Declaration of Marital Status in China
Do you need a certificate of marital status in China? If the local authorities will not issue such a document, the Dutch embassy or consulate can do it instead.
Declaration of marital status
If you wish to marry abroad, you may need a declaration of marital status. To obtain one, you must produce several documents to prove that you are not married or in a registered partnership.
What documents do you need when applying?
If you have never been married
- proof that you have Dutch nationality, this may be any one of the following documents:
- a Dutch passport
- a Dutch national identity card
- a certificate of Dutch nationality
- an address and proof of registration of place of residence
- a declaration of unmarried status. If you are no longer registered in the Personal Records Database (BPR) in the Netherlands, request this as an extract from the Non-residents Records Database (RNI). You will then have proof of your marital status at the time you left the Netherlands.
If you have previously been married
- proof that you have Dutch nationality, this may be any one of the following documents:
- a Dutch passport
- a Dutch national identity card
- a certificate of Dutch nationality
- an address and proof of registration of place of residence
- divorce certificates, foreign judgments or a death certificate
You may need to have the original legalised and translated. The rules vary per country.
The term ongehuwd (unmarried)
The term ongehuwd (unmarried) is used only if you have never married or entered into a registered partnership. If you have been married previously or been in a registered partnership, the term gescheiden (which means you have divorced or terminated a registered partnership) or weduwe/weduwnaar (widow/widower) will be used in the declaration. Details of any and all previous marriages or registered partnerships must appear on the document.
Declaration of marital status in this country or region
Deregistered from the Netherlands?
Are you an official resident of China, holding a valid visa or residence permit? And are you deregistered as a resident from the Dutch population register (BRP)? The Dutch embassy in Beijing or consulate-general in Shanghai or Guangzhou can issue a declaration of marital status.
To a apply for a declaration of marital status, please provide us with copies of the following documents:
- A declaration of the municipality in the Netherlands where you lived before you moved to China. This declaration has to mention your marital status at the moment of your departure from the Netherlands
- If you were living in another country than the Netherlands before you moved to China, you need to provide proof of your marital status at the moment you left that country. This can also be a declaration of the Netherlands embassy or consulate-general in that country
- If you were married before: divorce certificate, official court order, or a death certificate
- A valid Dutch passport or ID-card
- Documents that can proof your address in China (e.g. a recent energy bill)
The documents can be submitted by mail. For information on how to apply by email, see the explanation below.
Not deregistered from the Netherlands?
In case you are not an official resident of China and you did not deregister yourself as a resident from the Dutch population register (BRP), the embassy in Beijing or consulate-general in Shanghai or Guangzhou cannot issue a declaration of marital status for you. In that case you will need to apply for (international) proof of your marital status in the municipality where you live. This document needs to be legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands, and after that by the Chinese embassy in the Hague.
Applying for the declaration by email
To get a declaration of marital status, you can scan the necessary documents and send them by email.
The declaration will mention the purpose for which it is issued. Please mention clearly in your email what you need the declaration for.
It usually takes around 2 working days to make the declaration and send it to you.
Payment
After the embassy or consulate-general has received your application by email, you will receive instructions on how to pay the fees. You can find an overview with the consular fees in China on our website.
How do I make an appointment?
You can also apply for the declaration in person. Make an appointment online to visit the embassy in Beijing or the consulate-general in Guangzhou or Shanghai.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact the embassy in Beijing, the consulate-general in Guangzhou or the consulate-general in Shanghai.