I.Introduction
Legalisation means the authentication of a signature of seal/stamp appearing on a document.
Documents originated in Sri Lanka to be used in China shall first be notarized by Notaries Public and corresponding authorities of Sri Lanka, and attested by the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, and then legalized by Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka.
The applicants shall be kindly reminded that the consular legalizationonly confirms that the signature of officials from the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka is true and authentic. It dose NOT mean that the contents of the document are correct or the Embassy approves of the contents.
Preferably, your document may be issued directly in both Sinhalese and English. For document only in Sinhalese, it is better to have an English version, which should also be notarized and legalised together with the original document, so that the document could be easily accepted in.
II. To have documentsoriginated in Sri Lanka accepted in China
To have documents originated in Sri Lanka accepted in China, applicants are kindly reminded the following 3 steps,
Step 1, Have the documents notarized by notaries public and corresponding authorities of Sri Lanka.
Step 2, Have the documents attested by the MFA of Sri Lanka.
Step 3, Apply for consular legalization to the Chinese Embassy.
III. Details for the three steps
Step 1, Have the documents notarized by notaries public and corresponding authorities of Sri Lanka.
Firstly, the applicant shall apply for notarization at the local notaries public and corresponding authorities. Some of the common circumstances are as follows (subject to local laws and regulations).
Guidelines: https://www.mfa.gov.lk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Consular-Guidlines-New.pdf
Link:https://mfa.gov.lk/document-attestation/
1) The Police Clearance Certificate must be signed and stamped by a police officer from Sri Lanka Police Head Quarters or other police stations.
2) Translations (such as Certificates of Births, Marriages and Deaths, diploma, graduation certificate, transcripts) must be notarized by a sworn translator or certified translator appointed by the Ministry of Justice of Sri Lanka.
3) Affidavits shall be administered and signed and sealed by an attorney of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka acting as a Commissionerfor Oaths and notarized by the judicial registrar of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.
4) Certified copy (or “true copy”) should be notarized by the issuing authority of the document.
5) For commercial documents, generally, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka has the signature of the head of the Department of the Registrar of Companies on file.Thecommercial documents can be attestedby the MFA of Sri Lanka directly or firstly notarized by the Supreme Court.
Step 2, Have the documents attested by the MFA of Sri Lanka.
The applicant shall apply forattestation to the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka to legalize the signatures and seals of Sri Lanka public officials (solicitors, notaries public, registrars, etc.).
The applicant shall make an appointment in advance on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka.
Link:https://mfa.gov.lk/online-consular-services
Click the button “GET AN ONLINE APPOINTMENT FOR ATTESTATION”
Authorities: Consular Office Colomboor Regional Consular Office (located in Kandy, Getambe, Jaffna, Kurunegala, Matara and Trincomalee)
The certificates issued by the Department of Examinations can be collected only from Colombo Consular Office.
Contact Information of Consular Office Colombo
Tel:0094-11-2446302, 2338812
Fax: 0094-11-2473899
Email: consular@mfa.gov.lk
Address:Consular Affairs Division, 2nd Floor, Ceylinco Building, Janadhipathi Mawatha,Colombo 01, Sri Lanka
Step3, Apply for consular legalization to the Chinese Embassy.
The applicant shall come to the Consular Office of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lankato submit required documents (Originals and hard copies) to authenticate the signatures of the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka.
It is suggested that the applicant can prepare and send scanned copy of documents to the following e-mail address for preview.
Website:http://lk.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/gzrz/
Address: Back gate of the Chinese Embassy, 120/3B, Vidya Mawatha, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka.
E-mail:consulatevisa.lk@gmail.com, colombo@csm.mfa.gov.cn
Tel: 0094-11-2676658, 0094-112695896, 0094-112695897 (Within Office Hours)
Office Hours:9:00~12:00, 15:00~17:00, Monday to Friday.
IV.DocumentsRequired (On-site submission)
I) Basic Documents
1.Original of Application Form of Consular legalization;
Link: http://lk.china-embassy.gov.cn/lsfw/gzhrzh/201812/P020210618725725774733.doc
For consular legalization of Certificate of Death,
Link: http://lk.china-embassy.gov.cn/chn/lsfw/gzhrzh/201812/P020211208459990845572.pdf
2.Original valid passport and Copy of theinformation page (or original and copy of other valid identity documents);
3.Original and Copy of the documents to be legalized;
4. Copy of the attestation issued by the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka (the page watermarked with the sentence"ONLY VALID FOR VERIFICATION THROUGH e-DAS");
5. Other required documents
II) Supporting documents for Special circumstances
1. If the application involves significant matters, the Embassy may require the applicant to submit additional supporting documents or require the agent to provide a power of attorney by the applicant, if deemed necessary.
2. The applicant applying for consular legalization of a notarized power of attorney shall be the principal or one of the principals.
3. The applicant applying for consular legalization of a certificate of marriage shall be both parties to the marriage or one of the parties, and is required to provide both parties’ original valid passport and copy of information page (or original and copy of other valid identity document).
4. If the applicant is a company or other organization, the legal representative shall submit the following documents:
1) proof of the qualification of the legal person or the organization;
2) proof of identity of the legal representative or the person in charge of the organization.
Some of the requirements are as follows:
a) No objection letter from Director Board
b) Form 40 (Application for Registration Of An Existing Company)
c) Form 20 (Notice of Change of Director/Secretary And Particulars Of Director/Secretary)
d) Certificate of Incorporation (also “Company BRC”, Business Registration Certificate).
An application for consular legalization of a commercial document is generally submitted by the company that legally holds it. If the legal representative or the head of the organization is not available to apply, an agent may submit the application on behalf of the applicant.
5. If the applicant does not submit the application in person, the agent shall submit his and the applicant’s original valid passport and copy of information page (or original and copy of other valid identity document). In case of significant matters, the agent shall provide a power of attorney signed or sealed by the applicant.
6. For the consular legalization of a minor’s certificate of birth, the application should be filed by the child’s parent or legal guardian, with the child as the Applicant and the parent/guardian as the Agent, but “signature of applicant” should be done by the parent or guardian. The parent of a children can also act as applicant if his/her information is included in the certificate of birth, and the parent may entrust others to act as agentif not available to come to the Embassy.
7.For documents relating to the death of a Chinese citizen (e.g.certificate of death, medical certificate, coroner’s certificate / post-mortem certificate, autopsy certificate, no infection certificate, embalming certificate, cremation certificate, certificate of harmlessness of ashes, etc.), in principle, next of kin of the decedent (spouse, parents, children or siblings) shall come to the Embassyto submit the applicationand the relevant proof of the kinship with the decedent (e.g.residence booklet, certificate of marriage, certificate of kinship). The agent’s information will be that of the next of kin of the decedent, with the “Signature of the Applicant”column signed by the next of kin.
Non-next-of-kin of the decedent can be entrusted to act as agent on behalf of the applicant, but a power of attorney from next of kin of the decedent and proof of kinship between the principal and the decedent must be submitted.
V. Important Notices
1.Thedocuments and the processing procedures must be authentic, intact and legitimate. The application form must be filled in truthfully, completely and accurately, and the copiesmust be clear.
2. The application shall be rejected ifthere are the following circumstances or other inappropriate circumstances: incompletenotarization or attestation procedures, irregularities in format, alteration or removal of documents, documents in any way forged, counterfeited, fraudulent or tampered with, documents containing illegal contents that violates Chinese lawsand regulations or may harmChina’s national and social public interests, etc.
3. The applicant can apply in person or by entrusting someone else to the Chinese Embassy. If the agent comes to submit the application, the applicant and the agent shall each sign in the appropriate column in the application form, and the signature must be the original, not in the form of fax, photocopy, etc.
4.In accordance with Chinese domestic laws and regulations, applicantsmust be of legal marriageable age in China (22 yearsfor men and 20 years for women) if they apply for :
1) consular legalizationof unmarried certificate/ free-to-marry certificate for registrationof marriage in Chinese mainland;
2) consular legalization of certificate of marriage originated in Sri Lanka to be used for applying for permanent residence in China.
Certificates mentioned above are valid for 6 months from the date of issue by notarial authorities (applicants shall refer to Step 1), and the applicantshall allow time for registration procedures in China.
5. Notarized certificates of marital status, certificates of health and police clearance certificate (or police clearance report / police report / certificate of non-criminal record) for adoption in China are valid for 6 months. Invalid documents shall not be accepted.
6. If the content of the legalized document is altered or replaced, the consular legalizationwill be invalid. The applicant shall be responsible for any problems and legal liabilities arising from his/her own alteration or replacement of documents.
7. The pickup form is the only proof for picking up the completed document and must be kept properly. In case of loss, the applicant must come in person with a valid passport (or other valid identity document with a photo of the applicant) for collection.The Embassy shall not be liable if the certificate is claimed by others due to the loss of the pickup form or other reasons.
8. The date of collection is usually marked on the pickup form. The applicant shall collectthe documents on the date.
9. The applicant shall check the documents on the spot. If the applicant has a query or finds an error in the documents, he/she shall consult the counter on the spot.
VI. Processing Time and Fees (Effective From 1 September 2022)
1. Processing time
Regular Service: Documents will be ready for collection on the 4th working day
Express Service: Documents will be ready for collection on the 3rd working day
Rush Service: Documents will be ready for collection on the 2nd working day. Subject to approval by the consular officer.
Note: The above processing time is for reference only. In case of more supporting documents being requested or force majeure, more processing time may be needed and the applicant has to wait for further notice about the collection date.
2. The fees charged by the Embassy are as follows:
For Chinese applicants:
Civil documents: Rs. 2, 690 per item
Commercial documents: Rs. 5, 380 per item
For applicants of other countries:
Civil documents: Rs. 8, 060 per item
Commercial documents: Rs. 16, 130 per item
Express Service: an additional fee of Rs. 9, 140 per item
Rush Service: an additional fee of Rs. 13, 440 per item
3.Fees are payable at the time of collection.The following Payments are accepted：
1) Alipay and WeChat Pay (mobile payments)
2) UnionPay card
3) Visa or Mastercard credit card
4) Visa debit card.
The applicant shall be kindly reminded that cash and cheque are not accepted.
VII. Office Hours
The applicant shall kindly note thaton holidays of China and Sri Lanka, the Embassy is generally not open to the public, and theworking days may be adjusted before and after the holiday. The applicant shall be reminded to pay attention to the notice on the website.
LINK: http://lk.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/
VIII. Contact Information of the Consular Office of the Chinese Embassy
Website: http://lk.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/gzrz/
Address: Back gate of the Chinese Embassy, 120/3B, Vidya Mawatha, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka.
E-mail: consulatevisa.lk@gmail.com, colombo@csm.mfa.gov.cn
Tel: 0094-11-2676658, 0094-112695896, 0094-112695897 (Within Office Hours)
Office Hours: 9:00~12:00, 15:00~17:00, Monday to Friday.