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Foreign certificates for a residence permit application: translation and legalisation notes

Sources checked · After arrival

Marriage, birth and kinship certificates issued abroad fall under two rules in Section 12 of the National Immigration Administration's service guide for residence permits. Item (三) says that certificates issued by a foreign authority or notary shall be legalised by the Chinese embassy or consulate in that country. The final sentence of Section 12 says that foreign-language proof materials shall be translated into Chinese.

About the source

The English in this article is this site's translation of the Chinese text of the National Immigration Administration's service guide for issuing, extending, replacing and reissuing foreigners' residence permits. The web address of the page includes the folder number 201903, which suggests the page was posted in March 2019. Check the current version with the publisher before you file.

Who counts as a family member

Section 12, item (一), lists these as family members, in this order:

  • spouse
  • parents
  • parents of the spouse
  • children
  • siblings
  • grandparents
  • maternal grandparents
  • grandchildren
  • maternal grandchildren
  • spouse of a child

Which documents prove family and kinship

Section 12, item (二), names two groups of proof.

  • Certificates issued by the competent authority of the country concerned: marriage certificate, birth certificate, adoption certificate, other kinship certificates, and related notarisation.
  • Certificates issued by the embassy or consulate in China of the country concerned: marriage certificate, birth certificate, kinship certificate, name-change certificate, and similar data-change certificates.

Item (二) does not say whether the second group needs legalisation. Item (三) covers certificates issued by foreign authorities or notaries, and it mentions no certificates issued by an embassy or consulate in China.

Legalisation

Item (三) reads, in this site's translation: marriage, birth, kinship, name-change and similar certificates issued by a foreign competent authority or notarial office "shall be legalised by the Chinese embassy or consulate in that country."

Item (三) names the Chinese embassy or consulate in that country as the body that legalises these certificates. Item (三) names no legalisation steps.

Identity documents

Section 12, item (四), lists the identity proof for each group:

  • Mainland Chinese residents: a local permanent household registration certificate, or a proof of residence at the actual place of residence for six months or more, together with the resident identity card.
  • Overseas Chinese: a Chinese passport and a proof of residence abroad.
  • Hong Kong and Macao residents: the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents.
  • Taiwan residents: the Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents.
  • Foreigners: the foreigner's permanent residence card.

Item (四) also says that overseas Chinese, and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents, shall also submit a proof of residence at the actual place of residence for six months or more.

Translation

The final sentence of Section 12 reads, in this site's translation: "relevant foreign-language proof materials shall be translated into Chinese."

Section 12 names no translator qualification. Section 12 also names no format for the translation.

Where these certificates come up: personal matters

Section 6, item 5 (personal matters), covers holders of S1 visas. The item has four sentences, and each is stated here separately.

  • A relative visiting an S1 holder shall submit a letter from the person being visited that states the kinship (spouse, parents, parents of the spouse, or children under 18), together with residence documents.
  • A residence permit may be issued for a period matching the stay in China of the person being visited.
  • Other persons shall submit proof materials related to their personal affairs.
  • A residence permit may be issued for no more than one year.

Item 5 names no marriage certificate and no birth certificate. It asks for a letter from the person visited that states the kinship.

Section 6(1), item 3, refers to supporting materials relevant to the application and names no particular certificate. The final sentence of Section 6(1) says that these proof materials may be shown in original, and that copies may be kept.

Suggestion, not a rule

Before you collect the certificates, you may want to ask the office handling your case which translation and legalisation format it expects. Section 12 sets no format.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary, is not published by or affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council, the National Immigration Administration, any embassy or any university, is not legal advice, and where it differs from the official text or the current notice of the office handling your case, the official text and that notice prevail.