What 公证 means
Notarization is performed by a notary office under the Notarization Law. A notarial certificate may attest a signature, a copy, a legal fact (such as kinship or a power of attorney) or certain legal acts. It is not the same as company registration, real-estate registration, or an Apostille.
Cross-border corporate, family and litigation files often start with a Chinese notarial certificate, then an Apostille or consular legalization depending on the destination. Notarization authenticates a notarial finding; it does not by itself transfer title or bind a company the way a chop and registration do.
Where you see the term
Translation note
公证 is “notarization”. It is not “Apostille” (附加证明书) and not “consular legalization” (领事认证). Those are later authentication steps for use abroad.
Primary legal basis
Example
A Shanghai company issues a board resolution and a power of attorney for use in France. The documents are first notarized by a PRC notary office. Because France and China are both Hague Apostille Convention members for this use, the next step is typically an Apostille rather than consular legalization.
Primary authorities.
18 Sep 2026