China is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention — a member since 2023: a single apostille, affixed in Switzerland by the chancellery of the issuing canton, makes your Swiss document valid there — no embassy, no consulate, no further stamp.
Order an apostille →Always in the country that issued the document — so for your Swiss diploma, extract or certificate, at the state chancellery of the issuing canton, or at the Federal Chancellery for federal documents. We route it; you just name the canton.
Diplomas and transcripts for jobs and universities, civil-status records for marriages and residence, criminal-record extracts for visas, commercial-register extracts and powers of attorney for business.
Standard 1–2 business days plus delivery; same-day express available. Registered Swiss mail included — or DHL straight to China (CHF 140 worldwide, CHF 90 in Europe).
A Chinese translation is required, and Chinese authorities generally want it produced by a translation agency recognised in China rather than in Switzerland. The apostille itself should be translated too — it is part of the document as far as a Chinese office is concerned, and one omitted from the translation is a common reason for a file being returned.
China acceded to the Apostille Convention with effect from 7 November 2023. Before that date a Swiss document needed the full consular chain through the Chinese embassy; since then a single apostille suffices. Documents legalised under the old system remain valid. Some Chinese offices took time to adapt — if one still asks for embassy legalisation, ask for the request in writing.