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Translating a Chinese notarial certificate (公证书)

Updated 2026-08-08

The notarial certificate is the wrapper almost every Chinese document travels abroad inside. Understanding what the notary actually attested to — which varies, and is stated precisely — tells you what the document proves.

What the booklet contains

A 公证书 issued for use abroad (涉外公证) is a bound booklet, and its structure is standard even though its contents vary:

1. Cover — 公证书, the notary office name, the national emblem.
2. The notarial certificate itself — the certificate number, the applicant, the matter, and the notarial statement (公证词).
3. A copy of the underlying document — the birth certificate, the hukou page, the police certificate.
4. A translation, if you asked for the bilingual version.
5. The notary's signature and the notary office seal, usually with a straddle seal across the binding, and a ribbon or eyelet fastening.

That fastening is not decoration. It is what makes the booklet a single document; a translation that treats the pages as separate documents misses the point of the object.

Field by field

The certificate number

（2026）京长安内民证字第12345号 decomposes as: the year in brackets, an abbreviation for the province or municipality (京 = Beijing), the notary office's abbreviated name (长安), a code for the category (内 domestic use / 外 foreign use), the matter type (民 civil), 证字 (certificate), and the serial.

Do not translate it into a romanised form. Keep the original string, and put an English gloss beside it if useful. It is an identifier, and identifiers are copied.

Common notarial types

The two kinds of notarial statement

This distinction decides what the document is worth, and it is stated explicitly in the 公证词.

Certifying a fact. The notary examined the evidence and attests to the fact itself:

兹证明张三，男，1990年3月5日出生，于1990年3月5日在北京市朝阳区出生。
其父为张某某，其母为李某某。

This is to certify that Zhang San, male, born on 5 March 1990, was born on
5 March 1990 in Chaoyang District, Beijing. His father is Zhang XX and his
mother is Li XX.

Certifying that a copy conforms to the original. The notary attests only that the attached photocopy matches a document they saw:

兹证明前面的复印件与原件相符。

This is to certify that the foregoing photocopy is in conformity with the
original.

The second says nothing about whether the original was true. A receiving authority that asked for proof of a fact and received a conformity certificate has not been given what it asked for — and that is a decision the applicant made at the notary office, not something the translator can fix. Translating the statement precisely is what makes the distinction visible.

A third form certifies a signature: 兹证明张三于本公证员面前，在前面的委托书上签名 — "This is to certify that Zhang San signed the foregoing power of attorney in the presence of the undersigned notary."

Standard phrases

Keep these consistent. Notarial language is formulaic in Chinese and reads as formulaic in English; a booklet where the same formula is rendered three ways looks less official, not more natural.

If the booklet already contains a translation

Very common, and it changes what you are doing. If the notary office issued the bilingual version, the English is inside the notarised document, and:

• It is generally accepted by receiving institutions that want a notarised translation.
• It is what an apostille covers, because the apostille attaches to the booklet.
• You should not replace it with your own translation. If you disagree with a rendering, that is a conversation with the notary office, not an edit — an edited notarial translation is no longer the notarised document.

If the booklet is Chinese only, then you need a separate translation, and that translation must satisfy the receiving country's rules. Note that a Chinese-only notarial booklet does not satisfy IRCC's translator rules just by being notarised — IRCC's requirement is about who the translator is. See certified, notarised, sworn, apostilled.

Seals

[Round red seal: XX Notary Public Office, XX Municipality]
[Straddle seal across the binding]
[Signature] (Notary)
[Blind embossed seal]

Mistakes that matter

Translating only the notarial page. The booklet is one document. The attached copy of the underlying certificate is part of it and gets translated too.

Rendering a conformity statement as a statement of fact. The most consequential error available on this document.

Romanising or reformatting the certificate number. It is an identifier.

Dropping the straddle seal because it is half a seal on each page. That is what a straddle seal is, and describing it is evidence the booklet is intact.

Assuming a notarial certificate is an apostille. They are separate, and the apostille goes on top. See apostilles on Chinese documents.

FAQ

Should I ask for the bilingual version?

Almost always yes. It costs a little more and it is the decision that most often prevents a second round — the translation ends up inside the apostilled document instead of being a loose page you have to get accepted separately.

Which languages do notary offices issue?

English is standard. Larger offices also handle other languages, and if your destination needs one, ask before the booklet is bound.

Can a notarial certificate be issued from outside China?

The notary office is in China, so the usual route is a relative acting under a power of attorney, or applying through a Chinese embassy or consulate for certain matters. Requirements vary by office.

How long is a notarial certificate valid?

The certificate does not expire, but receiving authorities frequently impose a recency requirement — commonly three or six months — on status documents like single status or no criminal record. Facts that cannot change, such as a birth, are less often time-limited.

Is the notary attesting that my document is genuine?

Read the 公证词. A conformity certificate attests that the copy matches an original they saw. A certificate of fact attests to the fact. They are different, and the booklet says which one you have.

Related guides

• Apostilles on Chinese documents — and why they do not solve translationSince 7 November 2023 Chinese public documents get an apostille instead of consular legalisation. What the apostille certifies, what it does not, and where the English translation has to come from.
• Translating a Chinese birth certificate (出生医学证明)Every field on the Medical Certificate of Birth, the number format that must be copied exactly, and why the parents' details are the half of the document that actually does the work.
• Certified, notarised, sworn, apostilled — which one do you actually needFour words that get used interchangeably and mean four unrelated things. What each one certifies, who can produce it, roughly what it costs, and how to tell which your case requires.