China: Knowledge Base profile
Published 1 May 2024
© Crown copyright 2024
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/china-knowledge-base-profile/china-knowledge-base-profile
About: China
This document contains useful information about China which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.
Contacts
If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.
If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.
Publication
Below is information on when this version of the document was published:
- version 3.0
- published for Home Office staff on 25 April 2024
Changes from last version of this document
This document has been updated with minor formatting changes.
China: names
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in China.
Naming conventions exist in China, and include:
- citizens referred to by their surname first
- forenames being transposed
Chinese forenames are often transposed due to western writing being completed from left to right, where Chinese writing is completed from right to left. An example of a transposed forename is where a China passport shows the person’s name as LI Xiaoling Victoria. LI is the surname and Xiaoling Victoria are the forenames.
Change of name
Women do not usually take their husband’s surname after marriage. If a married woman does take her husband’s surname, she will typically add it before her maiden name (creating a double barrelled surname) for example, if Miss CHEN married Mr LI, she could be known as Mrs LI CHEN.
Name alignment
If the customer cannot provide an aligned passport or evidence to show that it is not possible to align the passport, the customer can submit a cancelled China passport as evidence.
China: nationality
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in China.
Dual nationality is not recognised in China.
China: legitimacy and parental responsibility
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in China.
Legitimacy
China recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.
A child will be considered:
- legitimate from birth if the child is born to married parents
- illegitimate if born to:
- parents who never marry
- parents who are unmarried at the time of birth who later marry
Parental responsibility
Both parents have parental responsibility whether they are married or not.
China: adoption
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in China.
Adoption is legal in China.
China: surrogacy
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in China.
Surrogacy is illegal in China.
China: gender recognition
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in China.
Transgender citizens are recognised in China.
China: civil partnerships
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships in China.
Same sex relationships are not legally recognised in China.
China: documents
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in China.
Birth certificates
Birth certificates are issued for all births in China. Births must be registered within 2 years of the birth.
Non Chinese national parents will have their names recorded on birth certificates in English.
Marriage certificates
Marriage certificates are issued following the registration of all marriages in China, within 24 to 48 hours of the marriage taking place.
Two separate certificates are issued, one for the bride and one for the groom.
Death certificates
The procedure to register deaths in China varies by area and location of the death.
For areas that are:
- covered by the Ministry of Health for deaths and causes of deaths, a Medical Death Certificate will be issued after the death
- not covered by the Ministry of Health, the use of the standard Medical Death Certificates are recommended but not mandatory