China Civil Documents · Updated May 2026
China Notarial Birth Certificate (出生公证) for U.S. Immigration: How to Get It
China will not hand you a copy of your birth record. It gives you a notarial birth certificate. Here is how to order the right one, in the right order, with the translation already inside.
Summary
Order a notarial birth certificate (出生公证 chūshēng gōngzhèng) from a Chinese notary public office (公证处 gōngzhèng-chù); ask for the English translation to be bound inside, and do not pay for an apostille for the U.S. filing. China does not release raw civil records, so a notary office reviews your records and issues a bilingual booklet that certifies your birth. Born 1996 or later, the notary builds it from your medical certificate of birth (出生医学证明). Born before 1996 or missing that document, the notary issues a factual-recital certificate from your household registration (户口), archives, or a police-station birth statement; both forms are accepted. All mainland-China immigrant visa interviews happen at the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou.
At a glance
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| What you order | A notarial birth certificate (出生公证), a bilingual booklet from a Chinese notary public office (公证处 gōngzhèng-chù). China does not hand applicants a copy of the raw civil record; the notarial certificate is the operative birth document for a U.S. green card. |
| Born 1996 or later | The notary builds the certificate from your medical certificate of birth (出生医学证明 chūshēng yīxué zhèngmíng), which became the nationwide birth record in 1996. This is the common case. |
| Born before 1996 (or no medical certificate) | No nationwide medical certificate of birth exists, so the notary issues a factual-recital certificate built from your household registration (户口 hùkǒu), archives, or a birth-circumstances statement from your local police station. This is normal and accepted. |
| Translation | Built into the booklet. Tell the notary office it is for U.S. immigration and ask it to bind the English translation plus a translator's accuracy statement inside, so you usually do not buy a separate certified translation. State Department guidance requires every notarial document to carry an English translation with a conformity statement. |
| Apostille | Not needed for the U.S. green-card filing. China joined the Hague Apostille Convention on November 7, 2023, but that governs cross-border recognition of public documents in general. The National Visa Center (NVC), USCIS, and the Guangzhou consulate work from the notarial booklet plus its translation. |
| Issuing authority | A notary public office (公证处) under the PRC Ministry of Justice, with jurisdiction over the Public Security Bureau (PSB) where your hùkǒu is, was canceled, or where you were born. |
| Typical cost | Roughly RMB 300 to 500 including translation, per State Department fee ranges. Fees vary by city and notary office; verify before relying on this. |
| Where the interview happens | The U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou (43 Hua Jiu Road, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District) processes every mainland-China immigrant visa. Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Wuhan handle nonimmigrant visas only. |
Document details and fee range verified May 2026 against the U.S. Department of State China reciprocity page. Verify directly before relying on them.
Which form you get depends on your birth year
The single thing that decides how your notarial birth certificate is built is whether you have a medical certificate of birth (出生医学证明). China made that document its nationwide birth record in 1996, under the 1994 Law on Maternal and Infant Health Care. Read the two cases below and find yours. Either path ends in the same bilingual notarial booklet.
Born 1996 or later: certified from your medical certificate of birth
The notary attaches your medical certificate of birth (出生医学证明) and certifies the copy conforms to the original. China made the medical certificate of birth its nationwide birth record in 1996, under the 1994 Law on Maternal and Infant Health Care, so most people born from 1996 on have this document. Attorneys call this form 出生证公证.
Born before 1996, or no medical certificate: a factual-recital certificate
When there is no standard medical certificate of birth, the notary issues a certificate that recites your birth facts, built from your household registration (户口), archives, or a birth-circumstances statement from your local police station. It does not attach a photocopy of an underlying record. Attorneys call this form 出生公证, which is the slug of this page.
What a Chinese notarial birth certificate actually is
In most countries you order a copy of the birth record itself. China works differently. Your underlying records, such as your medical certificate of birth and your household registration (户口 hùkǒu), stay in government archives. To prove your birth for use abroad, you go to a notary public office (公证处 gōngzhèng-chù), which reviews those records and issues a notarial birth certificate (出生公证) that certifies the facts. As the State Department puts it, the document is a notarial certificate (公证书), and “all notarial documents must have an English translation, and be attached with a certificate stating that the English translation conforms with the Chinese original.”
The certificate is a bilingual booklet with the notary office name, a red notary-office seal, the notary’s signature, and a case number. For a U.S. case it binds the Chinese certificate, an English translation, and a translator’s statement that the translation conforms to the original. Notary offices operate under the Ministry of Justice and exist in major cities and county seats. The birth certificate shares this booklet format with the marriage, single-status, and police certificates, which is why the China notarial certificates overview is the map for the whole set.
How to get it: the order of operations
Follow this sequence once. Doing it in this order keeps you from bringing the wrong document, paying for a translation you do not need, or filing at a notary office that cannot reach your records.
Step 1: Confirm your birth year decides which evidence the notary uses
Born 1996 or later: bring your medical certificate of birth (出生医学证明). Born before 1996, or your medical certificate is lost: the notary works from your household registration (户口簿), archives, or a birth-circumstances statement from your local police station instead. Either path ends in the same notarial booklet, so do not panic if you have no medical certificate.
Step 2: Gather the records the notary office requires
Bring your national ID and household registration book (户口簿), or your passport if you are abroad; the birth evidence from Step 1; your parents' identification; and two passport-style photos. The State Department lists these as the standard inputs for a notarial birth certificate. If someone applies for you, also bring a signed authorization (see Step 5).
Step 3: File at a notary office (公证处) with the right jurisdiction
Go to a notary office under the Ministry of Justice that has jurisdiction over the Public Security Bureau where your hùkǒu is currently registered, was canceled, or where you were born. A notary office in the wrong jurisdiction cannot pull your archived records. The office examines the records, you pay the fee (about RMB 300 to 500 including translation), and it issues the bilingual notarial booklet.
Step 4: Ask for the English translation inside the booklet
Tell the notary office the certificate is for U.S. immigration so it binds the English translation and a translator's accuracy statement into the same booklet. This is why most China applicants do not buy a separate certified translation. The complete booklet is normally four pages: the Chinese certificate, the English translation, and the translator's certification. Confirm the translation is present and complete before you leave.
Step 5: If you live in the United States, authorize a proxy in China
You usually cannot order the certificate yourself from abroad. Authorize a relative in China to apply on your behalf with a signed power of attorney (委托书 wěituō-shū); the notary office will want documentation of that authorization. Some U.S. immigration law offices also file as your proxy. Start early, because mailing and processing add weeks before your NVC document deadline.
Step 6: Submit to NVC, then bring the original booklet to Guangzhou
Upload a scan of the notarial booklet to the National Visa Center for document review, then carry the original booklet to your immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou. Do not pay for an apostille for this filing unless a specific U.S. agency asks for one in writing.
Translation and apostille: what you do and do not need
Two steps cause the most confusion and the most wasted money. For the U.S. green-card filing, one is built in and the other is skipped.
Translation
Built into the booklet. Tell the notary office the certificate is for U.S. immigration and ask it to include the English translation and a translator’s accuracy statement in the same booklet. State Department guidance requires every notarial document to carry an English translation with a conformity statement, so most China applicants do not buy a separate certified translation.
Apostille / legalization
Not needed for this filing. The National Visa Center, USCIS, and the Guangzhou consulate work from the notarial booklet plus its translation. Do not pay for an apostille for your green-card case unless a specific U.S. agency asks for one in writing.
You may have read that China “is now an apostille country.” That is true: China acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention effective November 7, 2023, and Chinese embassies and consulates in the U.S. stopped doing consular authentication that day. But the apostille governs how a Chinese public document is recognized abroad in general. It does not add a step to your U.S. green-card filing, which still works from the notarial birth certificate and its built-in translation.
What applicants report
Aggregated from the VisaJourney China and IR-1/CR-1 forums and immigration-attorney guidance, 2019–2025. The notarial birth certificate draws steady but narrow forum chatter, so we lead with the patterns that repeat. Real applicant reports, not legal advice; your office and case may differ.
Tips from the community
A birth certificate that omits the parents' birthdates is normal
A recurring worry on the VisaJourney China forum is that the notarial birth certificate lists the parents' names but not their birthdates or places of birth. Posters report this is the standard booklet format and did not cause a problem at Guangzhou. The certificate certifies the beneficiary's birth facts; it is not expected to fully document the parents.
VisaJourney China thread on parents' details in the notarial birth certificate, 2024
Tell the notary it is for U.S. immigration so the translation is bound in
Applicants who say up front that the certificate is for a U.S. immigrant visa report getting the four-page bilingual booklet with the translator's certificate already inside, and avoid paying a separate translation service. If you do not say so, some offices issue a Chinese-only certificate and you have to go back.
Chodorow Law China notarial-certificate guide and VisaJourney China threads, 2023–2025
Rejections usually trace to the wrong document, not a bad notary office
VisaJourney members describe Chinese birth certificates being rejected more than once. The common cause is submitting a hospital slip or a Chinese-only document instead of the bilingual notarial booklet, or using a notary office without jurisdiction over the right hùkǒu. The fix is to reorder the correct notarial certificate from the right jurisdiction with the translation inside.
VisaJourney IR-1/CR-1 thread “Birth certificate rejected multiple times,” April 2024
If the record cannot be obtained, get a statement of unavailability first
For births that were never registered or where archives were lost, the notary may be unable to issue a certificate, and most notaries will not write a denial letter. Applicants report the path is to document repeated good-faith attempts, then submit secondary evidence such as the household register (户口), school records, old photos, and sworn affidavits. The sibling birth-record-gaps guide walks through this.
Chodorow Law “unobtainable birth certificate” guidance and VisaJourney China birth-record threads, 2019–2025
In their words
“My Chinese notarial certificate of birth has my parents' names but not their birthdates or places of birth. Is that going to be a problem?”
“The birth certificate keeps getting rejected. It turned out I needed the notarial certificate with the English translation, not the document I first sent.”
Sources
- U.S. Department of State: China Reciprocity and Civil Documents (Birth Certificate) (verified May 2026)
- U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou: Immigrant Visa Post Supplement (verified May 2026)
- Chodorow Law Offices: How to Apply for a Notarial China Birth Certificate (Type 1 vs Type 2, 1996 cutoff) (verified May 2026)
- Chodorow Law Offices: How to Prove a China Birth Certificate Is Unobtainable (verified May 2026)
- China Briefing: China Joins the Apostille Convention (effective November 7, 2023) (verified May 2026)
- VisaJourney China and IR-1/CR-1 forums (community), 2019–2025
Frequently asked questions
What is a Chinese notarial birth certificate (出生公证) and why do I need one?
China does not give applicants a copy of the raw birth record. Instead, a notary public office (公证处 gōngzhèng-chù) under the Ministry of Justice reviews your underlying records and issues a notarial birth certificate (出生公证): a bilingual booklet with a red seal that certifies your birth facts. For a U.S. green card, this booklet, not a photocopy of a hospital document, is what the National Visa Center and the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou work from.
I was born after 1996. What does the notary use to make my certificate?
Your medical certificate of birth (出生医学证明). China made this the nationwide birth record in 1996, under the 1994 Law on Maternal and Infant Health Care, so most people born from 1996 on have one. The notary certifies that a copy of it conforms to the original and binds it into the booklet with an English translation.
I was born before 1996 and have no medical certificate of birth. Can I still get the document?
Yes. For births before 1996, or when the medical certificate is lost, the notary issues a factual-recital certificate built from your household registration (户口), archives, or a birth-circumstances statement from your local police station. It does not attach a photocopy of an underlying record. This form is normal and is accepted by USCIS and the State Department.
Do I need a separate English translation?
Usually no. Ask the notary office to include the English translation and a translator's accuracy statement in the same booklet when you say it is for U.S. immigration. State Department guidance requires every notarial document to carry an English translation with a statement that it conforms to the Chinese original, and the notary office binds that into the certificate. Confirm the translation is present and complete before you leave.
Does my Chinese birth certificate need an apostille for the green card?
No. China joined the Hague Apostille Convention effective November 7, 2023, and Chinese embassies and consulates in the U.S. stopped doing consular legalization that day. But the apostille governs how a Chinese public document is recognized abroad in general; it is not what the U.S. green-card filing uses. The National Visa Center, USCIS, and the Guangzhou consulate accept the bilingual notarial booklet plus its built-in translation. Do not pay for an apostille for this filing unless a specific U.S. agency requests one in writing.
Where do I get it, and can I do it from the United States?
Go to a notary public office (公证处) with jurisdiction over the Public Security Bureau where your household registration (户口 hùkǒu) is, was canceled, or where you were born. If you are in the U.S., you usually cannot order it yourself; authorize a relative in China to apply on your behalf with a signed power of attorney (委托书), which the notary office will want to see. Some U.S. immigration law offices also file as your proxy.
What does the certificate cost?
State Department fee ranges put the notarial birth certificate at roughly RMB 300 to 500, including the translation. Fees vary by city and notary office, so confirm the amount before you go. (Fee range as of May 2026; verify before relying on it.)
What if my birth was never registered or the record cannot be obtained?
For births that were never registered or where archives were lost, the notary may be unable to issue a certificate, and most notaries will not write a formal denial. Document your repeated good-faith attempts, then submit secondary evidence of your birth, such as the household register (户口), school records, old photographs, and sworn affidavits from people with direct knowledge. Our China birth-record-gaps guide walks through this path in detail.
Key takeaways
- ✓
The U.S. green-card document is a notarial birth certificate (出生公证): a bilingual booklet from a Chinese notary office (公证处), not a raw civil record, which China does not release to applicants.
- ✓
Born 1996 or later, the notary builds it from your medical certificate of birth (出生医学证明). Born before 1996 or with no medical certificate, the notary issues a factual-recital certificate from your household registration, archives, or a police-station statement. Both are accepted.
- ✓
The English translation is bound into the booklet, so most China applicants do not buy a separate certified translation. Confirm it is included before you leave the office.
- ✓
No apostille is needed for the green-card filing. China joined the Apostille Convention on November 7, 2023, but NVC and the Guangzhou consulate work from the notarial booklet plus its translation.
- ✓
File at a notary office with jurisdiction over the Public Security Bureau where your hùkǒu is, was canceled, or where you were born. From the U.S., authorize a relative with a power of attorney (委托书).
- ✓
All mainland-China immigrant visa interviews are at the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou (43 Hua Jiu Road, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District).
Collecting documents for consular processing?
Green Card Genius guides you through every step of the consular processing path, including which civil documents the National Visa Center requires and in what order. See if it fits your situation.
See how it worksContinue reading
- 01China Notarial Certificates (公证书 / Gōngzhèng-shū) for U.S. Immigration: Which Ones You Need and How to Get Them
- 02China Birth Record Gaps: Unregistered Births, the One-Child Era, and the Notarial Workaround
- 03Chinese Marriage Certificate (结婚公证) for U.S. Immigration: Which Notarial Certificate to Request and Prior-Divorce Documents
- 04Chinese Names and Pinyin on U.S. Immigration Forms: Surname Order, English Names, and Telecode
Be a Genius
Only pay when you file