Certified Translation of the Chinese Birth Certificate (出生医学证明)
The 出生医学证明 is the Chinese medical birth certificate: it is the document that establishes your parentage, where the hukou shows only a household link. If you were born before 1996 it does not exist — a notarial certificate stands in its place. Asiatis translates either one.
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Get my quote onlineAlso known as
出生医学证明 — chūshēng yīxué zhèngmíng · chusheng yixue zhengming · 出生证 · 出生证明 · 出生公证书 · medical birth certificate China · birth certificate China · acte de naissance chinois · certificat de naissance Chine IRCC
What is the chūshēng yīxué zhèngmíng?
The 出生医学证明 is issued by the facility where the birth took place, under health authority oversight. It carries the child's name, date, time and place of birth, sex, and the name, nationality and ID number of both parents. It is that last point that makes it the document IRCC expects: the hukou states a link to the head of household, not parentage, whereas the birth certificate names the father and the mother. The document is serially numbered and bears the seal of the issuing facility as well as that of the competent health service — two impressions that form part of what must be translated.
Variants of the document
| Name | Type | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 出生医学证明chūshēng yīxué zhèngmíng | Medical birth certificate | The standard document, for any birth on or after 1 January 1996. Several generations of the form coexist: the layout varies, the fields do not. |
| 出生公证书chūshēng gōngzhèngshū | Notarial birth certificate | Drawn up by a 公证处 from the hukou, the parents’ identity documents and available records. It is the only route for a birth before 1996, and is frequently issued in a bilingual version. |
| 亲属关系公证书qīnshǔ guānxì gōngzhèngshū | Notarial relationship certificate | Attests the link between two people rather than the birth itself. Useful for family sponsorship where parentage has to be established other than by the birth certificate. |
How to obtain the document in China
- 1
Check your date of birth first
The 出生医学证明 is issued, and reissued, only for births on or after 1 January 1996. Born before that date, you will never obtain one, whatever the approach: there is no point writing to the hospital.
- 2
Born from 1996: the facility, then the health service
First issuance rests with the facility where the birth took place. For a reissue, it is the health service of the place of birth that handles the request, on documents — the parents' hukou, identity documents, proof of delivery.
- 3
Born before 1996: go through a 公证处
A Chinese notary draws up a 出生公证书 from your hukou, your parents’ documents and available records. That is the document you will file, and it stands as proof. Asiatis does not obtain it for you: we translate the one you have obtained.
- 4
Check whether your notarial certificate is already bilingual
Many 公证处 issue the certificate with an English translation built in. If that is your case, send us the document before ordering: we will tell you whether it still needs translating, or can go as it is.
What an acceptable translation requires
IRCC requires any document that is not in English or French to be accompanied by a translation into one of those two languages, and for Chinese documents accepts either a notarized or a certified translation. The translation must be complete — headings, serial number, facility and health service seals included — and may not be produced by the applicant, by a family member, or by a representative on the application. Asiatis assigns your certificate to a certified translator who is a member of a Canadian professional order: the translation carries that translator's signed and sealed declaration. For a Quebec immigration application, the MIFI admits French and English alike, provided the translator belongs to OTTIAQ, ATIO, STIBC or CTINB.
The pitfalls specific to this document
Born before 1996, you will never have this certificate
The rule is national and admits no exception: no 出生医学证明 is issued for a birth before 1 January 1996. That covers most adult applicants. What stands in its place is the 出生公证书, drawn up by a notary — a different process, with different supporting documents.
The hukou does not prove your parentage
An application that files the hukou believing it proves the parent-child link gets asked for the birth certificate. The hukou states your link to the head of household; the birth certificate names your father and mother. The two documents do not answer the same question.
The seals are part of the document
The facility seal, the health service seal and the serial number are what distinguish the certificate from a mere attestation. A translation that summarizes them as "official seal" strips the document of what authenticates it.
The child's name may have changed since
The certificate carries the name given at birth. If it was changed later, it is the amendment section of the hukou that documents it. Without that, the officer sees two names and no explanation.
What you receive
- Complete certified translation, seals and serial number rendered explicitly
- Parents' names romanized identically to their identity documents
- Translation of the notarial 出生公证书 for births before 1996
- Translator's signed and sealed declaration, meeting IRCC requirements
- PDF delivery — the digital format is enough for IRCC; paper copy on request
Pricing depends on the number of pages in your document. Get your quote online in a few minutes.
Get my quote onlineFrequently asked questions
I was born before 1996 and have no birth certificate. What now?
That is normal: the 出生医学证明 is not issued for births before 1 January 1996. You need to have a notarial birth certificate, the 出生公证书, drawn up by a 公证处 in China, from your hukou and your parents’ documents. That is the document your Canadian application expects.
How much does it cost to translate my birth certificate?
The price depends on the number of pages — a birth certificate runs to one, a notarial certificate sometimes two. The simplest route is our online quote form: you upload the document and get your price in a few minutes, with no commitment.
Get my quote onlineMy notarial certificate is already in English. Do I need it translated?
Not necessarily. Many 公证处 issue the certificate with an English translation built in, and IRCC accepts that route. Send us a photo of the document before ordering: we will tell you whether it can go as it is.
Is the hukou enough to prove I am my parents’ child?
No. The hukou states your link to the head of household — "son", "daughter" — without establishing parentage itself. It is the birth certificate, or failing that the notarial relationship certificate, that names your father and mother.
Can I translate my own birth certificate?
No. IRCC does not accept translations made by the applicant, by a family member, or by a representative on the application, even where that person is a professional translator.