A foreign PDF is not a notary exhibit — apostille (or legalisation) plus translation is the usual gate.
Since China joined the Apostille Convention, many public documents from other contracting states use an apostille instead of consular legalisation. Death certificates, court orders, notarial kinship acts and some powers of attorney are in that world. The PRC notary still wants a Chinese translation and may reject the wrong document type (a hospital letter is not a civil death certificate). Non-contracting states still use legalisation. This wiki page is the gate. The long how-to stays on /apostille-chinese-inheritance-process.
4 questions before you choose the route.
This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.
Is the issuing state in the Apostille Convention with China?
Apostille vs legalisation.
TreatyIs it a public document the notary will recognise?
Civil registry vs private letter.
KindChinese translation?
Who may translate locally.
LanguageDoes the notary want originals?
Stapled apostille, not a scan.
OriginalWorking rule: Map the regulated role before marketing or launch in China.
The signal ledger.
These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.
Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.
Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.
Questions people ask before they build.
Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.
Does apostille prove the will is valid?
No. It authenticates the public document (or notarial act), not Civil Code form.
Where is the long guide?
Apostille chinese inheritance process and /cross-border-inheritance-document-checklist.
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.