Consular legalization refers to the practice of consular authentication agencies confirming the authenticity of the last seal and signature on foreign-related notarial deeds and other certificates issued in China, or relevant documents issued by other countries upon the application of natural persons, legal persons or other organizations.
The purpose of consular legalization is to enable documents issued by one country to be acknowledged by another country, by not affecting the legal effect outside the issuing country due to the doubts about the authenticity of the seals and signatures on the documents. Consular legalization agency does not undertake the responsibility certifying the matters certified by the notarial deeds or other certificates, nor it is responsible for the authenticity and legality of the documents content, which shall be the responsibility of the issuing institution.
In line with Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and Measures for Consular Legalization promulgated by Decree of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China No.2 as well as other related regulations, Chinese Embassy in Albania legalizes notarial deeds and others certificates to be used in China and issued by relevant authorities of Albania, after being legalized by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania.
1.Consular Legalization Procedures
Step 1：Have your documents notarized by a local notary public unless they are original certified copies/certificates issued by competent government authorities (e.g. Birth/Death/Marriage Registry, Judiciary Authority or Court).
Step 2 : The documents need to be further legalized by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania.
Step 3 : Eligible documents can be presented to Chinese Embassy in Albania for consular legalization.
2.Documents to be Submitted
(1)The legally valid ID of the applicant and its photocopies; for a minor, documents certifying their relationship signed by the applicant’s parents or the legal guardian shall be submitted.
(2)If an agent applies on behalf of the applicant, the agent’s valid ID and its photocopies as well as the Power of Attorney shall be submitted.
(3)To legalize documents for a company, please submit photocopies of the ID for the company’s legal representative and the documents issued by the company to certify the identity of the company’s legal representative.
(4)Please fill Consular Legalization Application Form truthfully, completely and accurately. (The signature on the application form must be a true and valid signature. The signed form cannot be replaced by faxed, scanned, printed, or photocopy, etc. The agent cannot sign on behalf of the applicant.)
(5)The original documents for consular legalization, which have been certified by Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania.
(6)Other supporting documents deemed necessary by the Embassy.
3.Processing time
(1)Regular service: 4 business days, pick up on the 4th business day.
(2)Express service: 3 business days, pick up on the 3rd business day (service upon approval).
(3)Urgent service: 2 business days, pick up on the 2nd business day (available only for humanitarian emergencies, service upon approval).
Note: The above-mentioned processing time is for ordinary cases and for reference only. Some applications may require longer processing time thus the pick-up date cannot be confirmed until notified by the Embassy.
4.How to pay
(Note: Consular legalization is charged according to the principle of reciprocity)
(1)Regular service
For Chinese applicants: 6 Euros per item for civil matters; 13 Euros per item for commercial matters.
For Albanian applicants : 75 Euros per item for both civil and commercial matters.
For applicants of a third country: 20 Euros per item for civil matters; 40 Euros per item for commercial matters.
（2）Express Service Fee: 21 Euros will be charged additionally for each item.
（3）Emergency Service Fee: 31 Euros will be charged additionally for each item.
Chinese Embassy in Albania accepts debit cards, credit cards (by POS machine) and bank transfer through Raiffeisen Bank network in Albania, but does not accept cash payment. For further details, please refer to "Notification of Acceptable Payment Methods for Consular Service" (http://al.chineseembassy.org/eng/lsfw/lstx/201912/t20191230_2532411.htm)
5.Notes
(1)Chinese Embassy in Albania only certifies the authenticity of the signatures and seals of the competent officials of Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania. The issuing agencies bear the responsibility of the content of the certified documents.
(2)The content of the documents and their legalization process must be authentic, complete and legitimate, neither violating any of the Chinese laws nor undermining any of China’s national and public interests. Documents containing two or more pages must be bound properly and securely with sealing wax, paging seal or embossed seal to ensure their integrity. Chinese Embassy will NOT legalize any document if it is found illegitimate, or in any way forged, counterfeited, fraudulent or altered.
(3)According to the relevant regulations of China, the certificates of no spouse, non criminal record, health certificates etc. to be used in Chinese mainland shall be valid for 6 months from the date of issuance.
(4)Consular officers may request the applicant to provide other supporting documents related to the matters to be legalized.
(5)Documents certified by the Chinese Embassy shall not be changed or replaced. Any problem or legal responsibility caused by the applicant's own modification or replacement of documents shall be the responsibility of the applicant himself.
(6)Documents can be used in Hong Kong SAR or Macao SAR without legalization but need to be notarized by the local agencies and then apostilled by Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania.
(7)Chinese Embassy does NOT legalize passports, Residents’ Identity Cards, Driver's Licenses of China nor other documents issued by Chinese Authorities.
6.Application form
Please click the following link to download the Consular Legalization Application Form.
http://al.chineseembassy.org/chn/lsfw/bgxz/201708/P020210624167030164288.pdf
Chinese Embassy in Albania reserves the right to explain this notice.
February 8, 2022