Certificates and documents needed for marriage registration

1.For Chinese citizens

(1) Household registration certificate or hùkǒu, (Note: the marital status on the household register shall be consistent with the actual marital status of the applicant, which shall be "single", "divorced", or "widowed");

(2) Resident identification card;

(3) Marital status certification issued by the people’s government at the county level or above, which is stationed in locality where the applicant has his/her residence registration, or by a government department, a school, an institution, or an enterprise at the county level or above, which is the applicants' work place.

2.For foreigners

(1) Applicant's passport, or identification certificate or nationality certificate;

(2) "Residence Permit for Foreigners" signed and issued by the public security department, or identification certificate issued by foreign affairs department, or entry permit and residence permit for foreigners who come to China for short stay;

(3) Marital status certification issued by the notary office of the applicant’s country and confirmed by both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (or a department authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) of the applicant's country and the Chinese embassy or consulate in the said foreign country; or marital status certification issued by the embassy or consulate of the said foreign country in China.

Every foreign government has its own version of this type of form with its own requirements for obtaining one. Couples will need to check the embassy website of the foreign partner's home country in China for details on how to obtain this kind of certification. (Officially-stamped Chinese translations must accompany foreign-language documents.)

3.For resident foreigners in China

(1) Applicant’s passport, or identification certificate or nationality certificate used to substitute for passport, or identification certificate or nationality certificate used to substitute for passport （those who have no nationality may be exempted from presenting their nationality certificates);

(2) "Residence Permit for Foreigners" signed and issued by the public security department;

(3) Marital status certification signed and issued either by the people’s government at the county level or above, which is stationed in the locality where the applicant has his/her residence registration, or by a government department, a school, an institution, or an enterprise at the county level or above, which is the applicant's place of work.

According to Article 22 of the Provisional Regulation on Marriage Registration issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the parties concerned shall provide 3 recent photos taken together, big two-inch, half-length, bareheaded and full-faced. For more information about the format of the photos, you can consult the marriage registration office.

In addition, it is stipulated that both the man and the woman applying for marriage registration shall present the pre-marital health check-up reports signed and issued by a hospital designated by the marriage registration department.

Persons who have been married previously must prepare authentic and valid documents of final divorce or ex-spouse's death certificate if widowed.