1. On 8 March 2023, China acceded to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the Convention). The Convention shall enter into force between China and Latvia on 7 November 2023. The Convention shall continue to apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region.

2. From 7 November 2023, the public documents as referred to in the Convention that are executed in Latvia, and have to be produced in Chinese mainland shall apply for an Apostille by The Council of Sworn Notaries of Latvia, instead of applying for Legalization by Chinese Embassy in Latvia.

The public documents as referred to in the Convention that are executed in Chinese mainland, and have to be produced in Latvia shall be exempted from Legalization by the Chinese side and Latvian Embassy and Consulates in China. Instead, an Apostille shall be issued onto the documents. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China is the designated authority to issue an Apostille certificate onto the public documents executed in Chinese mainland. Besides, certain Foreign Affairs Offices entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China can also issue an Apostille onto the public documents executed within their own administrative jurisdiction (the list is enclosed). 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.

3. From 7 November 2023, the Legalization business at Chinese Embassy in Latvia will be ceased. For the public documents that are executed in Latvia, and have to be produced in Chinese mainland, please apply for an Apostille from the Council of Sworn Notaries of Latvia.

4. According to the Convention, the Apostille issued by a state is 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 it bears. The public documents with an Apostille onto them aren’t necessarily accepted by the relevant Chinese authorities. Applicants shall check the format, content, time limit, translation and other specific requirements of foreign public documents with the Chinese authority where the documents are to be used before going through the relevant procedures.