mainland. Besides, certain Foreign Affairs Offices (listed below) entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China can also issue an Apostille onto the public documents issued within their own administrative jurisdiction. The website https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/ enables online verification of the Apostilles issued in Chinese mainland. For the procedures and requirements for applying for an Apostille in Chinese mainland, please visit http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/ or the official websites of relevant Foreign Affairs Offices.

III.As from November 7, 2023, Chinese Visa Application Service Center will stop consular legalization services. For the public documents executed in Greece, which intended for using in Chinese mainland, please apply for APOSTILLE from related Greece authorities.（Please refer to this link for details：https://www.ypes.gr/UserFiles/f0ff9297-f516-40ff-a70e-eca84e2ec9b9/EpikEgheiridio29032018.pdf）

IV.According to the Convention, APOSTILLE may be required in order to certify the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted and, where appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears.

The completion of APOSTILLE issued by relevant  Greece authority does not mean that the public document will be accepted by the receiving organization in China. It shall be inquired in advance with the receiving organization about the specific requirements for the format, content, time limit, translation, and other aspects of foreign public documents before proceeding with the relevant APOSTILLE application.   

Attachment: 

List of Authorized Local Foreign Affairs Offices for issuing APOSTILLE

(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