1. The category is not one thing
Documents presented for legalization divide into three types, and the requirements differ.
Documents the exporter produces
Invoice, packing list, contract, power of attorney.
These generally need notarisation before authentication, because the notary certifies the signature.
Documents an authority produces
Certificate of origin, inspection certificate, free sale certificate.
Whether notarisation is needed depends on the authority and the destination’s practice.
Corporate documents
Business licence, articles of association, registration extracts.
Generally notarised.
2. Why the type matters
Because the first step in the chain is determined by the document type, not by the destination alone.
An exporter who assumes all documents follow the same route will either notarise document that did not need it, or fail to notarise ones that did.
3. The internal documents in detail
Invoice
The notary certifies the signature of the company’s authorised signatory. The power of attorney establishing that signatory may need to be on file with the notary.
Contract
Both parties’ signatures are generally required and the notary examines both.
Power of attorney
The scope of authorisation should be specific. Vague authorisation is returned.
4. The authority documents in detail
Certificate of origin from CCPIT
CCPIT certification is often the first step, with notarisation needed only if the destination’s practice requires it.
Certificate of origin from China Customs
Handled differently again.
Free sale certificate
Produced by a regulator, then certified, then authenticated.
5. The corporate documents in detail
Business licence: current version, not the superseded one.
Articles of association: specify which version is being notarised.
Registration extract: recent.
6. The recurring return
An outdated business licence. The company changed its registered capital or legal representative, retained the old certificate in the document template folder, and the legalization was refused at the embassy.
7. A working check
For each document in the file, note its type and its first step.
That classification prevents both waste and return.
8. Closing view
The destination determines the chain. The document type determines where the chain starts.
Both have to be right.
*This article is based on China’s consular authentication regulations, updated October 2026, and embassy practice.*