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Due to accusations of illegal hacking and espionage, including the indictment of two Chinese nationals accused of spying on a biotech firm researching COVID-19 cures, the US Department of State has ordered the immediate closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston.  There are still five Chinese consulates in operation in the US, including one in Washington DC, but due to COVID-19 they are closed to the public and are only processing urgent visa-related emergencies by email.

Because China is not a Hague country, those seeking to legalize their documents must have their document authenticated at the local, state, federal, and embassy level.  This means that international documents cannot be seen as legitimate in China until they have been certified by one of the Chinese Consulates in the US.  Since Atlanta Apostille is located in the state of Georgia, we are required to work with the Chinese Consulate in Houston to obtain this certification.

Unfortunately, due to this closure, Atlanta Apostille will not be able to process any documents for use in China until the Chinese Consulate reopens or we are transferred to another consulate in the country.  We apologize for this inconvenience, and we will post an update as soon as we have more information.  Our office is still offering local, state, and federal certification in the meantime.  If you have any more questions or if you’re looking to start the process of authenticating your documents, feel free to call us at (404) 323-4211 or email us at support@atlantaapostille.com.

For the safety of our clients, the staff at Atlanta Apostille has increased daily cleaning procedures according to the latest reports from the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

There are no plans to close Atlanta Apostille at this time.  We will be operating at our regular business hours with calls from 8:00 AM-11:00 PM and office hours from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM, and we will schedule ten to fifteen minute long appointments during our office hours to ensure minimal contact and exposure.  We are disinfecting surfaces throughout the day with cleaning supplies recommended by the CDC, and we ask anyone coming in for an appointment to wash their hands first before entering.  Our office employs minimal staff, and we are taking care to make sure that both our clients and our employees are using a combination of hand sanitizing and thorough hand washing in order to keep our doors open to the public.

The Macaquarium building that our office is located in has also implemented a night cleaning crew that will wipe down door handles and knobs throughout the building with disinfecting wipes.  All bathrooms will be sanitized, including hard surfaces, and all hard surface floors will be damp mopped nightly.  Another employee has also been added to the lobby during the day to keep it sanitized by wiping down call buttons, elevator buttons, door handles, and hand rails regularly.

If you are not feeling well or are experiencing any symptoms such as a dry cough, fever, or shortness of breath, we ask that you call us as soon as possible to reschedule your appointment to a later date and call your healthcare provider for medical advice.  For more information on how to protect yourself from COVID-19, please visit www.cdc.gov or contact your local health department website.  Thank for your patience and understanding at this time – we will update our site if there are any changes to our operations in the near future.  Please feel free to contact us at (404) 323-4211 for further questions.