Consular legalization refers to the act by which a consular legalization authority, upon application by a natural person, legal person, or other organization, confirms the authenticity of the last seal or signature on a domestic notarial deed or other certification document intended for use abroad, or on a relevant foreign document. Chinese embassies and consulates abroad may perform consular legalization for notarial deeds or other certification documents that are issued by the relevant authorities of the host country and have been legalized by the host country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs or an institution authorized to handle consular legalization, and that are intended for use in China.
To further facilitate applicants in handling consular legalization, the procedures and requirements are hereby notified as follows:
I. Legalization Application Procedures
1. Choose Consular District: consular legalization applications shall be handled according to consular district. Where the document is issued in Maharashtra and Karnataka, the application shall be handled by the Chinese Consulate General in Mumbai. Where the document is issued in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal, the application shall temporarily be handled by the Chinese Embassy in India. Where the document is issued in other areas other than those mentioned above shall submit their visa applications to the Chinese Embassy in India.
2. Fill in the “Application Form of Consular Legalization of the Embassy/Consulate of the People's Republic of China.” For legalization for death certificate, please fill in the “Application Form of Consular Legalization of the Embassy/Consulate of the People's Republic of China (Legalization for Death Certificate).”)
3. Submit Documents: Applicants may, without an appointment, visit the Chinese Embassy/Consulates in India to submit the application form, documents to be legalized, and other relevant materials.
4. Collect Legalized Documents: Applicants shall, on the expected collection date on the pick-up slip, visit the Chinese Embassy/Consulates in India to pay the fees (see “Notice on Schedule of Fees for Consular Service”) and collect the legalized documents.
II. Legalization Applications
1. Legalization application form. It must be signed by the applicant personally in the "Signature of Applicant/Agent" field; where the application is submitted by an agent, the agent shall sign as well.
2. If the applicant submit the application in person, the original and a copy of the applicant's valid legal identity document shall be submitted (Chinese nationals shall submit their valid passport; Indian nationals shall submit their valid passport or driver's license; nationals of other countries in India shall submit their valid passport). If an agent submits the application on behalf of the applicant, in addition to the applicant's identity document, the original and a copy of the agent's valid identity document shall also be submitted.
3. The original and one copy of the document to be legalized.
4. Other documents deemed relevant by the consular officer for handling the document legalization application.
Notes:
(1) The content and acquisition procedures of the document must be authentic, complete, and lawful, and must not contain any content that violates Chinese law or may harm China's national and public interests.
(2) Documents issued by the relevant Indian authorities and intended for use in China must first be notarized by an Indian notary public and legalized by the Consular Department of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs or its authorized offices in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai, and then submitted to the Chinese Embassy/Consulates in India for consular legalization in accordance with the prescribed requirements.
(3) Applications for document legalization by mail or fax are not accepted.
(4) For some document legalization that the embassy/consulate deems necessary, the applicant may be required to go to the embassy/consulate for an interview.
(5) Where the document to be legalized consists of more than two pages, it shall be bound into a booklet that cannot be easily disassembled or replaced. Measures such as sealing with wax, affixing a cross-page seal, or embossing a steel seal shall be adopted to ensure the integrity and anti-counterfeiting features of the document. The Embassy/Consulates will not legalize documents with incomplete procedures, non-standard format, unlawful content, alterations, or replacement of pages.
(6) For legalization of commercial documents, the following shall be submitted: a copy of the passport of the company's legal representative, company documents proving the identity of the company's legal representative, an introduction letter signed by the person in charge of the company or unit, and the original and a copy of the applicant's passport, stating the documents to be legalized and the purpose of legalization.
(7) The Embassy/Consulates will not legalize documents beyond their validity period. A single status declaration or certificate for marriage registration in China shall be valid for no more than 6 months from the date of notarization; notarial deeds concerning marital status, health, property, income, and no criminal or civil record for inter-country adoption in China shall be valid for no more than 6 months from the date of notarization until the date of application for adoption registration (excluding the review time of the China Adoption Center).
(8) The Embassy/Consulates will not legalize documents issued in China, such as Chinese passports, resident identity cards, and domestic driver's licenses.
(9) Documents legalized by the Embassy/Consulates shall not be arbitrarily disassembled or altered. Any problems and related legal liabilities arising from the applicant's own disassembly or alteration of documents shall be borne by the applicant.
III. Special Reminders
The Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (referred to as the "Hague Convention") does not apply between China and India. The circulation of public documents between the two countries requires consular legalization. For documents issued in China and intended for use in India, notarization shall be completed first, followed by legalization by the Consular Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its authorized institutions, and then consular legalization by the Indian Embassy/Consulates in China in accordance with the legalization procedures. For documents issued in India and intended for use in mainland China, local notarization in India, legalization by the Consular Department of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and its authorized institutions, and consular legalization by the Chinese Embassy/Consulates in India shall be completed. The circulation of public documents between India and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region of China is governed by the Hague Convention.
IV. Processing Time (calculated from the day after the consular legalization materials are submitted)
1. Regular: 4 working days.
2. Express: 2-3 working days (applicable only to the Embassy).
V. Office Hours, Addresses, and Contact Information
1. Chinese Embassy in India
Office hours: Monday to Friday (except public holidays)
3:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (Consular legalization application and collection)
Address: Gate No.4, Chinese Embassy, Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi-110021.
Tel: 91-11-24675259
Email: new-delhi@csm.mfa.gov.cn
2. Chinese Consulate General in Mumbai
Office hours: Monday to Friday (except public holidays)
10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Collection), 2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (Consular legalization application)
Address: 10th Floor, Nariman Bhavan, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021, India
Tel: 91-22-66324305 ext. 36
Email: mumbai@csm.mfa.gov.cn
Embassy of the People's Republic of China in India
22 October 2026
