Certified Translation of the Chinese Bank Statement (银行流水)
The 银行流水 is the transaction record of a Chinese bank account, requested to evidence your funds or the origin of your savings. Note: for proof of funds, IRCC asks for an official bank letter, not a statement. Asiatis translates both, and tells you which one you have.
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Get my quote onlineAlso known as
银行流水 — yínháng liúshuǐ · yinhang liushui · 银行流水单 · 交易明细 · 存款证明 · 资信证明 · Chinese bank statement · relevé bancaire chinois · preuve de fonds Chine IRCC · proof of funds China Express Entry
What is the yínháng liúshuǐ?
The 银行流水 (literally "bank flow") is the history of movements on an account, printed and sealed by the bank. It differs from two other Chinese documents often confused with it: the 存款证明, a deposit certificate that fixes a balance at a given date and sometimes freezes the funds, and the 资信证明, a creditworthiness certificate giving an overview of holdings. For Express Entry proof of funds, IRCC instructions describe an official letter from each institution, on letterhead, setting out its contact details, the account numbers and their opening dates, the average balance over the past six months, the current balance, and outstanding debts. A transaction record contains none of that: it accompanies it.
Variants of the document
| Name | Type | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 银行流水yínháng liúshuǐ | Transaction record | History of movements over a period, sealed by the bank. Used to document the origin of funds, rarely to prove their availability on its own. |
| 存款证明cúnkuǎn zhèngmíng | Deposit certificate | Fixes a balance at a date. Many banks freeze the funds for the period of validity: check this before requesting one. |
| 资信证明zīxìn zhèngmíng | Creditworthiness certificate | An overview of holdings at the institution. It is the Chinese document closest to the bank letter IRCC describes. |
How to obtain the document in China
- 1
First read what your application asks for
Proof of funds, origin of savings, financial capacity for studies: these three requirements do not call for the same document. Requesting a statement where a letter is expected costs a translation for nothing.
- 2
Request the document at the branch, sealed
The statement, the deposit certificate and the creditworthiness certificate are obtained at the branch, with your identity document. Insist on the bank seal on every page: a printout from the mobile app does not have that character.
- 3
Ask for at least six months of coverage
IRCC proof-of-funds instructions turn on an average balance over the past six months. A shorter statement cannot establish it, and a balance that has appeared recently invites an explanation.
- 4
Send us the whole set, scanned
Every page, seals included, in order. A Chinese bank statement can run to dozens of lines per page: the online quote counts the pages of the file you upload.
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 — bank letterhead, account numbers, transaction descriptions, currencies, totals and seals included — and may not be produced by the applicant, by a family member, or by a representative on the application. Amounts are carried over as they stand, in renminbi: converting to Canadian dollars would be an interpretation, and the rate on the day of translation would no longer be the rate on the day of assessment. 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
A transaction record is not a bank letter
For proof of funds, IRCC instructions describe an official letter on letterhead, carrying the account numbers, their opening dates, the average balance over the past six months, the current balance and outstanding debts. A 银行流水 says none of that. Have the right document translated.
The deposit certificate can freeze your funds
Many Chinese banks immobilize the certified amount for the whole period of validity of the 存款证明. Worth knowing before requesting a certificate covering most of your savings.
A recent balance invites an explanation
If the six-month average balance is markedly lower than the current balance, the officer will ask where the funds came from. That is where the transaction record earns its place — it documents precisely what the letter does not say.
We do not convert the amounts
Sums stay in renminbi, in the currency of the document. Converting to Canadian dollars would freeze an exchange rate inside a certified translation, when it is the rate in force at assessment that counts.
What you receive
- Complete certified translation, every transaction line carried over
- Amounts kept in renminbi, without conversion or rounding
- Bank letterheads, account numbers and seals rendered explicitly
- 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
Is a 银行流水 enough as proof of funds for Express Entry?
Generally not. IRCC instructions describe an official letter from each institution, on letterhead, with account numbers, opening dates, the six-month average balance, the current balance and outstanding debts. The transaction record supplements that letter; it does not replace it.
How much does it cost to translate my bank statement?
The price depends on the number of pages, and a Chinese bank statement often runs to more than people expect — six months of transactions can be ten pages or so. Upload the file to our online quote form: the price is worked out on what you send, in a few minutes.
Get my quote onlineDo you convert the amounts to Canadian dollars?
No. We keep the amounts in renminbi, as they appear in the document. A conversion would freeze an exchange rate inside a certified translation, when it is the rate in force when your application is assessed that is taken into account.
Will a printout from my banking app do?
Rarely. What gives the statement its official character is the bank seal, applied at the branch. Ask for a sealed copy before ordering the translation: translating an unsealed printout will not give it what it lacks.
What period does my statement need to cover?
At least six months for proof of funds, since that is the period the required average balance turns on. Also check what your document checklist asks for: a study or visa application may call for a different period.