This guide is compiled in accordance with the Marriage Registration Regulations (revised in 2025, Order No. 804 of the State Council), the special operational guidance of the Ministry of Civil Affairs on the Hague Convention, the Several Provisions of Beijing Municipality on Implementing the Marriage Registration Regulations (Order No. 137 of the Municipal People's Government), and the relevant work specifications of the Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau. It is intended for parties and practitioners and sets out the key points of the entire process for marriage registration in mainland China between mainland residents and foreigners, overseas Chinese, or residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. The authentication rules set out herein incorporate the latest changes following China's accession to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (the Hague Apostille Convention).

[Practical Note] China formally implemented the Hague Apostille Convention on 7 November 2023. Since that date, notarized marital status instruments issued by a member state or region of the Hague Convention require only an Apostille to be used in China, and traditional consular authentication is no longer necessary. This change has significantly streamlined the document process for foreign-related marriage registration, but it has also imposed stricter requirements on the formal elements of the instruments themselves.

I. Eligibility Conditions

(A) Circumstances in Which Registration May Be Processed

The core precondition for marriage registration is that at least one of the man and the woman is a mainland resident with household registration. Where this condition is met, marriage registration may be processed in mainland China regardless of whether the other party is a foreigner, an overseas Chinese, or a resident of Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan. The specific combinations include: mainland resident + foreigner, mainland resident + overseas Chinese, and mainland resident + Hong Kong/Macao/Taiwan resident.

(B) Circumstances in Which Applications Are Not Accepted

Where neither party holds mainland household registration, that is, where both parties are overseas persons (including marriages between two foreigners, between two overseas Chinese, between two residents of Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan, or cross-category marriages between persons of different overseas statuses), the marriage registration authorities in mainland China shall uniformly refuse to accept the application and shall not issue a marriage certificate. In such cases, the parties should, in accordance with the laws of their respective nationalities or places of residence, choose to register the marriage in another country or region with jurisdiction.

[Practical Note] A common point of confusion in practice is the status determination of "overseas Chinese." Overseas Chinese are Chinese citizens who have settled abroad and still hold Chinese passports; they are not foreigners. Where both parties are overseas Chinese but neither holds mainland household registration, the case still falls under the category of "both parties being non-mainland residents," and the mainland marriage registration authority shall refuse to accept the application.

II. Competent Authorities

Not all district- or county-level marriage registration authorities have jurisdiction over foreign-related, Hong Kong/Macao/Taiwan-related, or overseas Chinese-related marriage registration. The parties must jointly appear before the marriage registration authority with foreign-related marriage registration jurisdiction, located at the place of the mainland resident's permanent household registration and designated by the provincial civil affairs department. Ordinary district- or county-level marriage registration authorities do not have jurisdiction over foreign-related marriage registration.

In Beijing, for example, the authority with jurisdiction over foreign-related marriage registration is a designated specialized processing body of the Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, rather than the ordinary marriage registration offices of the various districts. Before going to process the registration, the parties should confirm the specific processing location and office hours through official channels to avoid going to the wrong window.

III. Statutory Procedure

The procedure for foreign-related marriage registration is basically the same as that for registration between mainland residents, but the document review stage is more stringent. The entire process consists of four steps:

1. In-Person Application

The man and the woman must personally and jointly appear to process the registration; delegation to another person is not permitted. This is an inherent requirement of the personal nature of marriage registration, and there are no exceptions.

2. Document Review and Verification

The registration authority examines the authenticity, legality and completeness of identity documents and foreign-related instruments, and verifies whether both parties meet the statutory conditions for marriage and are not subject to any statutory prohibition on marriage. Whether the authentication chain of foreign-related instruments is complete and whether the translations are duly qualified are the focus of the review.

3. On-Site Signing of Voluntary Declaration

Both parties sign on-site a standard declaration form provided by the marriage registration authority, confirming that they have no spouse, are not lineal blood relatives or collateral blood relatives within three generations of each other, and are voluntarily registering the marriage. The declaration must be signed by the parties themselves on the spot; declarations signed in advance and brought to the office are not accepted.

4. Completion on the Spot

Where the review is passed and the conditions are met, a marriage certificate is issued on the spot. Where the conditions are not met, a written statement of refusal to register is issued on the spot.

IV. Required Documents

In all circumstances, the documents required of the mainland resident party are uniform; the documents required of the overseas party and the applicable authentication rules differ according to status type.

(A) Uniform Documents for Mainland Residents

· Valid resident identity card and household registration book (hukou);

· On-site signed Declaration of No Spouse and No Lineal or Collateral Blood Relationship Within Three Generations (template provided by the registration authority, free of charge).

(B) Registration Between a Mainland Resident and a Foreigner — Documents of the Foreign Party

· Valid passport, or other valid international travel document, or Foreigner's Permanent Residence Identity Card;

· Certificate of no spouse, subject to the authentication rules set out in Part V below.

(C) Registration Between a Mainland Resident and an Overseas Chinese — Documents of the Overseas Chinese Party

· Valid passport;

· Certificate of no spouse and of no lineal blood relationship or collateral blood relationship within three generations, subject to the authentication rules set out in Part V below.

(D) Registration Between a Mainland Resident and a Resident of Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan — Documents of the Non-Mainland Party

Hong Kong and Macao residents:

· Valid Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents, or Residence Permit for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Residents, or Hong Kong or Macao resident identity card;

· Declaration of no spouse and of no lineal blood relationship or collateral blood relationship within three generations, notarized by a notary institution in the place of residence in Hong Kong or Macao.

Taiwan residents:

· Valid Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents or other valid travel document, together with a valid identity card of the Taiwan region;

· Declaration of no spouse and of no lineal blood relationship or collateral blood relationship within three generations, notarized by a notary institution in the Taiwan region.

[Practical Note] Marital status declarations of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents follow a "notarization" path rather than an "authentication" path, which differs from the document authentication chain for foreigners and overseas Chinese. Notarized instruments from Hong Kong or Macao must be issued by a China-appointed attesting officer and affixed with the seal and forwarding endorsement of China Legal Services (Hong Kong/Macao) Co., Ltd. before they can be used in the mainland; notarized instruments from the Taiwan region must be verified by the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits. In practice, it is essential to confirm that the notarized instrument has completed the forwarding or verification formalities; otherwise, it may be deemed formally incomplete.

V. Instrument Authentication and the Hague Convention Rules

In foreign-related marriage registration, the marital status certificate (certificate of no spouse) of the overseas party is the most core document and also the one most prone to problems. Its authentication rules depend on whether the country or region issuing the instrument is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention.

(A) Instruments Issued by a Hague Member State or Region — Apostille

For notarized marital status instruments issued by a member state or region of the Hague Apostille Convention, it is sufficient to obtain an Apostille (i.e., Hague authentication) in that member state or region. The instrument may then be used in mainland China without further consular authentication by the Chinese embassy or consulate in that country, and without authentication by that country's embassy or consulate in China.

An Apostille is a standardized form attached to the public document, containing information such as the issuing country, the identity of the signatory, the verification information for the seal/signature, and a unique reference number. The authority competent to issue Apostilles is designated by each member state, and is usually that country's foreign ministry or an authorized body.

[Practical Note] The function of an Apostille is to verify the authenticity of the signature and seal on the public document; it does not make any determination as to the truthfulness of the content of the document itself. Therefore, if the content of the document is defective (for example, if the name spelling is inconsistent with the passport, or if the meaning of "no spouse" is not clearly stated), the registration authority may still refuse to accept the document even if the Apostille itself is valid.

(B) Instruments Issued by a Non-Member State — Traditional Consular Authentication

Where the country issuing the instrument is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, the traditional consular authentication path must still be followed: the instrument must first be authenticated by the foreign ministry of that country, and then authenticated by the Chinese embassy or consulate in that country. Alternatively, the instrument may be authenticated directly by that country's embassy or consulate in China. Either path is acceptable.

(C) Alternative Path — Certificate Issued Directly by an Embassy or Consulate

For the foreign party, if the embassy or consulate of his or her home country in China directly issues a certificate of no spouse, that certificate does not require further notarization or authentication and may be submitted directly. This is a relatively convenient path in practice, but not all countries' embassies or consulates in China provide this service; the parties should confirm in advance.

For the overseas Chinese party, a marital status certificate issued directly by the Chinese embassy or consulate in the country of residence may likewise replace the local notarized and authenticated instrument and be used directly.

(D) Translation Requirements for Foreign-Language Instruments

All foreign-language instruments (including instruments bearing an Apostille or consular authentication) must be accompanied by a Chinese translation issued by a duly qualified translation agency and affixed with a special translation seal. Personally translated versions are not recognized. The translation must be completely consistent with the original, and no deletion, alteration or omission of provisions is permitted.

[Practical Note] Common reasons for return of documents include: the translation not bearing a special translation seal, the translation agency not being duly qualified, the translated name being inconsistent with the passport spelling, and the expression "marital status" in the original not being accurately translated as "no spouse/single." It is advisable to check item by item before submission.

VI. Circumstances in Which Registration Is Refused

Under the Marriage Registration Regulations, the marriage registration authority shall refuse to register under any of the following circumstances:

· Failure to reach the statutory marriageable age (no earlier than 22 for men and 20 for women);

· Either or both parties having an existing lawful marriage relationship that has not been dissolved (bigamy);

· The parties being lineal blood relatives or collateral blood relatives within three generations;

· The submitted documents being false or invalid;

· The foreign-related instrument being past its validity period;

· Inconsistent identity information (for example, the name or date of birth stated in the instrument not matching the passport).

Where registration is refused, the registration authority shall issue a written statement on the spot setting out the reasons for refusal. A party who disagrees with the refusal decision may, in accordance with law, apply for administrative reconsideration or institute administrative litigation.

VII. Beijing-Specific Requirements

In addition to the nationally uniform rules set out above, Beijing Municipality has the following special requirements for foreign-related, Hong Kong/Macao/Taiwan-related, and overseas Chinese-related marriage registration. These apply only when the registration is processed in Beijing:

(A) Mandatory Appointment

All foreign-related, Hong Kong/Macao/Taiwan-related, and overseas Chinese-related marriage registration in Beijing is subject to an appointment system; on-site applications without an appointment are not accepted. Applicants must make an appointment in advance through the official platform of the Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau or the government service platform of the Beijing Municipal Government Portal (Capital Window), and must strictly appear during the appointed time slot. A missed appointment requires rebooking.

[Practical Note] Appointment slots for foreign-related marriage registration in Beijing are relatively limited, especially around holidays. It is recommended that parties make an appointment at least one to two weeks in advance and retain the appointment confirmation after booking.

(B) Validity Period of Instruments

Notarized marital status instruments, authentication documents, or Hague Apostilles submitted by the foreign party are valid for six months from the date of issuance of the instrument. Upon expiration, the instrument automatically becomes invalid, and the notarization, authentication or Apostille formalities must be re-processed.

[Practical Note] The "date of issuance" here refers to the date of issuance of the notarized instrument itself, not the date of the Apostille or consular authentication. If a long interval has elapsed between the issuance of the notarized instrument and the processing of the authentication, the validity period is still calculated from the date of issuance of the notarized instrument. This point requires particular attention in practice.

(C) Translation Qualifications

Beijing requires that all foreign-language notarized instruments, authentication documents, and marital status certificates be accompanied by a Chinese translation issued by a duly qualified translation agency and affixed with a special translation seal; personally translated versions are not recognized. The translation must be completely consistent with the foreign-language original.

(D) Photo Standards

Three recent 2-inch half-length, hatless, red-background joint ID photos of both parties must be submitted. The photos must not be excessively retouched, and no accessories may obscure the face. The photos must conform to the national standard for marriage registration ID photos. The parties may choose to have the photos taken on site or prepare compliant photos in advance.

(E) Other Operational Details

Where a foreign-language instrument does not explicitly state the meaning of "no spouse" on its face (for example, it merely states "marital status: unmarried" without explaining whether "unmarried" under that country's law is equivalent to "no spouse"), an explanatory note issued by a competent overseas authority must be submitted concurrently to demonstrate that the instrument is equivalent to a statutory certificate of no spouse.

In addition, registration of a supplementary marriage and registration of remarriage are fully subject to all the rules governing foreign-related marriage registration set out above; there is no simplified procedure.

Supplementary Provisions

The laws, regulations and policy documents on which this guide is based are current as of the 2025 revised Marriage Registration Regulations and the currently effective documents of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau. The specific requirements for marriage registration may change as a result of adjustments to local implementing rules. Before processing the registration, the parties should be guided by the official information provided by the processing authority at the relevant time.

In cases involving relatively complex status determination, an incomplete document authentication chain, or a refusal decision by the registration authority, it is advisable to consult a professional lawyer or the legal affairs body of the civil affairs department to obtain targeted legal advice.

(This guide is for practical reference only and does not constitute formal legal advice.)

For official appointment systems and forms, refer to the National Immigration Administration of China.

More guidance on family and marriage law is available in our legal insights section.

 

Published: October 17, 2026

By Siqi Ma , Attorney at Law