Anyone who was pregnant in a foreign country knows how scary and overwhelming it can be at times, both with and without Covid.

Going to appointments, waiting for test results, comparing tests done here and in one’s home country, making a birth plan and then having to change it … I mean, don’t get me wrong, it is an exciting and beautiful journey, but it’s full of ifs and buts. I remember all the feels I felt while being pregnant and, I must admit, some were not pleasant.

After childbirth is when the actual journey begins, and it all starts with new parents having to fill out legal paperwork and register their baby’s birth. Once you have decided on a name, you’ll be given the baby’s birth certificate and asked to double check if all the info is correct. This part should go without a hitch, unless you have a crazy long last name or have some special requests (read: non-standard English characters) regarding your baby’s name.

I gave birth at the same hospital both times, so the second time they already had all my info in their computer, but the lady who did my son Noa’s birth certificate in 2018 separated the first name from my last name with a period (.) which did cause a delay. So, yes, things can happen, so just make sure to double-, or even triple-check everything.

Now this is where it can get complicated: In order to have your child legally reside in China, you need to obtain a visa for him/her. To get a visa, he/she needs a passport, and to apply for a passport, the baby needs to have his/her Chinese birth certificate fully legalized.

What is full legalization?

I was soooo confused with all the terms I came across while trying to figure out what to do and how to do it. Authenticate, legalize, notarize, validate … Anyways, what you need to do is LEGALIZE the birth certificate in the country where it was issued (China) so you can use it for getting a passport for your child.

It can be a lengthy process so better start doing it early rather than late. To make it easier for all new parents and parents-to-be, here is a step-by-step guide for getting your Beijing-born baby’s birth certificate fully legalized:

Step 1 – Notify the Local Authorities

This is not an actual part of the process, but as I mentioned, getting all the documents ready can really drag out and a baby must be registered with the Public Security Buearu (PSB) within 30 days or you’ll be asked to pay a fine. So as soon as you are able to, head to the PSB with the baby’s Chinese birth certificate and the parents’ passports. Believe me, this will save you a headache in case your embassy/consulate cannot issue the passport fast enough.

Speaking from experience, make sure to remember the date of your visit because this may come in handy once you come back with the passport – the officer will just copy your documents, and there will be no actual proof that you’ve registered your baby’s birth, so you might need to prove it.

Step 2 – Notarized Translation

Once you make sure the authorities have been notified about the birth of your baby, you’re all set to start the process. The first thing you need to do is check with your embassy/consulate about what language you should translate the birth certificate into. Some countries accept the English translation and some don’t, so be sure to confirm. If English is acceptable, you’ll save a good amount of RMB, but there’s nothing you can do if it’s not. The document has to be translated and certified by a notary or translated by a professional translator and reviewed and certified by a notary. There are notary offices all over Beijing, so you can just look up the nearest to you, but at these places you cannot do the step that comes afterwards – legalization.

The first time I was doing it, I went to a notary office where they told me that I couldn’t apply for notarization since it wasn’t my birth certificate, and that the applicant had to be my baby. But the baby didn’t have a passport number, which the notary office needed, so they asked me if it would be okay to add my passport number. I had no clue, so I said yes. But, of course, it wasn’t okay and I was denied when applying for legalization. So I had to do it all over again at Beijing Fangyuan Notary Public Office, where I could do both notarization and legalization.

Other than being convenient, it’s also very quick. Get a number and wait for your turn. Once your number comes up, enter the office and present your documents. You’ll need the baby’s birth certificate and the passports and marriage certificate of you and your partner. You’ll be asked what language you want to translate the birth certificate into and how many copies you need. The notary will let you know the price, and you’ll be asked to pay. There are three counters – translation and notarization, legalization, and cashier. Pay the cashier and go back to the office to show the receipt. The attendant will tell you when to come back to pick up the notarized document (it usually takes around a week).

Step 3 – Legalization by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Next, the notarized document has to be legalized by the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China or authorized Foreign Affairs Offices of local governments. This just means that the document needs to get the seal from the ministry that your consulate or embassy can recognize. As I said, you can do both notarization and legalization here, with the only inconvenience being that you have to come back after a week to pick up the physical copy of the notarized document at one counter and apply for legalization at the counter next to it. I tried asking if there is a way around it to save me a trip, but unfortunately, as it’s a personal document, the officers are not authorized to do anything about it.

When you pick up the notarized certificate, go to the counter on your right. You’ll be asked to pay (price depends on your nationality, but around RMB 450 as ballpark figure) however they only accept cash payment for this service, so make sure you have some on hand.

Step 4 – Legalization by the Embassy/Consulate

The easiest way to do this last part is to let the Foreign Affairs office handle it. There is an extra charge for this service, but it will save you time. All you have to do is jot down the name of your country, your phone number, and whether the situation is urgent or not, and then have them mail the documents for you.

The price and estimated delivery time depends on your embassy. You’ll get a phone call from the Foreign Affairs office when your documents are ready to be picked up.

Find it:
Beijing Fangyuan Notary Public Office 北京市方圆公证处
1/F Beijing INN, 5 Dongshuijing Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区东水井胡同5号北京INN大厦1层
Tel: 8519 7666

Images: Pexels, Unsplash

Now my father taught me well: never sign anything you have not read. This piece of advice went out of the window the moment I arrived in Beijing. Some documents presented to you will be in Chinese, and they will need a signature or stamp… and I have been burned very hard over this on two separate occasions. Now I hear you think, you signed another document you couldn’t read after the first time that it went wrong? Yes I did, but you get to hear both fun stories, and hopefully not make the same mistake.

The first time was six months after I arrived, and we were waiting for our shipment to clear. The shipment broker came to our new humble home and declared I had to sign this paper in order to get my shipment. At that point, we had already waited for eight months to receive our things. I blogged about this before; we were taxed on every single item since we moved things in my name. They had already opened every box and valued our possessions at far more than we paid for them.

But I left a funny fact out: the broker had a Chinese document to sign. I refused at first, as I could not read it. Under pressure he explained that the document said:

I confirm these are my belongings and I would like to receive them

Seemed fair, so under pressure of wanting our belongings, I signed. He had lied to me. The document said this instead;

I confirm these are my belongings and I promise to pay the tax valued by the government.

Being lied to happens sometimes for the sake of convenience, but I did not know this at the time. RMB 30,000 paid out of our own pocket, but at least we had all our belongings.

The second time was not so long ago. We changed schools and had to sign a contract. Funnily enough, this International kindergarten did not have an English contract. I refused to sign, but of course under pressure from the administrator I budged.

Other international parents have signed this too, it’s OK!

I never thought this would hurt me, but in the end, of course, it did. At one point a dispute about payment arose, over whether the school should be paid when my daughter only went to school four days of the month. I did not agree with the answer given by the school and got quite irritated. They informed me the rules were clear in the contract that I’d signed – the contract which was completely in Chinese, so I couldn’t read it. I was furious, firstly with myself for falling for this cruel trick for the second time. And secondly with the international school that is supposed to give parents great service, especially if you pay RMB 12,000 a month tuition.

The rules of payment are clearly explained in the contract you signed.

Lesson learned. Don’t sign Chinese documents… unless you can read Chinese, that is.