How to Apostille/Legalize Hong Kong Documents for Use in Vietnam

Most Hong Kong public documents can now be used in Vietnam with just a Hong Kong Apostille – no extra Vietnamese legalization needed, since Vietnam joined the Apostille Convention. Documents that aren’t Apostille-eligible still need the Apostille plus legalization by the Vietnam Consulate General in Hong Kong. This guide shows which route applies to your documents and the steps to follow.

1. What Is an Apostille or Consular Legalization for Hong Kong Documents?

What is an Apostille for Hong Kong documents

An Apostille for a Hong Kong document is a certificate issued by the Hong Kong High Court. It verifies the document’s signature, the signer’s official role, and any seal or stamp. When the Convention applies, Vietnam accepts the document without an additional legalization step at the Vietnamese Consulate.

An Apostille confirms where a public document came from. It does not confirm that the information in the document is true. A private document may first need notarization or another form of certification before the High Court can issue an Apostille.

What is Vietnam consular legalization of Hong Kong documents

Vietnam consular legalization of Hong Kong documents, papers is a process in which the Vietnam’s Consulate General in Hong Kong certify stamps, signatures and titles of the officials of Hong Kong’s High Court on documents, papers which were issued in Hong Kong, so that the Hongkong documents, papers can be legally used in Vietnam.

As such, the full process to legalize Hongkong documents or papers for use in Vietnam will be carried out in the High Court of Hong Kong and then in the Consulate General of Vietnam in Hong Kong.

👉 See the difference between an Apostille and Consular Legalization

Unsure which stamp you should get for your documents? Feel free to send us a scan for a free review at [email protected] or (US)+1.341.999.4099 | (VN)+84.387.285.099 (WhatsApp 24/7 available).

2. Is Hong Kong Apostille Eligible for Use in Vietnam?

Yes. Hong Kong SAR has applied the Hague Apostille Convention since 25 April 1965, and the Hong Kong High Court is its designated competent authority. Vietnam applies the Convention to foreign public documents under Decree 293/2026/ND-CP. No objection preventing the Hong Kong-Vietnam Apostille route is identified in the current HCCH status information.

Your Hong Kong document qualifies for Apostille instead of full consular legalization if all three of the following are true:

• It’s a public document issued by an official Hong Kong Government authority, or already notarized by a Notary Public/Commissioner for Oaths whose specimen signature is on file at the High Court.
• It was issued in Hong Kong SAR specifically (Macao SAR and mainland China each have their own separate competent authority and procedure – see our dedicated China guide).
• The receiving Vietnamese authority doesn’t have an unusual case-specific requirement for full legalization regardless of Apostille eligibility.

The Apostille authenticates the origin of a public document, including the signature, capacity and seal or stamp. It does not verify the truth or legal effect of the document content.

3. Popular Types of Documents to Be Apostilled or Legalized

Documents to Be Apostilled

These Hong Kong public documents bear the true signature of a recognized government officer and can go straight to Apostille – no prior notarization needed:

• Marriage Certificates (signed by the Deputy Registrar of Marriage)
• Certificate of Absence of Marriage Record
• Birth and Death Certificates
• Certificate of Registered Particulars
• Business Registration Certificates
• Certificates of Incorporation

Documents signed by a Notary Public or a Commissioner for Oaths in Hong Kong (for example, a Power of Attorney, a business contract, or a statutory declaration) can also be apostilled directly, provided the signatory’s specimen signature is registered with the High Court.

Documents to Be Legalized

Consular legalization may still need to be considered when the document falls outside the Convention, cannot be made Apostille-eligible, or another applicable rule requires a different form of authentication.

• A private agreement, letter, salary record or company document that has not been notarized or officially certified;
• A document issued by a diplomatic or consular officer;
• An administrative document dealing directly with a commercial or customs operation where the Convention exclusion applies;
• A document that has been altered, damaged, revoked or cannot be verified against the relevant signature or seal record;
• A document for which the Vietnamese receiving authority requires a different sector-specific procedure.

Still don’t know whether your documents can be apostilled or legalized? Just send us your documents for a free review at [email protected] or (US)+1.341.999.4099 | (VN)+84.387.285.099 (WhatsApp available)

4.  Popular Purposes of Using Hong Kong Documents in Vietnam

• Applying for a Temporary Residence Card
• Getting a Vietnam work permit or work-permit exemption certificate
• Getting married in Vietnam
• Registering a business, opening a company, or investing in Vietnam

5. How to apostille or legalize Hong Kong documents for use in Vietnam

Your document only needs one of the two routes below, not both. Check which one applies before you start.

If your document is Apostille-eligible

For authentication, you only need an Apostille from the Hong Kong High Court. You do not need Vietnamese Consulate legalization after a valid Apostille.

👉 Step 1: Notarize/Certify by a Notary Public or Commissioner of Oaths

This step is only if required, you can skip this step if your document already bears the signature of a recognized Hong Kong public official – this includes Marriage Certificates (Deputy Registrar of Marriage), Certificate of Absence of Marriage Record, Birth and Death Certificates, Certificate of Registered Particulars, Business Registration Certificate, and Certificate of Incorporation. Otherwise, have it notarized by a Notary Public or Commissioner of Oaths whose specimen signature is on file with the High Court.

👉 Step 2: Get the Apostille at the Hong Kong High Court

Submit your document to the Apostille Service Office, High Court Registry (Room LG115, High Court Building, 38 Queensway, Hong Kong), Monday to Friday except public holidays. Pay the government fee per Apostille at the Accounts Office (LG211), then collect your Apostilled document – usually within about 2 working days. If you’re outside Hong Kong, you can mail your document with a bank draft for the fee, or ask someone in Hong Kong to submit it on your behalf; the High Court can return it by registered air-mail for an extra fee.

👉 Step 3: Translate into Vietnamese and certify your documents

This is the final step of your Hong Kong document apostillation for use in Vietnam. Have it translated into Vietnamese if the receiving authority requires it, then submit it directly – no further Vietnamese consular step is needed. You can use your documents in Vietnam now.

If your document needs traditional legalization

Use this route only after you confirm that the document is outside the Convention or cannot become an eligible public or notarial document.

Normally, the Vietnam legalization of Hong Kong documents will be carried out in 4 steps below:

👉 Step 1: Notarize/Certify by a Notary Public or Commissioner of Oaths

In this step, you need to have your document notarized/certified by a competent Notary Public or Commissioners of Oaths whose specimen signature is maintained at the High Court of Hong Kong.

Note: This step is not required for public documents bearing the true signature of an official party such as a Hong Kong SAR Government recognized officer, including:

• Marriage Certificates signed by Deputy Registrar of Marriage
• Certificate of Absence of Marriage Record
• Birth and Death Certificate
• Certificate of Registered Particulars
• Business Registration Certificate
• Certificate of Incorporation

👉 Step 2: Authenticate by Hong Kong High Court

This step is also known as Hong Kong Apostille, or Hong Kong document authentication. It is done at Hong Kong High Court:

• High Court Building, 38 Queensway, Hong Kong
• Opening hours: 8:45 a.m. to 1:00 a.m & 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m Monday to Friday (except public holidays)

This step is not complicated, by in case you are in Hong Kong, in-person submission at the Hong Kong High Court is required. This step is briefly outlined as follows:

• Document submission and assessment: you will bring the document requested for authentication/apostille to the to the Apostille Service Office, High Court Registry at Room LG115, and then the Apostille Service official will decide if your document can be accepted for authentication/apostille service or not.
• Fee payment: you will pay the fee (by cash, EPS or cheque payable to “Government of Hong Kong SAR”) at the High Court Accounts Office at LG211 if your document is accepted for apostille/authentication, and then get you payment receipt.
• Collection appointment: You will then return to the Apostille Service Office at LG1, and present your payment receipt for checking. You then will be issued a collection receipt.
• Collection of apostilled document: You can collect in person or through an authorized person. On the appointed date, you/your authorized person will visit the Apostille Service Office at LG1 to collect your apostilled document.

In case you are outside Hong Kong, you can:

• Send your document to a person in Hong Kong to complete the process on your behalf, OR
• Mail to the Apostille Service Office, High Court Registry the document and a bank draft for the processing fee ($125 per apostille) (in Hong Kong currency) payable to ‘Government of Hong Kong SAR’. The bank draft must be specified that it can be drawn in Hong Kong. Moreover, the applicant should bear any additional bank charges for the transaction. The Apostilled document will then be sent to you by ordinary air-mail, or registered air-mail at your expense at an additional HK$15.5. In this case, the applicant should include this charge net into the bank draft.

👉 Step 3: Legalize by Vietnam Consulate General in HongKong

This is the final step of your Hong Kong document legalization for use in Vietnam, and it is known as Vietnam consulate in Hong Kong legalization.

In order to complete this procedure, you need to prepared required documents and then submit them to the Consulate General of Vietnam in Hong Kong at:

• 15/F, Great Smart Tower, 230 Wan Chai Rd, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
• Tel: +852 2835 9318

You will get your legalized documents after 3 – 5 working days.

👉 Step 4: Get certified translation into Vietnamese

You then need to translate your documents into Vietnamese for use in Vietnam. Arrange a Vietnamese translation that meets the receiving authority’s rules. Consular legalization only confirms the signature, seal and official role of the signer. It does not confirm the document’s content or guarantee acceptance.

6. Cost and processing time of Vietnam legalization of Hong Kong documents

The costs and the processing time to keep in mind for this procedure are the following:

• Cost and time of notarization/certification (if required): vary by the office;
• The government fee and time of Hong Kong apostille/authentication: HK $125/apostille stamp within 2 working days;
• The government fee and time of legalization by the Vietnam Consulate General in Hong Kong: US $10/legalization stamp & 3 – 5 working days.
• 15.5 HK$ for sending the document by registered air-mail by the Hong Kong High Court if you cannot be present in Hong Kong in person.

7. Document Requirements and Preparation Checklist

Check the document before it enters any paid stage. A spelling mismatch or unsuitable copy discovered after Apostille can require a new notarial certificate and a second application.

Information to check before submission

• Full name in Chinese characters and romanized form, compared with the current passport.
• Date and place of birth where relevant.
• Document or certificate number.
• Issuing body, place of issue and administrative jurisdiction.
• Date of issue and any freshness rule set by the Vietnamese receiving authority.
• Signature, signer’s capacity, official seal or stamp.
• Whether the record is an original, certified copy, notarial certificate or private document.
• Language and the required Vietnamese translation/certification method.
• Physical condition, attachments, binding and legibility of all pages.
• The exact Vietnam purpose and name of the receiving authority.

8. How can Vietnam-visa.com help you?

In case you’re in Vietnam and need to get your Hong Kong documents apostilled or legalized — for a work permit application, registering your marriage in Vietnam, investing in a Vietnamese business, or another procedure — and you can’t manage the Hong Kong side of the process yourself, our consular legalization service is built for exactly this situation.

Don’t leave your documents to a provider who doesn’t fully understand the current Apostille rules. Since Vietnam’s Apostille accession, some documents now qualify for the faster route and some still don’t — getting this wrong can mean a rejected submission, lost time, and having to start the process over.

With 10+ years handling Hong Kong document legalization for Vietnam, our team checks which route applies to your document before you pay for anything, then manages every step — from notarization, if needed, through to the Apostille or full legalization — and delivers the finished document to your address.

We only need a scan of your original documents to start, so you can keep the originals safe with you. Our standard processing time is within 15 working days. Send us your documents and we’ll confirm the exact processing time for your case before you commit.

So, should you need to legalize your Hong Kong documents SAFELY & QUICKLY, Vietnam-visa.com is the one to trust.

Our Hong Kong document consular legalization service covers:

• Notarization (if required);
• Hong Kong Apostille/Authentication;
• Vietnam General Consulate in Hong Kong legalization (for documents that need it).

Additionally, we can provide you with high-quality certified translation into Vietnamese.

Common Hong Kong documents legalized by us:

We have legalized a wide range of documents issued in Hong Kong for use in Vietnam, including:

• Certificates of birth,
• Certificate of death
• Certificate of marriage;
• Certificate of Absence of Marriage Record;
• Police Check Certificate;
• Education documents (school reports, certificates, diplomas);
• Employment confirmation;
• Business registration certificate;
• Articles of incorporation;
• registration certificates;
• Tax registrations;
• etc.

Our Service fee for Certain Hong Kong Document legalization for Vietnam:

Document type	Service fee (USD/stamp)			Required documents
	1-2 stamps	3-4 stamps	From 5 stamps
Diplomas – Certificates	228.1	224.1	220.1	Scan of original Diplomas – Certificates
Business registration certificate	228.1	224.1	220.1	Scan of Original Business registration certificate
Chinese passport	228.1	224.1	220.1	Scan of Original Passport
Employment confirmation	228.1	224.1	220.1	Scan of Original Employment Certificate + Passport + Business registration Certificate of confirming employer

In case you have other types of documents, feel free to request a quote at [email protected] or (US)+1.341.999.4099 | (VN)+84.387.285.099 (WhatsApp available).