Jiangsu launches integrated legal service of foreign-related notarization plus consular authentication

Recently, the justice department of East China's Jiangsu province, together with the province's foreign affairs office and provincial administration of governmental affairs, launched an integrated public legal service of foreign related notarization plus consular authentication.

To ensure the smooth usage of overseas notarization documents, two steps are involved - notarization and authentication. With the launch of the integrated service, applicants won't have to apply for relevant authorization procedures at the provincial visa service center after they get the notarization document.

Applicants can now simultaneously apply for an agent consular authentication service while processing foreign-related notarizations.

Meanwhile, notary institutions can process consular authentication cases while handling foreign-related notarizations based on the needs of applicants.

The pilot program will be conducted by the province's Nanjing Shicheng notary institution and the Changzhou notary institution, as well as the provincial visa service center.

The service is expected to be promoted provincewide next year in an orderly way, providing a "one-stop" service platform that will handle nearly 80,000 foreign-related notarizations.

According to statistics, 97 foreign-related notary institutions in the province issued 114,000 foreign-related documents in the first half of this year, a year-on-year increase of 48 percent. These documents were used in over 140 countries and regions, providing strong support and high-quality services for Jiangsu's enterprises and residents' going global.

During the same period, Jiangsu provincial visa service center handled over 48,652 consular authentication cases, a year-on-year increase of 109.5 percent, of which 10,474 cases were authenticated by both notary institutions and consulates, an increase of 76.6 percent on a year-on-year basis.