Legalized Documents Required from China

On this page, you can find the regulations for legalizing documents from China as of 1 June 2012. The info has been updated as of 2023. 

Citizens born before 1 March 1996: ​

Three documents are required:

1. A legalized notarized certificate (#) stating surname, given names, date of birth, place of birth, father’s and mother’s names

2. One of the following documents, the original of which was used by the notary to issue the certificate above (see 1):

• A legalized certified true copy (#) of your family Hukou (*) if you live with both of your parents and you and your parents are recorded in the Hukou
• A legalized certified true copy (#) of a hospital certificate explicitly stating that the certificate in question can be used for registering the birth into the Hukou (*) register
• A legalized certified true copy (#) of a certificate from a ‘Public Security Bureau’ providing the required details.

3. A legalized and certified true copy (#) of your up-to-date and complete Hukou (*). ​ Please note: if you live with your parents, this document is the same as the family Hukou mentioned in 2, and therefore you only need to submit two documents.​

Citizens born before 1 March 1996

(when applying for naturalization and when the national lived outside of China for at least one year before registering in the BRP):

Two documents are required:

1. A legalized notarial certificate (#) stating surname, given names, date of birth, place of birth, father’s and mother’s names.

2. One of the following documents, the original of which was used by the notary to issue the certificate above (see 1):

• A legalized certified true copy (#) of your family Hukou (*) if you live with both of your parents and you and your parents are recorded in the Hukou
• A legalized certified true copy (#) of a hospital certificate explicitly stating that the certificate in question can be used for registering the birth into the Hukou (*) register
• A legalized certified true copy (#) of a certificate from a ‘Public Security Bureau’ providing the required details.

Citizens born on or after 1 March 1996: ​

Two documents are required:

1. An original ‘medical birth certificate’​. This will be sent to the IND for verification. When complete, the document will be sent back to the Municipality, who will notify you that you can collect it.
2. A legalized certified true copy (#) of the ‘medical birth certificate’.

Marriage: ​

Three documents are required:

1. A legalized certified true copy (#) of the marriage certificate
2. An original marriage certificate (send a photocopy and bring the original to the appointment).
3. A legalized certified true copy (#) of the up-to-date and complete Hukou (*) with confirmation of the marriage from a Public Security Bureau

Divorce: ​

Two documents are required:

1. One of the following:

• A legalized certified true copy (#) of the court order
• A legalized certified true copy (#) of the divorce booklet.

2. A legalized certified true copy (#) of the up-to-date and complete Hukou(*) in which the divorce is confirmed by the Public Security Bureau.

Notes

(#) A notarized or notarial certificate is a statement drawn up by a notary confirming that a specific legal fact or act occurred and containing all the information required.

A certified true copy is a copy of an original document drawn up by a notary, who certifies that the copy is identical to the original.

Notarized/notarial certificates or certified true copies intended for use outside of China are drawn up by notarial offices (Gong Zheng Chu) in Chinese with an English translation attached. The notary affixes the translation to the Chinese document using a stamp, wax seal, ribbon, or other material. Do not separate the documents.

In the Netherlands, the Chinese text in the original document will take precedence over the English

Translation.

(*)   The Hukou requirement applies only to Chinese nationals.

An up-to-date and complete Hukou can also be a collective Hukou, issued by a university or orphanage, for example. Students and orphans are usually removed from the Hukou registration system and entered into a collective Hukou registration system instead.

If an individual still lives with their parents and the parents’  Hukou states the details of the birth and the individual’s current situation, this single Hukou is sufficient.

1 Chinese nationals who lived abroad for more than 1 year period do not have to submit a Hukou, as their Hukou registration was cancelled.

Legalization procedure – Apostille

Take your document to the Department of Consular Affairs at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs or at a provincial Foreign Affairs Office. Documents cannot be sent in for legalization by post.

View the full list of competent authorities for issuing apostilles (information in English and Chinese).

Once your document has been legalized with an Apostille, it is fit for use in the Netherlands.

Sources 

[1] netherlandsandyou.nl – Government of the Netherlands

[2] The Embassy of China for the Netherlands