Apostille or Embassy Legalisation: What Hong Kong Requires

Last reviewed: 26 September 2026. Country requirements change. This page is re-checked periodically, and nothing on it replaces confirming the position with the Hong Kong office that will receive your document.

Hong Kong is the part of China where the apostille never stopped working. The Apostille Convention has applied there since 1965 and carried on after 1997, long before mainland China joined. So an Australian document for Hong Kong goes to DFAT for an apostille, and the Chinese embassy and consulates in Australia have no part in it.

The more interesting point is that some Hong Kong procedures ask for a notary and say nothing about an apostille at all. Marrying in Hong Kong from Australia is the clearest example.

Check the current position before acting on this or any other page. Confirm the position for Hong Kong against the HCCH status table for the Apostille Convention on the day you start. It sits under China's entry, with its own notifications.

Hong Kong and the Apostille Convention

The HCCH records that the Convention entered into force for Hong Kong on 25 April 1965, when it was extended by the United Kingdom. In June 1997 China notified the HCCH that the Convention would continue to apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from 1 July 1997, and named Hong Kong's own competent authorities, the Administrative Secretary and registrars of the High Court.

China's own accession, in force from 7 November 2023, changed things for the mainland. It did not change Hong Kong, which was already covered. Our page on China covers the mainland position; do not assume one answer covers both.

The chain

1. Notarise in Australia, if the document is a private one or you are sending a copy
2. DFAT apostille, if the Hong Kong office asks for one

Hong Kong works in English and Chinese, so an Australian document in English does not need translating. The Immigration Department, for example, asks for certified translations only of documents that are not in English or Chinese.

Australian registry certificates and other public documents may go to DFAT directly, without a notary. Confirm with DFAT for your document.

Marrying in Hong Kong while living in Australia

Hong Kong's Immigration Department runs marriage registration. Its FAQ says there are no residential requirements and the parties may be of any nationality. For a couple who both live outside Hong Kong, it sets out the process:

• Write to the Marriage Registration and Records Office for the Notice of Intended Marriage form and the information sheet.
• Sign the notice form and have it authenticated by a Notary Public of the country where you live.
• If you live in different countries, only the person giving notice needs a notary, in the country where that person lives.
• Post the authenticated notice, the information sheet and supporting documents to Hong Kong.
• Both of you then attend the office in Hong Kong with your travel documents and the originals of what you sent, and make an affidavit before the Registrar or a civil celebrant.

This is one of the few places where the Hong Kong Government names a notary for someone overseas, and an Australian notary is the person who does it. A Justice of the Peace is not a notary public, and a JP-witnessed form does not meet the requirement.

The Immigration Department's FAQ does not say that the notarised notice also needs an apostille. Ask the Marriage Registration and Records Office before you add one. If it wants one, DFAT can apostille the notary's certificate.

If either of you has been divorced. The FAQ asks for proof that the earlier marriage was dissolved by decree of a competent court, and a sealed certified copy of the final decree before the marriage. For a divorce granted outside Hong Kong, it asks for proof of domicile in the country where the divorce took place or, failing that, a declaration of your nationality and residence at the time of the divorce, made before a Registrar or civil celebrant. For an Australian divorce, the document is the court's divorce order. Ask the office exactly which Australian document it will take as the "sealed certified copy", and whether it wants an apostille on it.

Other Hong Kong uses

• Property. Buying, selling or mortgaging property in Hong Kong from Australia usually involves a power of attorney or deed signed here. Hong Kong solicitors handle conveyancing, and they will tell you the form they need, including whether a notary must witness your signature and whether the document needs an apostille. Get the draft from them before you book a notary.
• Banks and companies. Hong Kong banks and company secretaries often ask for notarised copies of identity documents or company records. The request sometimes specifies an apostille and sometimes does not. Follow the written request.
• Courts and estates. A Hong Kong court or solicitor may ask for an affidavit or declaration sworn in Australia. Ask them in advance for the jurat wording and whether an apostille is needed.

In each case the receiving party decides. The Hong Kong Government's own guidance, where we found it, asks for a notary and leaves the apostille unmentioned. That is a reason to ask, not a reason to assume either way.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Chinese consulate in Australia need to legalise documents for Hong Kong? No. Hong Kong has been covered by the Apostille Convention since 1965, and the Convention continued to apply after 1997.

Can a Justice of the Peace witness my Notice of Intended Marriage? No. The Immigration Department asks for authentication by a Notary Public of the country where you live.

Does my document need translating into Chinese? Not if it is in English. Hong Kong authorities work in English and Chinese.

How long does it take? It depends on DFAT processing, if an apostille is needed, and on the Hong Kong office. Do not plan to a figure quoted on a blog, including this one.