1. Where Japan and Korea sit
Both are parties to the Apostille Convention.
Chinese public documents for use in either country take an apostille.
2. What that covers
Corporate documents
Business licence, articles of association, registration extracts, board resolutions.
Certificates
Registration certificates, qualification certificates.
Notarial acts
Certificates of signature, of copy conformity, of fact.
3. Where an apostille is not the answer
Certificates of origin for preferential treatment
A Form E or RCEP certificate is not apostilled. It is issued under the agreement and accepted by the destination authority.
The apostille route applies to authentication, not to preferential origin documentation.
Consular documents
Documentation that a consular post itself issues follows its own rules.
4. The language
Japanese or Korean, generally required for civil documents in the destination.
Translation should be inside the notarised bundle.
5. The use cases
Setting up a subsidiary.
Registering a trademark.
Opening a bank account.
Tendering.
Litigation support.
6. A scenario
A company registering a Korean subsidiary submitted an apostilled business licence with an English translation attached informally.
The registry required the translation to be part of the notarised document.
The filing was returned, and the chain was restarted.
7. Closing view
Japan and Korea are straightforward apostille destinations.
The complications are language and translation sequencing, not the Convention.
*This article is based on the Apostille Convention and China’s consular authentication regulations, updated October 2026.*