Updated: Updates to Services we provide in HK and Make a certified copy of a document sections
Overview
The British Consulate General Hong Kong can provide a range of notarial and documentary services for British nationals in Hong Kong and Macao.
Where local notaries can provide services, the British consulate will not provide them. In many cases local notaries or lawyers can provide services more cheaply, quickly and conveniently.
You must make an appointment for each service and your personal attendance is required. Please use the links after each service to make an appointment.
Before booking, make sure you have selected the correct service and that the document will be accepted by the relevant authority. This could be the local town hall, registry office, tax authorities, immigration office or another authority either in Hong Kong, the UK or a third country.
Services we provide in Hong Kong
Consular staff in Hong Kong can:
administer an oath, affirmation or affidavit
witness a signature
make a certified copy of a document
unite documents
prepare a document in English
prepare a certificate of signature
prepare a letter for the Hong Kong Police regarding a Certificate of No Criminal Conviction
Please note that, under Hong Kong Law (Section 10 of the Consular Relations Ordinance), consular staff in Hong Kong are not permitted to undertake notarial acts for use in Hong Kong.
For information about documents relating to marriage, such as a certificate of no impediment (CNI) and affirmations or affidavits of marital status, please see getting married abroad.
If you can’t find the service you are looking for on this page, please see other services provided by the British Consulate General in Hong Kong.
What to bring to your appointment
See the individual services below for details of supporting documents to bring. Make sure you have acceptable proof of address and identity, and payment for any fees. See the full list of consular fees.
Payment
We accept payment by Visa, MasterCard, or cash in the local currency on the day of the appointment.
Proof of address and identity
For all appointments for notarial services you will need to bring acceptable proof of your identity and address.
We accept passports as proof of identity.
We accept utility bills, bank statements, rental contracts or tax bills as proof of your address.
Administer an oath, affirmation or affidavit
This service is for people who need to swear an oath, make an affirmation or make an affidavit in front of a consular officer.
The consulate will not draft documents for you. First check with the consulate what format they need and then have the document drawn up or checked by a professional.
Once you have booked an appointment, a consular officer will contact you to request a copy of your document, so that we can confirm that this service can be provided to you.
What you will need to bring with you:
the oath, affirmation or affidavit that you will swear or affirm
the correct fee – see the list of fees and payment options
proof of identity/address – see what we will accept as proof
evidence of the contents mentioned in the oath, affirmation or affidavit
Book an appointment for an oath, affirmation or affidavit at the British Consulate General Hong Kong
Witness a signature
This service is for customers who need to sign a document and have their signature witnessed by a consular officer. The document must be prepared before your appointment as we will not draft documents for you. We do not handle wills or probate, or witness deed polls.
Please do not sign the document before your appointment.
Once you have booked an appointment, a consular officer will contact you to request a copy of your document, so that we can confirm that this service can be provided to you.
What you will need to bring with you:
the document that you will sign before a witness
proof of identity/address – see what we will accept as proof
the correct fee – see the list of fees and payment options
Book an appointment for witnessing a signature at the British Consulate General Hong Kong
Make a certified copy of a document
This service is for customers who need certified photocopies of British passports, Home Office registration/naturalisation certificates, UK educational documents (only those that have been issued in the UK by a recognised institution and are listed on the Legalisation Office website), British driving licences and British divorce decrees. We cannot provide certified true copies of passports for use in relation to banking in the UK.
We are unable to provide certified photocopies of any other documents, such as (this list is not exhaustive):
UK birth, marriage and death certificates: these can be obtained from the relevant General Register Office in the UK
foreign documents, such as identity documents, passports, birth, marriage and death certificates, and driving licences
bank statements
utility bills
documents relating to companies, property, wills, change of name, power of attorney
Please note that, as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency no longer issues paper counterparts to driving licences, staff in Hong Kong cannot make certified copies of paper counterpart licences. The only exception to this is where your licence was issued before 1998, meaning you only hold a paper driving licence.
What you will need to bring with you:
the document to be copied
proof of identity/address – see what we will accept as proof
the correct fee – see the list of fees and payment options
Book an appointment for certified copies at the British Consulate General Hong Kong
Unite documents
This service joins documents together using ribbon and a seal and is usually only needed for legal reasons.
What you will need to bring with you:
the documents to be united
proof of identity/address – see what we will accept as proof
the correct fee – see the list of fees and payment options
Book an appointment to unite documents at the British Consulate General Hong Kong
Prepare a document in English
In a limited number of cases consular staff can write a statement of fact (‘preparing a certificate’) to help British nationals with various local authorities. The wording must be cleared with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, which means these documents will take longer to prepare.
We can only provide this service if we have proof that the wording/content you require is correct and unambiguous. This service is provided at the discretion of consular staff and we can refuse to provide it. Please contact the consulate before making an appointment.
We can only prepare these documents in English. Please ensure you select the correct service and note the difference in fees.
Once you have booked an appointment, a consular officer will contact you to request a copy of your document, so that we can confirm that this service can be provided to you.
What you will need to bring with you:
the wording or content and proof it is correct and unambiguous
proof of identity/address – see what we will accept as proof
the correct fee – see the list of fees and payment options
For documents in English:
Book an appointment to prepare a document in English at the British Consulate General Hong Kong
Certificate of Signature
This service can be provided to British nationals who require evidence of their signature for use in a foreign country.
What you will need to bring with you:
proof of identity/address – see what we will accept as proof
the correct fee – fee 2(1) – see the list of fees and payment options
Book an appointment to prepare a document in English at the British Consulate General Hong Kong
Hong Kong Certificate of No Criminal Conviction
We can provide introduction letters for production at the Hong Kong Police for a Certificate of No Criminal Conviction (CNCC) only if the CNCC is to be used in the UK and that you have evidence of this (eg a letter from the UK University personally addressed to you in the name shown on your passport).
What you will need to bring with you:
the letter from the UK establishment addressed to you in the name that appears on your passport
proof of identity/address – see what we will accept as proof
the correct fee – fee 2(1) – see the list of fees and payment options
Book an appointment to prepare a document in English at the British Consulate General Hong Kong
Services provided elsewhere
Life Certificates for UK State Pensions
Please note the consulate can no longer witness Life Certificates for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The DWP has changed their policy on who can now sign these ‘Life Certificates’. This is the same as the list of people who can ‘countersign’ a passport photo - though they don’t need to live in the UK, or have a passport from a specific country.
Information Notes
Passport Numbers change upon renewal
Please note the consulate can no longer issue letters confirming the change of passport numbers upon renewal. Instead you can download a free copy of an
Information Note: Passport Numbers change upon renewal
(PDF, 112KB, 1 page)
which may serve in place of the letter. Alternatively, you can submit a Freedom of Information Request to HM Passport Office, asking for confirmation that you were the holder of your previous passport(s). Please visit HM Passport Office for further information and contact details. The British Consulate-General cannot answer any queries on this subject.
Nationality – Confirmation of British Nationality
Please note the consulate can no longer issue letters confirming British nationality. Instead you can download a free copy of an
Information Note: Nationality - Confirmation of British Nationality
(PDF, 147KB, 1 page)
which may serve in place of the letter. Alternatively, you can submit an application to the Home Office for confirmation of your British nationality status.
Data protection
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office holds and uses data for purposes notified to the Information Commissioner under the Data Protection Act 1998. Such personal data may be disclosed to other UK government departments and public authorities.
Disclaimer
This information is provided as a general guide and is based upon information provided to the embassy / consulate by the relevant authorities and may be subject to change at any time with little or no notice. Accordingly the FCO and the British embassy / consulate will not be liable for any inaccuracies in this information. For all notarial and legalisation services it is the responsibility of the customer to ascertain the precise requirements of the person requesting the notarial or legalisation service and to satisfy themselves that the service provided by the embassy/consulate will be accepted.