Getting an affidavit for translation in China

[beloski]

Hi,

As part of my wife's spousal application, I need many Chinese documents translated into English, with an affidavit swearing that the translations are accurate.

I have called many translation companies in China, and none of them seem to know what an affidavit is. I don't think I'll be able to get an affidavit from a translation company, short of getting a lawyer to go over to the translation company, which would probably cost me a fortune. Would the official papers registering the translation company with the Chinese government suffice in place of the affidavit?

Originally, I wanted to get all this work done at the Chinese notary public office (公证处) because they can notarize and translate, but there's a new rule that they must first authenticate that the original document is real before making a notarized copy, which is basically impossible for non-Chinese documents. It also makes the process very expensive (~$100 per document).

So it seems that getting the affidavit from a translation company and getting a Canadian lawyer in China to notarize is my only choice.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

 

[woyaodeshihulu]

Hi,

As part of my wife's spousal application, I need many Chinese documents translated into English, with an affidavit swearing that the translations are accurate.

I have called many translation companies in China, and none of them seem to know what an affidavit is. I don't think I'll be able to get an affidavit from a translation company, short of getting a lawyer to go over to the translation company, which would probably cost me a fortune. Would the official papers registering the translation company with the Chinese government suffice in place of the affidavit?

Originally, I wanted to get all this work done at the Chinese notary public office (公证处) because they can notarize and translate, but there's a new rule that they must first authenticate that the original document is real before making a notarized copy, which is basically impossible for non-Chinese documents. It also makes the process very expensive (~$100 per document).

So it seems that getting the affidavit from a translation company and getting a Canadian lawyer in China to notarize is my only choice.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

We all just go to a Chinese notary public office (公证处) and they translate and notarize for you and that's it. When was the new rule?

 

[woyaodeshihulu]

If the document is already English, why do you have to get it notarized?

 

[steaky]

By any chance the non Chinese documents are Canadian? If so, have you tried the consulate?

Also is there any option to have them done in Canadian notaries or lawyers? I know some Canadian law firms have offices in HK and perhaps Shanghai.

 

[woyaodeshihulu]

By any chance the non Chinese documents are Canadian? If so, have you tried the consulate?

Also is there any option to have them done in Canadian notaries or lawyers? I know some Canadian law firms have offices in HK and perhaps Shanghai.

Yes. We had one document which was English but it is not for spousal visa, it is for the marriage certificate.

My husband's " Single Statutory Declaration" was done in Canada and it was English. This was quite complicated to us at the beginning as neither my husband and I had experience. It had to be notarized by the local lawyer and notary office in Canada and then authenticated by the Consulate/Embassy of China in Canada. Then we had to get it translated by a translation company designated by the marriage certificate office in China. It cost a lot!!

If by any chance you are talking about this document, I recommend you to directly apply it from the consulate/embassy of Canada in Beijing/Shanghai. In this case, the document does not have to be notarized/authenticated but only need to be translated. We only learned that after we had all the hassle.

If not, I can't figure out which Canadian document you would need to get notarized and translated into Chinese if you are applying for family sponsorship.



.

 

[beloski]

By any chance the non Chinese documents are Canadian? If so, have you tried the consulate?

Also is there any option to have them done in Canadian notaries or lawyers? I know some Canadian law firms have offices in HK and perhaps Shanghai.

Yes, they're Canadian. The consulate will only notarize documents that will be given to Chinese authorities. Yes, I was able to get a Canadian lawyer to notarize them. I'm just unsure about how to get an affidavit from a translation company.

 

[beloski]

Yes. We had one document which was English but it is not for spousal visa, it is for the marriage certificate.

My husband's " Single Statutory Declaration" was done in Canada and it was English. This was quite complicated to us at the beginning as neither my husband and I had experience. It had to be notarized by the local lawyer and notary office in Canada and then authenticated by the Consulate/Embassy of China in Canada. Then we had to get it translated by a translation company designated by the marriage certificate office in China. It cost a lot!!

If by any chance you are talking about this document, I recommend you to directly apply it from the consulate/embassy of Canada in Beijing/Shanghai. In this case, the document does not have to be notarized/authenticated but only need to be translated. We only learned that after we had all the hassle.

If not, I can't figure out which Canadian document you would need to get notarized and translated into Chinese if you are applying for family sponsorship.



.

I need my children's Canadian passport's notarized (not translated). My problem is getting all the Chinese documents translated with an affidavit (hukou, identity card, etc). I couldh get it done at the Chinese Public Notary Office, but I would have to go to my wife's hometown which is far away. She also just had a child, which makes traveling much harder.

I already had all the Chinese documents notarized by a Canadian lawyer, now I just need them translated but can't find any translation company with an affidavit.

Also, another random add on question. I have a lot of extra random documentation to prove that I live with my wife (medical reports, receipt for apartment deposit, work contract...). Do I need to get notarized copies of all those documents too, or would a photocopy suffice?
Thanks!

 

[steaky]

Can't your Canadian lawyer translate the document as well?

 

[beloski]

Can't your Canadian lawyer translate the document as well?

That is an excellent question! I never considered that for some reason. I only considered official translation companies. I will ask him and let everyone know how it worked out.

 

[steaky]

That is an excellent question! I never considered that for some reason. I only considered official translation companies. I will ask him and let everyone know how it worked out.

FYI, in response to the visa office request for translation & notarized my in-laws document such as hukou and marriage booklet, I went a notary public in Canada to have this done and returned document was accepted by the Hong Kong visa office.

 

[steaky]

I need my children's Canadian passport's notarized (not translated). My problem is getting all the Chinese documents translated with an affidavit (hukou, identity card, etc). I couldh get it done at the Chinese Public Notary Office, but I would have to go to my wife's hometown which is far away. She also just had a child, which makes traveling much harder.

I already had all the Chinese documents notarized by a Canadian lawyer, now I just need them translated but can't find any translation company with an affidavit.

Also, another random add on question. I have a lot of extra random documentation to prove that I live with my wife (medical reports, receipt for apartment deposit, work contract...). Do I need to get notarized copies of all those documents too, or would a photocopy suffice?
Thanks!

1) why do you need your child's Canadiam passport to be notarized? Is it for the Chinese authorities? I guess you can get it done at the Canadian consulate in Shanghai.
2) I would provide photocopies unless the visa office requires them notarized.

 

[steaky]

Yes. We had one document which was English but it is not for spousal visa, it is for the marriage certificate.

My husband's " Single Statutory Declaration" was done in Canada and it was English. This was quite complicated to us at the beginning as neither my husband and I had experience. It had to be notarized by the local lawyer and notary office in Canada and then authenticated by the Consulate/Embassy of China in Canada. Then we had to get it translated by a translation company designated by the marriage certificate office in China. It cost a lot!!

If by any chance you are talking about this document, I recommend you to directly apply it from the consulate/embassy of Canada in Beijing/Shanghai. In this case, the document does not have to be notarized/authenticated but only need to be translated. We only learned that after we had all the hassle.

If not, I can't figure out which Canadian document you would need to get notarized and translated into Chinese if you are applying for family sponsorship.



.

No, I'm not talking about this document. I had this done at my Canadian lawyer who also provide China attesting service. No hassle.

 

[beloski]

1) why do you need your child's Canadiam passport to be notarized? Is it for the Chinese authorities? I guess you can get it done at the Canadian consulate in Shanghai.
2) I would provide photocopies unless the visa office requires them notarized.

1) The checklist for the application for permanent residence asks for a copy of the travel documents of every family member that will be coming to Canada with the principal applicant. Anyways, I don't have a problem notarizing things.
2) I'm scared to only provide photocopies because the complete application guide states that certified copies and translations with affidavits need to be provided for every single document submitted, unless stated otherwise. I never saw them state otherwise, so I assume I will need it certified / translated / affidavit.

 

[beloski]

Can't your Canadian lawyer translate the document as well?

So I talked to the Canadian lawyer and he can do the translation and affidavit. Thanks again for the suggestion.

It will be interesting if this works, as it provides an alternative to going through the Chinese notary public office (公证处), which has a lot of red tape, can take a long time and could force you to travel to different cities where the different Chinese documents were issued.

I see no reason why doing it through this Canadian lawyer won't work, so I'm feeling good about it. This is my last step to the PR application. Everything else is ready! So excited to be done with this paperwork.

 

[steaky]

All the best!