Problems getting birth certificate for China interview

[TTmeadows 1]

I have reviewed several previous threads related to China birth certificates, but did not find one that quite addresses my situation. I am hoping someone familiar can suggest something? Thank you all in advance.

 

Background:

My fiance has contacted the notary office in her hometown to confirm what documents are required to generate a notarial birth certificate (出生公证书）, which I understand is what the Guangzhou consulate is looking for. The requirements are as follows:

1) 户口本原件 (Hukou-ben, original)

2) 父母结婚证原件(Parents' marriage certificate, original)

3) 父母身份证，复印件(official identification cards for both parents, copies accepted)

4) 本人身份证， 原本 (Applicant's official identification card, original)

 

Our problem is:

My fiance is estranged from her father, who keeps the family documents under lock and key and is unwilling to provide their Hukou-ben, marriage certificate, or his identification card for use at the notary (which means we only have the mother's ID card copy and my fiance's own ID card).  We are attempting to negotiate with the notary office to see if there is any alternative, but so far they are insistent that we provide all of the above documents.

 

I have two questions:

1) Any suggestions for alternative means to acquire the birth certificate?

2) If a birth certificate cannot be obtained, any suggestions on how to explain it at the interview stage (as Guangzhou consulate's interview checklist requires the birth certificate)?

 

For those who have read this far (thanks!), here are a few suggestions I have dug up so far:

Re: question 1, I have read that a medical record of birth from a hospital (出生医学证明） can sometimes be substituted for the notarial birth certificate , but my fiancé was not born in a hospital and does not believe such a record exists. 

 

Re: question 2, I have read a consular website (not GZ) suggest that we acquire a written statement from a government authority stating why the birth certificate is not available. I feel like this is not relevant to our case - the document technically is available, but we cannot get it printed owing to family drama, and anyway I'm not sure the notary office would play ball writing a note to confirm this situation. Or am I wrong?

 

Re: question 2, the immigration website Boundless has suggested applicants in our situation get a notarized personal affidavit from a close relative explaining why the birth certificate is not available and listing all of the information that a birth certificate should contain.  My fiance's mother might be willing to assist with such a document, but I am uncertain if this is a good strategy as Boundless is not addressing China specifically and I have not seen this approach suggested anywhere else, China or otherwise. 

 

[Ryan H 3,813]

Moved from K1 Progress Reports to China regional forum.

[RandyW 149]

If she is not going to the office where HER hukou is registered, have her go there. My understanding is that a Chinese citizen with a hukou and a Chinese ID SHOULD be able to get a notarial birth certificate.

 

An alternative, if it is a different office, would be to go to the office where her parents' hukou is registered.

[TTmeadows 1]

Thank you RandyW for the helpful advice. I'm replying to this thread with my own experience in case it is beneficial to others going forward.

 

Over the phone, the notary office in her hometown insisted we bring a number of documents, including the original hukou-ben. We couldn't get those, but decided to visit the city in person to see whether we could work something out. As luck would have it, the notary said we could go to the public security bureau (PSB) in her parents' neighborhood and apply for a document called a "huji dang'an" (户籍档案）, which lists similar information as the hukou (notably the family members' names, birth dates, and relationships to each other). The PSB gave us a photocopy of the "huji dang'an", which we took to the notary along with my fiance's ID card. This was enough for the notary, which let us submit an order and pick up the white books (notarial birth certificate copies) 2 days later. 

 

It actually was very convenient, as we needed to visit the PSB anyway to get one of the documents necessary to apply for the police certificate (also required for the consulate interview). The notary office was modern and clean, and the staff were quite helpful - a pleasant surprise in a third-tier city in the northwest.

 

TLDR version:

• Even though the notary office gives a us a certain set of requirements over the phone, an in-person visit helped us discover helpful alternatives
• In our case in which the original hukou-ben was not available, a "huji dang'an" 户籍档案 sufficed instead

 

[RandyW 149]

On 7/13/2021 at 8:04 PM, TTmeadows said:

Thank you RandyW for the helpful advice. I'm replying to this thread with my own experience in case it is beneficial to others going forward.

 

Over the phone, the notary office in her hometown insisted we bring a number of documents, including the original hukou-ben. We couldn't get those, but decided to visit the city in person to see whether we could work something out. As luck would have it, the notary said we could go to the public security bureau (PSB) in her parents' neighborhood and apply for a document called a "huji dang'an" (户籍档案）, which lists similar information as the hukou (notably the family members' names, birth dates, and relationships to each other). The PSB gave us a photocopy of the "huji dang'an", which we took to the notary along with my fiance's ID card. This was enough for the notary, which let us submit an order and pick up the white books (notarial birth certificate copies) 2 days later. 

 

It actually was very convenient, as we needed to visit the PSB anyway to get one of the documents necessary to apply for the police certificate (also required for the consulate interview). The notary office was modern and clean, and the staff were quite helpful - a pleasant surprise in a third-tier city in the northwest.

 

TLDR version:

• Even though the notary office gives a us a certain set of requirements over the phone, an in-person visit helped us discover helpful alternatives
• In our case in which the original hukou-ben was not available, a "huji dang'an" 户籍档案 sufficed instead

 

 

My guess is that the "public security bureau (PSB) in her parents' neighborhood" is where her parents' hukou is registered and that you could have gotten the white book there. Being bounced back and forth is no fun, but I'm glad they came through for you.