Apostille Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates in Hong Kong for use in the United States and abroad
We attest Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates issued in Hong Kong when required for presentation to authorities abroad.
Birth, marriage and death certificates issued in Hong Kong are legalized for official use abroad by obtaining an Apostille stamp from the High Court. Authorities of countries that have signed the Hague Apostille Convention will recognise the Apostille directly as confirmation of authenticity. Otherwise, the authentication must be confirmed by the destination country's consulate in Hong Kong.
See list of Apostille Convention Countries
Apostilles on Hong Kong birth, death and marriage certificates can be obtained in 2 - 4 business days.
To obtain a Hong Kong apostille on a Birth, Marriage or Death certificate, the original certificate is required. The Apostille Stamp is obtained from the High Court and can be applied to the original certificate or to a notarized copy. When applied to a notarized copy, the apostille will certify the signature and status of the notary who certified the copy and not the signature on the original certificate (issuing signature of the Births and Deaths General Register Office or Record Office of the Marriage Registry). You should therefore check with the recipient authority whether they require the Apostille applied to the original or whether they will accept an apostille on a notarized copy.
Apostilles cannot be applied to marriage certificates signed by civil celebrants or issued by a church/temple. To obtain apostilles on such certificates, a notarized copy can be made and then apostilled, or if the Apostille is required on the original, a certified true copy should be obtained from the Record Office of the Marriage Registry.
Hong Kong vital record certificates do not expire, but certain recipient countries overseas may require certificates issued within the last 6 or 3 months (for example, Spain and Italy).
Isarey will take care of the entire process for you in Hong Kong. We offer individual assistance certifying your documents and a dedicated project manager to ensure that each process is carried out efficiently and securely. We can assist in obtaining copies of your certificates, arrange all necessary apostilles and legalizations by foreign consulates in Hong Kong (including attestations required for Qatar and the UAE) or embassies in Beijing where the recipient country has no local consulate.
We can also arrange certified, notarized and apostilled translations, ensuring that your certificate is properly authenticated and ready to submit abroad or in support of an overseas visa, residency or nationality application.
We offer worldwide delivery by secure courier.
How to obtain a certified copy of a Hong Kong death, marriage or birth certificate
Certified copies of Hong Kong death and birth certificates issued by the Births and Deaths General Register Office and Marriage certificates from the Record Office of the Marriage Registry can be ordered online from the Immigration Department.
Collecting certificates from Immigration in Hong Kong
We can collect certificates from the Immigration Department in Hong Kong after they have been ordered online. We will require a notarized authorization to collect the certificate and a copy of the acknowledgment receipt issued when the application was submitted.
Please contact us for further informationThird Party Applications
Applications for marriage certificates made by persons other than the bride or groom, and applications for birth certificates made by persons other than the registered person (or parent where the registered person is under 18) must be submitted by post.
Certified translations of Hong Kong death, marriage and birth certificates
When presenting Hong Kong marriage, death and birth certificates and other vital records in countries which do not have English as an official language, then a certified translation may be required. The certified translation must meet the requirements of the destination country, so that a translation done locally in Hong Kong may not be valid.
Isarey works with local notaries and sworn translators in a wide range of destination countries. We'll take care of the entire legalization and translation process, so that your certificates are correctly translated and ready to submit:
- GERMANY: translations into German must be certified by an officially authorized and appointed sworn translator.
- SPAIN: translator must be authorised by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in Spanish) ("Traducción Jurada")
- FRANCE: translations into French must be certified by a translator accredited by a French court of appeal (Cour d'appel)
- ITALY: translations must be authenticated by a Court Clerk or by a Notary Public in Italy
- PORTUGAL: translations into Portuguese can be certified in Portugal by a local notary
For further information about our Hong Kong apostille service and about legalizing birth, death and marriage certificates issued in Hong Kong for use in the United States and abroad, use our online quotation form or send us an email us. We will get back to you directly with a quotation and details of how to proceed: