1. On March 8, 2023, China acceded to the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the Convention). On November 7, 2023, the Convention will enter into force between China and Tonga. The Convention will continue to apply to the Hong Kong SAR of China and the Macao SAR of China.

2. Starting from November 7, public documents within the scope of the Convention issued by Tonga only need to apply for a Tonga Apostille before they can be sent to Chinese mainland for use. There is no need to apply for consular authentication by Tonga and the Chinese Embassy in Tonga.

Public documents within the scope of the Convention sent from China to Tonga for use will no longer require consular authentication by China and the Tonga Embassy in China, but will instead require Apostilles. 

China Apostilles support online verification in  https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/. For specific procedures and requirements for applying for Apostilles, please refer to the Chinese Consular Service website (http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/) or the websites of relevant local Foreign Affairs Offices.

3. Starting from November 7, the Chinese Embassy in Tonga will cease consular authentication services. For documents issued by Tonga intended to be sent to Chinese mainland, please apply for Apostilles from the Tonga competent authorities.

4. According to the provisions of the Convention, an Apostille issued by a country is used to prove the authenticity of the signature on the public document, the identity of the signatory of the document at the time of signing, and to confirm the authenticity of the seal on the document when necessary. The completion of the Tonga Apostille does not guarantee the acceptance of the public document by the relevant user in China. It is recommended to check in advance with the relevant party in China about specific requirements for format, content, time limit, translation, etc. before going through the relevant procedures.