Notarising Immigration Documents for a China Visa Application from Australia

Last reviewed: 26 September 2026. China's entry and authentication rules have changed several times in recent years. Confirm the current position with the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre, the Chinese embassy or consulate, and, for work, your employer in China.

Whether you need a notary for China depends almost entirely on which kind of visa you want. For a short trip, probably nothing, and possibly no visa at all. For a work visa, you will almost certainly need at least two Australian documents authenticated, and that part of the process takes weeks.

First: do you need a visa at all?

In recent years China has extended visa-free short-stay entry to ordinary passport holders of a number of countries, and Australia has been among them. The permitted length of stay, the purposes covered and the expiry date of the arrangement have all changed over time. If you are an Australian passport holder making a short tourist, business or family visit, check the current position first. You may not need to prepare any visa documents at all.

If you are travelling on a different passport, the visa-free position for that passport is what matters.

Visas that rarely involve a notary

Tourist (L) and business (M) visas. These are supported by itineraries, bookings and invitation letters. The invitation letter comes from the host in China. Nobody in Australia notarises it.

Study (X) visas. The key documents are the admission letter and the visa form issued by the Chinese institution. Some institutions want certified qualifications for admission. That is a question for the university, not the visa office, and it should be settled before you apply.

Transit and crew. Rarely any notarial involvement.

The work visa (Z): where the real work is

The work visa process in China begins with a work permit, not with the visa. Your employer in China applies for a work permit notification on your behalf, and the visa in Australia follows from that.

The work permit application commonly requires authenticated copies of:

• Your highest degree. An Australian testamur needs to be authenticated for use in China, usually through a notary and then DFAT. DFAT cannot usually verify a university's signature directly, which is why a notary is involved.
• A criminal record check. Usually from your country of nationality or where you have been living. For an Australian resident, that means an Australian police check, authenticated for China.

Some employers or provinces ask for more, such as professional licences or evidence of work experience. The employer's HR team or agent usually knows what their local bureau expects, so ask them for the list in writing before you start.

Apostille, not embassy legalisation (usually)

China has joined the Hague Apostille Convention. Confirm the current position against the HCCH status table on the day. For documents within the Convention's scope, the chain is now:

1. Notarise in Australia, for private documents and for copies. (DFAT can apostille an original Australian university degree directly once the university has verified it; a notarised copy must record that verification.)
2. DFAT apostille

That replaces the older three-step chain ending at the Chinese embassy or a consulate-general, which much online advice still describes. If an agent quotes you the old process, ask whether the advice predates the change.

A police check is a government document. DFAT may be able to apostille some checks directly without a notary. Confirm with DFAT before booking a notary.

Recency

A criminal record check describes your record on the day it was issued. Chinese bureaus commonly apply a validity window to it. Order it, and have it authenticated, as late as the timeline allows, and confirm the window with your employer. A check that expires while the work permit is being processed means starting that part again.

Name consistency

Your name on the degree, the police check and your passport must match. If they differ because of marriage, a change of name or a middle name dropped on one document, sort it out before authentication. The usual fix is a statutory declaration or deed poll explaining the discrepancy, but your employer's bureau decides what it will accept.

Family and dependant visas (Q and S)

Visas for joining a Chinese citizen or permanent resident, or for accompanying a foreign family member who works in China, depend on proving the relationship. The documents are usually marriage and birth certificates.

For long-stay family visas and the residence permits that follow, Chinese authorities commonly want Australian civil certificates authenticated. These are registry documents, and DFAT may be able to apostille them directly. Ask the receiving authority whether it also wants a Chinese translation, and whether that translation must be done in China.

Translation

For work permits and residence matters, Chinese authorities generally want documents in Chinese. Ask two things before paying for translation in Australia:

• Will you accept a translation done in Australia, or must it be done by a translation company recognised in China?
• Must the apostille and notarial certificate be translated as well?

Many employers arrange translation in China once the authenticated originals arrive, which avoids paying twice.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to notarise my passport copy for a Chinese tourist visa? No. Check first whether you need a visa at all.

My employer in China says my degree must be "legalised". Is an apostille enough? Usually, now. Ask your employer to confirm with their local bureau, and ask for it in writing if they insist on legalisation.

I am already in China. Can I authenticate my Australian degree there? No. An Australian document is authenticated in Australia. Someone in Australia can usually handle it for you, or a service can act on your behalf.

Can I use a digital police check? Ask DFAT whether it can apostille the format you have. A digital certificate may need a different route from a paper one.