I. What is Consular Legalization

Consular legalization refers to the practice of confirming the authenticity of the last seal or signature on a relevant document issued by a foreign country, performed by a diplomatic or consular mission abroad upon the application of a natural person, a legal person or an organization of other forms.

Consular legalization is the act of a diplomatic or consular mission abroad to legalize a document on behalf of the country, and the purpose is to ensure that a document issued in one country can be acknowledged in another, and its legal effect outside the issuing country will not be affected due to doubts on authenticity of the seal or signature thereon.

Consular legalization does not undertake the responsibility of certifying the matters certified by the notarial deeds or other certificates, and it is not responsible for the authenticity and validity of the document’s content, which shall be the responsibility of the issuing institution.

II. Documents Required

The Chinese Embassy in Iran can legalize notarial deeds and other documents issued by relevant authorities of Iran for use in China. The deeds or documents should be certified by the Legalization Office of Foreign Ministry of Iran.

1. The applicant should fill out the Application Form of Consular Legalization of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in a truthful, complete and accurate manner. In the “Applicant” column, information of the applicant for the consular legalization should be provided, and the applicant should personally sign in the column of “Signature of Applicant.” If an application is submitted by an agent, in addition to the signature of the applicant, the agent should also sign in the column of “Signature of Agent.” The original of the signed application form should be submitted, and no fax or photocopy of the application form will be accepted.

2. The original and a photocopy of valid identity documents of the applicant should be submitted. An applicant who is a Chinese or third-country national should submit a valid passport or travel document. An applicant who is a national of the residing country may submit the passport or other valid identity documents issued by the residing country.

3. If the application is submitted by an agent, a photocopy of the identity document of the applicant, and the original and a photocopy of valid identity document of the agent should be submitted. The specific requirements for the identity documents shall be the same as listed in the paragraph above. If significant matters are involved in the application, an agent should provide the power of attorney signed or stamped by the applicant.

4. If a company or an organization of other forms applies for consular legalization, an official certificate of the company or organization should be submitted, as well as the valid identity documents of the legal representative of the company or the person in charge of the organization.

5. A special application form is used for the legalization of a death certificate. Such an application should be made by a close relative of the deceased, and the identity document of the deceased (if available), the identity document of the close relative, and the proof of kinship should be submitted. If an agent is entrusted by a close relative of the deceased to make the application, the power of attorney and the identity document of the agent should also be submitted. The original of the signed application form should be submitted, and no fax or photocopy of the application form will be accepted.

6. The original of the valid documents for legalization

7. Other documents required by the Embassy or Consulate

III. Procedures of Consular Legalization

1. Apply for notarization at a local notary office in Iran.

2. Apply for consular legalization from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran or an institution authorized for consular legalization in Iran.

3. Apply for consular legalization at the Chinese Embassy.

4. An applicant should come to the Embassy on the due date indicated on the pick-up form to collect the documents for which the consular legalization is completed.

5. If an applicant or agent fails to claim the documents after more than one year of the due date, the Embassy will take necessary disposal measures, and all consequences arising from the destruction of the documents and submitted materials shall be borne by the applicant.

IV. Processing Time

1. For regular service: 4 working days.

2. For express service: 3 working days, express service fee is required.

3. For rush service: 2 working days, rush service fee is required.

Please be noted that the above-mentioned processing times are for normal circumstances. Some individual applications may require extended processing time due to reasons such as the need for additional documents or further verification. Should this occur, please wait patiently for further notification.

V. Fees

1. For consular legalization of civil documents:

(1) Chinese applicants: $8 per document;

(2) Foreign applicants: $30 per document.

2. For consular legalization of commercial documents:

(1) Chinese applicants: $16 per document;

(2) Foreign applicants: $60 per document.

3. For express service, an additional fee of $30 per document will be charged. For rush service, an additional fee of $60 per document will be charged.

VI. Payment Methods:

Cash only. The Embassy only accepts the new version of 100 US dollar bills issued after 2009.

VII. Special Reminders

1. Consular officers will review the documents for which consular legalization is requested. The following cases will not be accepted, including but not limited to, incomplete procedures of local notarization and authentication, non-standard document formats, content of the documents violating the laws or infringing on China’s national or public interests, or alterations or replacements of the documents, etc.

2. Chinese diplomatic or consular missions abroad do not provide consular legalization services for documents issued by entities in China.

3. Single status certificates for marriage registration in the Chinese mainland are valid for 6 months from the date of issuance. Single status certificates exceeding the validity period will not be accepted and the applicant will need to get a new certificate. Applicants are advised to reserve reasonable time for marriage registration procedures in the Chinese mainland.

4. Chinese diplomatic or consular missions abroad do not provide consular legalization services for documents to be sent to and used in third countries. If necessary, consular legalization for such documents should be applied for in the Embassy or Consulate of the country where the documents will be used.

5. Any alterations or replacements of the documents after consular legalization will lead to invalidity of the consular legalization.