Information For A None Citizen Marrying A Chinese Citizen.

This website uses 'cookies' to give you the best, most relevant experience. Using this website means you're happy with this.
You can find out more about the cookies used by clicking this link (for legal information).
Flags.

Disclaimer.

MARRIAGE: CHINA.

April 2026
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30

British Embassy
Beijing Consular Section Floor 21
The Kerry Centre
No 1Guang Hua LuChao Yang District Beijing 100020
People's Republic of China
Telephone: (0086 10) 8529 6600
Facsimile: (0086 10) 8529 6081

If you are a British Citizen and you wish to marry in China, the local authorities require that you produce a document to show that you are free to marry. This document is called a Certificate of No-Impediment (CNI) and can be obtained from the British Embassy or your local registrar in the UK.

BRITISH EMBASSY Under the Marriage with Foreigners Act 1906 you must reside continuously in China for 21 clear days before giving notice of your intended marriage. The period of residence must be immediately prior to acceptance of the notice. 21 clear days means that the day you arrive in China or the day you submit your Notice of Intention to Marry may not be counted .It is necessary for the applicant to visit this office.

No appointment is necessary, the office hours are 08.30 - 12.00 and 13.00 - 15.30. On a visit to this office it is necessary to swear and affidavit before a Consular Officer, in addition the notice of intent to marry is completed. For the affidavit we require your full name and an address in the United Kingdom, your partners full name and address in English (Pinyin), your passport and, if you have been married before the original divorce decree or death certificate which shows any previous marriage is no longer subsisting. The notice of intent to marry is completed at this time, for this the Chinese partners name and full address is required in Chinese characters.

The notice is displayed at this office for a period of 21 days after which time a Certificate of no Impediment is issued in both English and Chinese. Once issued the certificate is valid for use for three months, if not used in this time it would be necessary to repeat the procedure. You should check with the local Chinese authorities as to their residency requirements. Some areas state that a foreigner must have been living in China continuously for a period of six months before being allowed to marry here. The cost for this service is 840 RMB, payable in local currency. In addition, there is a 30 RMB fee for the postage of the certificate by EMS. Details required for EMS postage service are: name, full address in Chinese Characters, post code and telephone number.

Prior to registering the marriage it is necessary for foreign nationals to undergo a medical check at a hospital designated by the local Marriage Registration Bureau. Please contact them for further information. We have been advised by the Beijing Marriage Registration Office of the Beijing Municipal People's Government that two foreigners can marry in Beijing provided at least one of them is in possession of a Chinese residency card. Please contact them direct for further information at the addresses below; Marriage Registration Office Ministry of Civil Affairs No 147 Bei HeYan Dajie Dong Cheng District Tel: 6513 5544 Or Marriage Registration Office Beijing Municipal People.s Government No 36 Dongxi Dajie Tel:6512 4422

LOCAL REGISTRY OFFICE - UK.

The procedure for this is the same as it is to marry in the UK, the applicant completes the notice of intent to marry and shows the necessary documents (same as British Embassy). The notice is displayed at the Register Office for 21 days, a certificate is then issued. The certificate will be in English only. Once issued it should be sent to the Chinese Embassy in London for authentication .We have no details of the charges for these services. For the document to be accepted by the relevant Chinese Authorities it will be necessary for it to be notarised by a Consular Officer at the British Embassy. In some circumstances this service can be performed by post.

The certificate of no impediment issued in the UK should be sent to this office along with the Chinese partners' name in Chinese characters. The cost for this service is 420 RMB, payable in local currency, plus 30 RMB postage. A marriage that takes place in China is recognised under UK law. You can if you wish, obtain a British Marriage licence by "depositing" your Chinese certificate with your local Registry office in the UK. The Registry office will then issue a certified copy of your Chinese licence in English but the original Chinese licence cannot be returned. 25 June, 2001 If you want to do it yourself, the following is the standard requirements. 1. A certificate from your government stating you are single 2. If you have ever been divorced, a copy of the decree absolute 3. A statement of declaration All of the above must be:

1. professionally translated into Chinese 1. stamped by the office which produced the certificate 2. notarized by a lawyer or notary republic 3. stamped by your government 4. authenticated by the Chinese Consulate in your country - not China.

INSTRUCTIONS ON DOCUMENT LEGALISATION Consular Section Office Hours: 9:00am-12:00pm Chinese Embassy in London Tel: 020-72998422 or 020-72998423 Address of the Visa Office: 31 Portland Place, London W1N 3AG Fax: 020-74369178 Web Site: http://www.chinese-embassy.org.uk Legalisation means the authentication of a signature of seal/stamp appearing on a document. To have documents which originate in the United Kingdom accepted in the People.s Republic of China, you need to go to the Legalisation Office of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office(20 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0NZ, Tel: 020-7210 2520) to legalise the signatures or seals of British public officials (Solicitors, Notaries Public, Registrars, Officials of Chambers of Commerce). Then you may come to the Chinese Embassy/Consulate to legalise the signatures of the officials of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

According to the Sino-British agreement, Hague Convention is still effective in Hong Kong after 1 July 1997. If the document has already been legalised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, it can be used in Hong Kong without legalised by the Chinese Embassy/Consulate. Please be advised that the legalisation only confirms that the signature of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the apostil attached to your document is genuine. It dose NOT mean that the contents of the document are correct or this office approves of the contents. An application form must be completed before you make the application for legalisation.

The form is available upon request. Preferably, your document may be issued directly in both Chinese and English. For document only in English, it must have a Chinese translation version which should also be notarised to the correct and true translation and legalised together with the original document. A photocopy of your document is required by this office for our record. Please have it ready in advance. Otherwise your application is not acceptable.

The legalisation fee is £30 for each commercial document or £15 for each document of any other types. Please pay by cash or postal order (payable to: the Chinese Embassy). The legalisation will be done in 10 working days. Applications can be made either in person or by post. For postal applications, an extra £20 per package will be charged as the postal service fee and a self-address return envelope is required. Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland All Rights Reserved. https://www.chinese-embassy.org.uk

Marriage in the UK.

CHINA BIRDS.

British Embassy Beijing Consular Section Floor 21 The Kerry Centre No 1Guang Hua LuChao Yang District Beijing 100020 People's Republic of China Telephone: (0086 10) 8529 6600 Facsimile: (0086 10) 8529 6081

LOCAL REGISTRY OFFICE - UK.

British Embassy
Beijing Consular Section Floor 21
The Kerry Centre
No 1Guang Hua LuChao Yang District Beijing 100020
People's Republic of China
Telephone: (0086 10) 8529 6600
Facsimile: (0086 10) 8529 6081