1. The starting point
China’s accession to the Apostille Convention in 2023 reduced document authentication in many markets from three or four weeks to under a week.
It did nothing for the markets that are not parties.
2. The Asian split
Parties
Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, and most of the region.
Not parties, legalization required
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka.
Party with an objection
India. China filed a notice of objection to India’s accession, and India objected to China’s. Between the two, the Convention does not apply.
3. What legalization requires in these markets
Notarisation, foreign ministry authentication, embassy legalization.
Timing
Three to four weeks.
Translation
Urdu for Pakistan. Bengali or English for Bangladesh. Sinhala or English for Sri Lanka.
Documentation of commercial goods
Certificates of origin and invoices are the typical documents requiring certification.
4. The Indian case in detail
Why it matters
India is a large market, and exporters assume that because both countries are parties, the apostille applies.
The reality
It does not. A Chinese document for India must go through the consular chain.
What to do
Build the four-week lead time into planning, and do not rely on a same-week apostille turnaround.
5. Where the confusion comes from
Convention status is often reported as a yes or no
The reservation between two specific countries does not appear in a one-line answer.
Embassy websites sometimes lag
Some still describe the pre-Convention procedure; others describe a procedure that has since been changed.
Agents sometimes generalise
A regional rule of thumb can be wrong for one country in the region.
6. A working check
For every Asian destination, confirm three items: party status, whether an objection applies, and the document types the receiving authority accepts.
7. Closing view
Asia is the clearest example of the rule that Convention status alone does not answer the question.
One exception is enough to make a planning calendar wrong by three weeks.
*This article is based on the Apostille Convention status table and the consular authentication guidance published by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updated October 2026.*