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Because of a ruling by the Chinese Ministry of Justice the certificates of marriage, health, financial status, and no criminal record will have a six-month notarial validity period. However, this rule is implemented in a way that will lessen the impact on adopting parents. Read carefully, because you may not have to get your documents re-notarized. Documents must have Chinese authentication and notarization stamps no older than six months when an adoption is completed in China. However, the time that the document sits at the China Center for Adoption Affairs office does not count. So, the "age" of your documents, for purposes of a current notarization, works like this.
In practical terms, i.e., the part of the process that you can help control, it is important to get your agency to send in your documents quickly after they get your completed dossier. This will stop the clock by getting the dossier into the CCAA. Also, you should hold all your documents and get them authenticated in one batch at the Chinese consulate or embassy. This will prevent one or two old documents from holding up your adoption process.
This is one more processing constraint to worry about, but with a little care this should not hold up any adoptions.