China Civil Documents · Updated August 2026
The Civil Documents You Need From China for a U.S. Marriage Green Card
China does not issue standalone U.S.-style vital records, so for a marriage green card you rely on notarial certificates (公证书) issued by a local Chinese notary office that attest to your birth, marital status, and criminal record.
Quick answer
For a U.S. marriage green card, the Chinese spouse generally needs the Birth Certificate, Police Certificate, and Marriage Certificate (Notarial Certificate) or Single-Status Certificate if unmarried. An apostille is generally not required by USCIS for a filing inside the U.S. Non-English documents need a certified English translation, which you can self-certify.
- 3 core documents
- Birth Certificate
- Police Certificate
- Marriage Certificate
- No apostille needed
For a filing inside the U.S., USCIS accepts a certified copy plus an English translation.
- Translate it yourself
Any bilingual person can certify the English translation. No licensed translator required.
The documents you actually need
Start with these core records in order. Each one lists who issues it, what it costs, how long it takes, and exactly what USCIS wants.
Birth Certificate (Notarial Certificate of Birth)
What USCIS needs: USCIS and the National Visa Center accept the notarial birth certificate in place of a Western-style birth certificate; it must be the notarial certificate issued by a Chinese notary office, not just a hospital slip or a Chinese-only document.
How to get it: Apply in person at a notary office where you are domiciled or where the birth occurred, or authorize a relative with a power of attorney. Bring your household registration (hukou), resident ID, and a hospital medical birth certificate if you have one (issued for births after 1996). The office issues a bilingual booklet with the Chinese record and an English translation bound together.
- Issued by
- Local notary public office (公证处) under the PRC Ministry of Justice, in the city or county where you are registered (hukou) or were born
- Cost
- Approx 240 RMB (roughly 35 USD) per certificate, plus about 20 RMB for each extra copy; varies by province
- Timing
- About 5 working days for standard service; 2 to 3 working days if you request expedited processing, plus mailing time
Police Certificate (Notarial Certificate of No Criminal Record)
What USCIS needs: Generally required only for the immigrant-visa (consular) route through Guangzhou for the intending immigrant; USCIS does not normally require it for adjustment of status inside the U.S. The notarial certificate of no criminal record is treated as valid for 2 years.
How to get it: First apply for a certificate of no criminal record at your local Public Security Bureau, then take that document to a notary office, which issues the notarial certificate with an English translation. Some notary offices coordinate directly with the Public Security Bureau.
- Issued by
- Local notary public office (公证处), based on a no-criminal-record certificate first obtained from the local Public Security Bureau (公安局)
- Cost
- Approx 240 RMB (roughly 35 USD) per certificate; the Public Security Bureau record itself is low-cost or free
- Timing
- About 5 working days at the notary office after the police record is in hand, plus the Public Security Bureau issuance time
Marriage Certificate (Notarial Certificate) or Single-Status Certificate if unmarried
What USCIS needs: Both notarial marriage certificate variants are accepted by USCIS and the State Department. A single-status notarial certificate is the standard way to prove you were free to marry when your Chinese spouse married in the U.S. or abroad.
How to get it: If you are already married, take your Chinese marriage certificate (or the U.S. or third-country marriage record) to a notary office, which issues a Notarial Certificate for Marriage certifying the marriage is authentic and legal. If you are not yet married, request a single-status or unmarried notarial certificate (未婚公证书), which the notary office issues based on your declaration and marriage-registration records.
- Issued by
- Local notary public office (公证处); underlying marriage or single-status records come from the Civil Affairs Bureau (民政局)
- Cost
- Approx 240 RMB (roughly 35 USD) per certificate, varies by province
- Timing
- About 5 working days standard; 2 to 3 working days expedited, plus mailing
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At a glance
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Apostille status | China (mainland PRC) acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention effective November 7, 2023; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and authorized local Foreign Affairs Offices now issue apostilles, replacing the old consular legalization process. For a USCIS marriage green card an apostille is generally NOT required on Chinese notarial certificates, but the apostille is what you use when a document must be authenticated for other official uses. |
| How records are kept | China uses a notarial-certificate system: local notary offices (公证处) under the Ministry of Justice issue bilingual booklets attesting to birth, marriage, single status, no criminal record, divorce, and death. The household registration (hukou) system underlies personal records, and marriage records sit with the Civil Affairs Bureau. |
| Typical time to gather | Roughly 5 working days per notarial certificate for standard service, or 2 to 3 working days expedited, plus mailing; add extra time when a Public Security Bureau or Civil Affairs record has to be pulled first. |
| Translation | Chinese notarial certificates are normally issued as bilingual booklets with the Chinese record and an English translation bound together. Confirm the English is included. Because the booklet's built-in translator certification does not always satisfy USCIS on its own, adding a separate certified-translation statement is the safe approach. |
Source: U.S. State Dept Reciprocity Schedule: China. Verified August 2026. Need to translate a document? See our certified translation guide.
What officers watch for
Full document reference
Every civil record from China that can come up in a marriage green card case, with the issuing authority, cost, and how to obtain it.
| Document | Issuing authority | Cost | How to obtain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth (Notarial Certificate) | Notary office (公证处), Ministry of Justice | Approx 240 RMB (~35 USD) | Apply at notary office for your hukou area with ID and hospital birth record if available |
| Marriage (Notarial Certificate) | Notary office (公证处); marriage registered at Civil Affairs Bureau | Approx 240 RMB (~35 USD) | Bring marriage certificate to notary office; receive Notarial Certificate for Marriage |
| Single Status / Unmarried (Notarial Certificate) | Notary office (公证处), based on Civil Affairs Bureau records | Approx 240 RMB (~35 USD) | Request unmarried notarial certificate (未婚公证书) based on declaration and records |
| Divorce (Notarial Certificate) | Notary office (公证处); divorce recorded at Civil Affairs Bureau or court | Approx 240 RMB (~35 USD) | Bring divorce certificate or court judgment to notary office; one per prior divorce |
| Death (Notarial Certificate) | Notary office (公证处), based on medical or police death record | Approx 240 RMB (~35 USD) | Bring the death record for a prior spouse to establish that a prior marriage ended |
| No Criminal Record (Notarial Certificate) | Notary office (公证处), based on Public Security Bureau record | Approx 240 RMB (~35 USD) | Get the police record first, then the notary office issues the bilingual certificate |
Go deeper: detailed China guides
Step-by-step guides for the specific documents and steps in a China marriage green card case.
- China Notarial Certificates (公证书 / Gōngzhèng-shū) for U.S. Immigration: Which Ones You Need and How to Get ThemHow China's notarial certificate system works, which certificates a marriage green card needs (birth, marriage, single status, no criminal record), how to order them from a notary office (公证处), why the English translation is built in, and why no apostille is required for the filing.
- China Notarial Birth Certificate (出生公证) for U.S. Immigration: How to Get ItHow to get a Chinese notarial birth certificate for a marriage green card, the pre-1996 versus post-1996 rule, ordering from a notary office (公证处), the built-in translation, and why no apostille is needed for the U.S. filing.
- Chinese Marriage Certificate (结婚公证) for U.S. Immigration: Which Notarial Certificate to Request and Prior-Divorce DocumentsWhich of the two Chinese notarial marriage certificates to request, the red 结婚证 it is built from, the notarial divorce certificate (离婚公证) NVC requires for prior marriages, and why the translation is built in and no apostille is needed.
- China Single Status / Unmarried Notarial Certificate (未婚公证) for U.S. ImmigrationWhether a CR-1/IR-1 applicant needs a Chinese single-status certificate, the 未婚公证 versus 未再婚公证 difference, how the notary office issues the bilingual booklet, the prior-marriage documents Guangzhou requires, validity, and why no apostille is needed.
- China No Criminal Record Notarial Certificate (无犯罪记录公证) for U.S. ImmigrationHow to get the notarial booklet from a notary office (公证处), not just the police certificate: the Public Security Bureau then notary two-step process, who needs it, why no apostille is required for the U.S. filing, translation, validity, and how to get it from abroad.
- China Birth Record Gaps: Unregistered Births, the One-Child Era, and the Notarial WorkaroundWhat to do when a Chinese birth was never registered or records are missing: the never-registered versus lost-records versus one-child-era (黑户) scenario rule, regularizing the household registration, the notarial workaround, and the unavailability-statement plus secondary-evidence package.
- Chinese Names and Pinyin on U.S. Immigration Forms: Surname Order, English Names, and TelecodeMatch your PRC passport field for field on the DS-260 and USCIS forms: pinyin surname first, the one-word given name, an English nickname under other names used, the Chinese-character telecode field, Hong Kong and Wade-Giles spellings, and matching the notarial certificate to the passport.
- Guangzhou Immigrant Visa Interview Trip: U.S. Consulate Logistics & Medical (2026)What to do before and on interview day at the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou (43 Hua Jiu Road, Zhujiang New Town): confirm the appointment, choose the bank pickup or home delivery for your passport, complete the medical at an approved panel physician, bring notarized originals, and the electronics ban.
- Guangzhou Panel Physicians: The Immigrant Visa Medical Exam for China Cases (2026)Where to do the U.S. immigrant visa medical exam for a Guangzhou case: the approved health centers in China (exam anywhere, interview only in Guangzhou), the Guangzhou center's address and fees, booking, timing, and how sealed results reach the Consulate.
- Common 221(g) Refusals at the U.S. Consulate General GuangzhouA 221(g) is a pause, not a denial. The three tracks (document deficiency, administrative processing, possible ineligibility), how to read your letter to find which, where to submit via the bank or CEAC, the timeframes, and when a refusal is a legal matter for an attorney.
What applicants report
“Applicants adjusting status inside the U.S. consistently report that USCIS wants the bilingual notarial birth certificate booklet from a 公证处, not a hospital birth slip or a Chinese-only printout. A recurring headache is having a relative in China order it from a notary office with jurisdiction over the right hukou location, then mailing the booklet to the U.S.; people who submitted only the hospital record or an uncertified translation got RFEs.”
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See how it worksFrequently asked questions
Does China issue a birth certificate like the U.S. does?
Not in the same way. Hospital medical birth certificates exist for people born after 1996, but for immigration USCIS and the State Department want a notarial certificate of birth (出生公证书) issued by a Chinese notary office, which comes as a bilingual booklet with an English translation bound in. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do I need an apostille on my Chinese notarial certificates for a marriage green card?
Generally no. China joined the Hague Apostille Convention effective November 7, 2023, but USCIS typically does not require an apostille on Chinese notarial certificates for a marriage green card. The apostille, issued by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs or an authorized local Foreign Affairs Office, matters when a document must be authenticated for other official uses.
How do I prove I was single before marrying?
Request a single-status or unmarried notarial certificate (未婚公证书) from a Chinese notary office, which is based on your declaration and marriage-registration records held by the Civil Affairs Bureau. If a prior marriage ended, you would instead provide a divorce or death notarial certificate.
Are the built-in English translations in the notarial booklet enough for USCIS?
Often yes, but not always. USCIS requires a competent English translation with a certification of accuracy, and the booklet's own translator certification does not always satisfy that on its own. Adding a separate certified-translation statement is the safer approach. This is general information, not legal advice.
Key takeaways
- ✓
The core documents most Chinese applicants need are the Birth Certificate, Police Certificate, Marriage Certificate (Notarial Certificate) or Single-Status Certificate if unmarried.
- ✓
China is a Hague Apostille Convention member, but USCIS generally does not require an apostille for a marriage green card filed inside the U.S.
- ✓
You do not need a licensed translator: any competent bilingual person can translate a document and self-certify it for USCIS.
- ✓
A home-country police certificate is generally needed only for consular processing abroad, not for adjustment of status inside the U.S.
- ✓
Order fresh certified copies directly from the official issuer and keep the originals; documents from China draw closer scrutiny.
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