Quick answer
An individual Florida investor in a Chinese company, or a foreign legal representative, is usually asked for a certified passport copy for the market-regulation registration and the company's bank account. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- A Florida notary, either attesting a copy of the passport you present in person or notarizing your sworn statement that the attached copy is true.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 2023
- Online notarization
- Available as an add-on
- Consulate serving Florida
- Embassy of China in Washington, D.C.
- Translation
- China generally requires a full Chinese translation sealed by a translation agency, often one registered in China, or by the employer for work-permit files.
How a Florida passport copy is used in China
An individual Florida investor in a Chinese company, or a foreign legal representative, is usually asked for a certified passport copy for the market-regulation registration and the company's bank account. A Florida notary can attest a photocopy of your passport, since it isn't a public record, and since November 7, 2023 the apostille completes it for mainland China. The registration authority still expects a Chinese translation. Check that the passport is the same one used in every other filing.
Getting a passport copy Florida will apostille
A clear copy of the photo page (and any other pages requested) with a complete Florida certificate in English: the attested-copy certificate, or a jurat on your sworn statement. A stamp and signature with no wording, or a copy notarized in another state, will not work.
Present your passport to a Florida notary for an attested copy (an individual notary may decline), or sign a sworn statement before any Florida notary or through our online notarization add-on: $40 for the first document ($10 notarization fee + $30 technology platform fee) and $20 for each additional document. Never mail your passport. Notarization is not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the passport copy apostille page.
Who receives it in China — and translation
Work permits go through local foreign-expert and work-permit offices; residence permits through public security bureaus' exit-entry offices; companies through local Administrations for Market Regulation; marriages through civil affairs marriage registration offices; and inheritances through Chinese notary offices. The Embassy of China in Washington, D.C. serves Florida, but it no longer authenticates U.S. documents for mainland China.
China generally requires a full Chinese translation sealed by a translation agency, often one registered in China, or by the employer for work-permit files. A Florida translation, even certified, notarized and apostilled, may not be accepted, so ask the Chinese office first.
Work-permit rules require a criminal record certificate issued within six months, and Beijing's marriage registration rules treat a single-status document as valid for six months. Other offices set their own limits.
Consular office serving Florida: Embassy of China in Washington, D.C.
Four steps, one week
Order online
Pick the document and destination country on the order form and pay by card. After we review your documents, FedEx emails you a prepaid label.
Send it — or sign online
Drop the envelope at any FedEx location. Not signed yet? Add online notarization and there is nothing to ship.
We file in person
We review it, then walk it to the Florida Department of State in Tallahassee for the apostille.
Returned to you
Back in 5–7 business days — anywhere in the U.S., or abroad for a flat $100.
Why passport copys get rejected
- Stamp and signature only, with no certificate wording
- Copy notarized in another state
- Incomplete certificate: missing county, date, ID type or presence box
- Illegible copy, including the machine-readable lines
What it costs for China
$220 per document, $380 for two and $160 each for three or more — the state fee, request form, in-person filing in Tallahassee and FedEx shipping inside the U.S. are included. Shipping the finished apostille to China is a flat $100 per order.
Not included: whatever the issuing office charges for the certified copy or certificate, and notarization (online notarization is $40 for the first document — $10 notarization fee + $30 technology platform fee — and $20 for each additional one).