Notice of the cancellation of consular authentication by the Chinese Embassy in Portugal After China's accession to the Convention on the Cancellation of the Authentication Requirements of Foreign Public Documents
1. On March 8, 2023, China acceded to the Convention on Abolishing the Authentication Requirements of Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the Convention). On November 7,2023, the Convention will come into force between China and Portugal. The Convention will continue to apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region of China.
2. From November 7, the public documents within the scope of the Convention issued by Portugal can be sent to the mainland of China for use only with an additional certificate (Apostila) from Portugal, without the consular authentication of Portugal and Chinese embassy in Portugal.
The official documents sent from China to Portugal within the scope of the Convention will no longer be subject to consular authentication by China and Portuguese Embassy and Consulate in China, but will be subject to additional certificate. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the competent authority for the issuance of additional certificates, and issues additional certificates for public documents issued within the territory of the country. Entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Foreign Affairs Office of the relevant local people's governments of China may issue additional certificates for the public documents within their respective administrative regions (see Annex 1 for the specific list).
Additional certificate supports online verification, you can log in https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/. For specific procedures and requirements for additional certificate, please log in https://cs.mfa.gov.cn/ of China Consular Service Network.
3. Starting From November 7, the Chinese Embassy in Portugal will suspend its consular authentication business. For the documents issued by Portugal to be sent to mainland China for use, please apply for an additional certificate to the Portuguese competent authority (see Annex 2 for detailed reference information).
4. According to the Convention, an additional certificate issued by a state is used to prove the authenticity of the signature, the identity of the signer at the time of signing, and the confirmation of the seal on the document when required. The completion of the Portuguese additional certificate does not mean that the official document will inevitably be accepted by the Chinese document unit. It is suggested that you know the specific requirements on the format, content, time limit and translation of foreign public documents before going through the relevant procedures.
Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Lisbon
2023-10-25
Annex 1:
List of the foreign affairs offices of the local people's governments
issuing additional certificates
(A total of 31)
Anhui province, Chongqing, Fujian province, Guangdong province, Guangxi zhuang autonomous region, Guizhou province, Henan province, Heilongjiang province, Hubei province, Hunan province, Hainan province, Jilin province, Jiangxi province, Liaoning province, Sichuan province, Shandong province, Shanghai, Shaanxi province, Yunnan province, Zhejiang province, Gansu province, Hebei province, Shanxi province, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Changchun, Harbin, Ningbo, Jinan, Qingdao, Shenzhen
Annex 2:
Portugal additional certificate processing information
1. Agency-in-charge
Under Portuguese law, the General Prosecutor's Office of the Portuguese Republic is the competent authority responsible for issuing and verifying additional certificates. The Attorney-General of the Republic of Portugal may grant the above authority to the Deputy Attorney-General of the regions of Porto, Coimbra and Evula and the judicial officers of the Court of Appeal for the District of Gimares and the Autonomous regions of Madeira and Azores.
2. Contact way
The applicant or the personnel with the official documents can hold the official documents to the competent authorities on the spot or by mail. The addresses and contact information of the regional competent authorities are as follows:
(I) Lisbon:
1、Procuradoria-Geral da República：
Rua da Escola Politécnica, n.º 140 1269-269 Lisboa
2、Campus de Justiça：
Av. D. João II, 1.08.01, Edifício E 1990-097 Lisboa
E-mail address: apostilasgeral@pgr.pt
Tel.: + 351-213921900 or + 351-213921901
(II) Porto:
Procuradoria-Geral Distrital do Porto
Palácio da Justiça
Campo Mártires da Pátria 4049-099 Porto
E-mail address: porto.tr@tribunais.org.pt
Tel: + 351-222092608 or + 351-222092607 or + 351-222092610
(III) Coimbra:
Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Coimbra
Palácio da Justiça
Rua da Sofia 3004-501 Coimbra
E-mail address: ad.coimbra.tr@tribunais.org.pt
Tel.: + 351-239096759
(IV) Gimaraes:
Tribunal da Relação de Guimarães
Largo João Franco, n.º 248 4800-413 Guimarães
E-mail address: guimaraes.tr@tribunais.org.pt
Tel.: + 351-253439900
(V) Eula:
Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Évora
Palácio Barahona
Rua da República, n.º 141/143 7004-501 Évora
E-mail address: evora.administrativos.tr@tribunais.org.pt
Tel.: + 351-266758800 or + 351-266758809
(VI) Madeira Autonomous Region:
Procuradoria da Comarca da Madeira
Palácio da Justiça
R. Marquês do Funchal 9004-548 Funchal
E-mail address: funchal.ministeriopublico@tribunais.org.pt
Tel.: + 351-291213449
(VII) Azoore Autonomous Region:
Procuradoria da Comarca dos Açores
Palácio da Justiça
Rua Conselheiro Luís Bettencourt 9500-058 Ponta Delgada
E-mail address: pdelgada.ministeriopublico@tribunais.org.pt
Tel.: + 351-296209460
3. Reference information:
(I) The Chinese translation of the Convention on the Cancellation of the Certification Requirements of Foreign Public Documents: http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/zggmcg/fjzms/qxwggwsrzyqdgy/202310/P020231018534092080552.pdf
(II) For other handling information, see the official website of the General Procuratorate of the Republic of Portugal: https://www.ministeriopublico.pt/perguntas-frequentes/servico-apostila
