China and the Netherlands at a glance
- Stamp
- Apostille, Hague Convention in force for China since 7 November 2023
- Issued by
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing or the Foreign Affairs Office of the province where the notary works
- Language
- Mandarin, with a translation bound in by the notary
- Register
- State Administration for Market Regulation, the company register (SAMR)
- Tax treaty
- Signed 2013, in force 2014 (Rijksoverheid, 1 October 2026)
- EU trade
- General EU tariff
- In the Netherlands
- 580 companies controlled from China in 2024, 470 in 2021 (+23.4%), about 14,000 jobs, €15.3 billion turnover, 2.9% of all 19,995 foreign-controlled companies (CBS, 9 October 2026)
- Moving here
- Residence permit needed
Documents from China
Passport copy, certified by a notary in China.
Proof of address in China, at most three months old.
Power of attorney. Sign the power of attorney at a Chinese notary office (公证处). The notary issues a notarial certificate, and the Foreign Affairs Office of that province apostilles it.
Ownership statement, one page from us.
The apostille. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing or the Foreign Affairs Office of the province where the notary works. China has issued apostilles since 7 November 2023. An apostille usually takes a few working days.
Good to know. A provincial Foreign Affairs Office only apostilles documents from its own province. For example, a Shanghai notarial certificate is apostilled by the Shanghai office or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. Chinese notarial certificates usually include an English translation by the notary office. The Dutch notary generally accepts this translation. Hong Kong and Macau have their own authorities.
If a company from China becomes a shareholder
Register extract, at most three months old: State Administration for Market Regulation, the company register (SAMR). Order a copy of the business licence and the company registration information (企业登记信息), certified by the notary office. The notarial certificate shows the shareholders and the legal representative. Plus articles, signing authority and ownership chart.
Trade between China and the EU
China is the EU's third-largest trading partner for goods and services, after the United States and the United Kingdom. Trade in goods between the EU and China reached €732 billion in 2024.
In 2025, EU exports to China came to €199.5 billion and imports from China to €559.5 billion. The EU deficit in goods trade with China reached €359.9 billion in 2025, up from €312.2 billion in 2024.
In 2025, manufactured goods made up 86.2% of EU exports to China and 97.3% of imports, led on both sides by machinery and vehicles. The EU recorded a surplus of €21.3 billion in services trade with China in 2025.
EU investment stock in China stood at €239.3 billion in 2024, and Chinese investment stock in the EU at €79.8 billion. The two sides discuss trade at the annual EU-China Summit and in the High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue.
Import duties: Access2Markets.
Sources: European Commission [1].
Your next step from China
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