On 5 May 2022, China’s Ministry of Justice issued the “Notice on Piloting Overseas Video Notarization” (《关于推进海外远程视频公证试点工作的通知》, hereinafter referred to as the “Notice”).
Instructed by the Notice, Chinese embassies and consulates abroad are now cooperating with domestic notary institutions to help Chinese citizens overseas notarize documents via video. This innovative service can greatly save time, reduce money, and bring convenience to citizens who cannot return to China due to the pandemic.
Citizens qualified to apply for overseas remote video notarization shall be Chinese mainland residents with the nationality of the People’s Republic of China who have resided for a long period in the countries where the pilot Chinese embassies and consulates (as listed in the Annex of the Notice) are located.
According to the Notice, matters eligible for overseas remote video notarization include declarations, entrustments (including real estate, equity, and inheritance), marital status, nationality, name, birth, death, kinship, non-criminal record, experience, education, certificates (licenses), as well as signatures, seals, and text conformity of documents.
A total of 65 overseas Chinese embassies and consulates are carrying out the pilot, including 22 in Asia, 24 in Europe, 7 in Oceania and 4 in Africa, and 8 in the Americas.
On the morning of 5 May, the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, together with the Tianjin Hexin Notary Office, conducted the first overseas video notarization.
Cover Photo by Ran Zhao on Unsplash
Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team
