Official Documentation from China

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This post includes detailed instructions on how to obtain and authenticate the official documentation and certifications from abroad, that are needed to apply for a partner or spouse visa in Israel. The basic personal documents you will be looking for are birth certificate, certificate of non-criminal record, current and/or previous personal status certificate (marital status), and name change certificate. Complete documentation about the foreign partner from their home country is prerequisite of the gradual process, and without it one cannot start the partner visa process and get a status in Israel based on their relationship.

Birth Certificate from China

Name in China: 出生(医学)证明 or 出生公证 (Birth (medical) certificate or notarized birth certificate)

How to obtain?

There are two possible scenarios:

  1. You have 出生(医学)证明 – Most Chinese people do not have 出生(医学)证明 if they born before 1996. If you have 出生(医学)证明, you can use it directly.
  2. You don’t have Birth certificate (出生证明) – collect the following documents to apply for the Notarized birth certificate (出生公证) in public notary office:
    • 户口本（family book)
    • Your parents’ marriage certificate
    • Your Chinese ID card
    • The copies of your parent’s ID cards
      • If your parents are divorced or one of them died, you’ll need to show the divorce certificate or death certificate;
      • If your name does not appear in the family book (户口本) with your parents, you’ll need to go to the local police office to apply for relative relationship certificate (亲属关系证明).

Click here to view the related Government Source (from Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Justice). However, requirements may vary depending on your city, so it’s important to verify with the relevant notary public directly.

Cost: 

  • If you already have Birth (medical) certificate (出生(医学)证明), there are not costs.
  • If you need to do the public notary for notarized birth certificate (出生公证), it depends on your branch. In general, this kind of civil notarization will not charge more than 200 RMB.

Name change certificate from China

* Please note – Name change certificate is not necessary if you did not change your first / last name.

-No information-

Personal status certificate from China

Name in China: 单身证明, 未婚证明 or 未婚公证 (Single status certificate, Unmarried declaration or Notarization of unmarried)

How to obtain?

Bring your Family book (户口本) to the public notary, there is marriage status (婚姻状况) can show the applicant is Unmarried/Married.

Personal note: our PIBA branch rejected my unmarried declaration issued by the Embassy of China in Israel. They insist that the 3 documents need to be issued in our original country.

Cost: Depends on the municipality, around 70-500 RMB.

Certificate of Non-Criminal Record from China

Name in China: 无犯罪记录 (Certificate of Criminal Record)

How to obtain?

  1. Enter Wechat(微信) and search your local police office account. If you come from Guangdong, search “Yue Sheng Shi(粤省事)” mini app in Wechat.
  2. Find the “Household Registration (户政（治安))” column, choose the city you belong to, and then scroll to the end to see the option of issuing a certificate of no criminal record.
  3. After filling in the information, you can choose to have the Public Security Bureau mail it to your to an actual address, or get an online copy.
  4. If there is no problem with the content, you may receive the online version on the day of application.

Obtaining a Non-Criminal Record Certificate in China has become more standardized across cities. If you’re from Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangdong, you can refer to the following links for detailed instructions:

AIC note: It is always recommended to issue hard-copy certificates as PIBA may refuse to accept online-issued certificates that were digitally signed and printed at home.

Cost: Free, not including the mailing cost.

Verifying the documents with apostille

All official documentation from abroad that needs to be presented in Israel, must be verified by the country of its origin in order to be valid outside of it, in Israel. Many countries use “apostille” for this purpose. An apostille is usually a document, issued by an authorized authority which authenticates the documents in question.  This is used to demonstrate that they are valid documents that can be recognized in other countries.

As of November 2023, China has joined the Apostille convention. This means applicants no longer need to undergo the “signature chain” authentication process that finishes at the Israeli consulate; instead, they must use an Apostille. However, previous successful methods are no longer applicable. Additionally, China is a vast country with varying requirements depending on the city or timing. Chinese applicants must carefully review specific local requirements before applying.

Obtaining apostille in China

Two steps are required to obtain an apostille for chinese documents:

1. Notarize the certificates with a Public Notary

Bring your Chinese ID and family book(户口本), and the documents you need to do the notarized to the public notary that near you. Notarization generally takes 4 working days.

Cost: 120 RMB (Guangdong Province), varies depending on your branch.

2. Apply for Apostille

  1. Visit the website: http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/zggmcg/fjzms/.
  2. Navigate to the section “申办附加证明书须知” and click on “二、受理机构” to find the branch closest to your location.
  3. Prepare the following documents:
    • Your ID card
    • A copy of your ID card
    • The documents you need to apostille
  4. Visit the branch during opening hours to submit your documents.
  5. After 4 working days, return to the branch to collect the apostilled documents.

Personal note: In my case, I asked my sister to handle this for me. She needed to bring the following documents: The original documents, the notarized documents, a proxy letter, a copy of my ID, a copy of her ID.

Cost: 50 RMB (or expedited service for 100 RMB).

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Chaiching Lo
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