Starting from November 7th, 2023, public documents issued in Samoa can be used in mainland of China upon obtaining the Samoan Apostille, without requiring consular authentication from the Chinese Embassy in Samoa.

China acceded to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents on March 8th, 2023. According to the Convention, public documents issued in a member State of the Convention can be used among member States after the issuance of Apostille. Both China and Samoa are signing countries of the Convention. The direct use of Samoan public documents in China after obtaining Samoan Apostille can effectively simplify the procedures for the use of public documents abroad and reduce time and costs. China will continue to facilitate international trade and people-to-people exchanges, and serve high-quality development and high-level opening up.