Multiple measures optimize foreign-related notary services

In recent years, China's notary institutions have deepened international cooperation to assist enterprises in going global, enhance their international competitiveness, and safeguard their rights and interests.

"Foreign-related notary services ensure the legality and validity of cross-border transactions, marriages, inheritances, and other legal affairs in areas such as international contracts, investments, and trade. This not only safeguards stakeholders' rights and interests but also boosts the credibility of China's civil and commercial legal system globally," said Jiang Liping, an associate professor at the Law School of the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Open green channels for expedited services

In recent years, notary institutions across the country have continuously improved their level of foreign-related legal services featuring one-stop case handling and one-time recording, and opened green channels to provide targeted support for enterprises in participating in Belt and Road cooperation and going global.

For instance, 16 foreign-related notary institutions in Southwest China's Guizhou province handled 3,879 consular legalizations for international civil and commercial documents in 2024, facilitating exchanges between local residents and enterprises and 77 countries and effectively serving the province's high-level opening-up.

Beijing's notary industry has provided diverse and high-quality notary services for enterprises and countries participating in Belt and Road cooperation in areas such as infrastructure construction, project bidding, cross-border investment and financing, economic and trade exchanges and cooperation, and foreign-related labor dispatch. Over the past three years, the city has processed 490,000 foreign-related notarizations for enterprises and individuals.

Improve service efficiency with technical support

To enhance service quality and efficiency of foreign-related notarization, Jiang from the Law School of the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences called for continuously improving the service level and strengthening technical support, including the use of modern technological means such as big data and artificial intelligence.

In this regard, remote video notarization enables notary institutions to provide cross-jurisdictional services with simplified procedures, enhanced efficiency and reduced costs.

Notary institutions in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, exemplify this progress. By integrating with related government departments, including public security, healthcare, education, traffic management, and civil affairs, they have accelerated online document verification and enhanced the efficiency of notary certificate issuance. Such efforts resulted in 84,163 foreign-related cases processed in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 22 percent, covering corporate dispatch letters, driver's licenses, and no-criminal-record certificates for use in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and multiple countries and regions participating in Belt and Road cooperation.

In addition, some notary institutions in provinces such as Shaanxi, Jiangsu, and Hubei have promoted deep integration of online and offline notary services by establishing an "Internet + notarization" model and launching relevant WeChat mini-programs, significantly improving user convenience.

Extend service reach

In recent years, notary institutions across the country have made continuous efforts in improving services for enterprises and individuals, including expanding the service scope, improving service quality and efficiency, and simplifying processing procedures, which has received widespread acclaim.

To better promote the improvement in the quality and efficiency of foreign-related notary services, judicial administrative organs at all levels have intensified efforts to advance the nationwide campaign launched by the Ministry of Justice to deliver improved, accelerated and streamlined notary services for the public, promote the effective implementation of integrated notary services combining foreign-related notarization and consular legalization, and provide one-stop solutions for foreign-related matters.

Regarding how to better extend the reach of foreign-related notarizations, Jiang said that notary institutions need to study the relevant legal provisions of target countries, clarify the specific requirements for various notarization matters, including document formats, content specifications, and requirements for signatures and seals, and ensure that their notary services comply with local legal requirements.

"In addition, as foreign-related notarized documents and their subject matters require foreign language translations, it is essential for notary institutions to standardize translation practices to guarantee both the accuracy and consistency of translated materials," she added.