The What, When & Where of Newborn Documentation

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Knowing what to prepare for your newborn’s arrival is tough. You find yourself with an endless to-do-list of things to buy, stuff to research, and of course, documents to process. To help lighten the load a little, Oasis International Hospital has prepared a reference guide for Chinese and foreign nationals, to enlighten new parents of certain documentation required for their newborns.

It is important, especially for foreign nationals, to prepare the necessary documentation, including a name for your child, well in advance of your due date. This will allow for a smoother registration and swift processing of documentation.

To obtain a birth certificate, parents must present their valid passport/ID, fill in the form prepared by the nurse, verify that all the information is correct, wait for a member of the hospital staff to process the information, then verify again that the information is correct. Once that’s done, the official birth certificate will be printed and stamped by the hospital.

Two attachments will be affixed to the bottom of the original birth cert.

Purpose of attachments:
Attachment 1
For registration purposes at the relevant Chinese authority.

Attachment 2
For hospital filing purposes only

Note: Birth certificates must be processed within the first 30 days.

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Other Requirements Foreign and Multinational Couples Should Be Aware Of

Babies Born to Two Foreign Nationals

Newborn Registration & Passport:
After obtaining the birth certificate from the hospital, you must register your baby at your (or your partner’s) embassy or consulate and apply for a passport for the baby. In accordance with your countries laws, the embassy may simply add the baby to your passport, or they may issue the baby with a passport.

Visa/Resident Permit Application:
A visa or residence permit will also be required for your baby and should be applied for within 30 days of the baby’s birth. This can be done at the local Exit-Entry Administration Office of the Public Security Bureau* (address and contact info at the end).

Documents required:

Parents' passports, baby’s birth certificate, and passport (if the processing is completed). If the passport registration is still underway, explain this – and see if your embassy can provide proof that registration is ongoing.

Once your baby has a passport (or is registered on yours) and a visa or residence permit has been obtained, you will be able to take them outside China.

Babies Born to One Chinese and One Foreign National

A baby born in China to one Chinese parent and one non-Chinese parent will be automatically considered a Chinese national. China does not recognize dual nationality.

If you wish your child to remain a Chinese citizen, you should apply for:
- 户口 hùkǒu

- 身份证 shēnfèn zhèng (Chinese ID card)
- 护照 hùzhào (Chinese passport, if you’re planning on leaving China)

If you wish your baby to be registered as a national of a foreign country, you need to:
- Write the chosen nationality of your child on their birth certificate.
- Register your child at the embassy of the child’s chosen nationality.
- Apply for the child to have a passport (or be listed on the parent’s passport) for their non-Chinese parent’s country.
- Renounce your child’s Chinese citizenship.

Exit and Entry Administration Office of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau 北京市公安局出入境管理处
2 Dong Dajie, Andingmen, Dongcheng District

东城区安定门东大街2号

Contact: 010-8402-0101
Website: www.bjgaj.gov.cn/idn/index.jsp
Hours: Mon-Sat, 8:30am – 4:30pm

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Images: Unsplash, Oasis International Hospital

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