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Q: Can My Child get Chinese birth certificate with my surname
Hi ,
I am foreigner married to Chinese girl and settled in China.We are expecting our first child in couple of months.But My wife says that I can't name my child with an English name and can't put my surname as my child's family name(surname).I know there are lots of foreign fathers in this blog please share your experience ,And please advise me what to do if i want my child to have my surname.
I also heard that if register my child with a Chinese name the child can't leave China until 18 years old.Is this true?. Couldn't find any answer to my question from internet , Hope I can get an answer from you guys thank you 
8 years 35 weeks ago in Family & Kids - China
You can put an alphabet name on a Chinese birth certificate, but this will immediately funnel your child into foreigner category. No Chinese name, no Chinese rights. There are precious few (expensive) hospitals willing to accommodate a double name (Chinese & alphabetical), so unless you are very lucky, you are faced with a rigid choice.
1) Child get your alphabetical name, and your family name if you want.
2) Child gets a Chinese character name and inherits Chinese citizen's family name, even if it's the mother.
If you plan to live in China with your child and deal with bureaucracy, the latter is the best choice. Our family chose it too, so my kids will have to endure being named Ouwen and Andi on their British passports, because rules only allow for direct pinyin translation. You'll have to apply for a separate name change later on if you want it corrected.
The most immediate bureaucratic benefits would be an easier claim to Chinese nationality, and the right to Chinese education. Getting this done with an alphabet name is possible in theory, but disappointing in practice.
I'd stay away from Chinese education even with a Chinese name, but that's a whole different story.
The 18 thing is about choosing one's nationality. Authorities have been known to be difficult about letting half-foreign children leave with a Chinese passport, if they suspect the child will claim a 2nd nationality and passport. Often the kid can leave somehow, but either has to leave behind their Chinese passport, or sign some kind of statement.
They're eager to take away Chinese nationality, but without the child being adult, it feels wrong to rob them of it before they've reached an age to decide which passport to keep. It sounds very compassionate, but it's probably the result of some ABC tuhao suing the shit out of local authorities, causing authorities to be more cautious in their assholery.
yasiru:
I really appreciate your comments and I also agree with you about every thing you said here.really I am in a dilemma about my child's future.I know how bad Chinese education system is.But our life is not stable so I think better register with a Chinese name and send him to an international school ,So if some thing happen to me my wife will be able to send him to a Chinese school if our financial status are low.Please share your advice I am sure there are lots of people will get the benefit from this
coineineagh:
My advice, even though I couldn't convince my own wife to do this, is start the formal process of relinquishing your child's Chinese nationality. It takes around 6 months. Authorities might be uncooperative, but this is because they know they lose all hold over the child. You are free to home-school your child once you realize how harmful Chinese 'education' is to a child's mind. You don't need an Entry/Exit Permit from the PSB (which only allows the child to exit to the country of his/her other nationality). International school is a little better than public schools, but definitely not worth the money you spend on it. The staff still operate with Chinese characteristics, so this will rub off, and your child will learn crass elitism as well as the regular Chinese prick behaviour. Take it from someone who worked in Chinese education: The school system in China kills their curiosity and creativity. They are not subtle about banning deep thought. International schools do a bit more than the regular cattle herding, but the impulse to control and brainwash is still there. You can get extra homework sessions if you can afford it, but it will not make your child a robust, rational, independent thinker.
You can't put a foreign name on a Chinese birth certificate. Lots on here can confirm this.
Who told you the second part about not being able to take them of china till they were 18? That's pure bollocks! You need to get them a Chinese passport and a visa to whichever country you want to go to. OR....you get them a passport from your country and renounce/give up their Chinese citizenship (& then they'll need a visa, like you, to live here.
Now this in on the main answers page you'll hopefully get some replies from parents. My reply is based on reading forums and one Scottish friend whose daughter is Chinese!
You can put an alphabet name on a Chinese birth certificate, but this will immediately funnel your child into foreigner category. No Chinese name, no Chinese rights. There are precious few (expensive) hospitals willing to accommodate a double name (Chinese & alphabetical), so unless you are very lucky, you are faced with a rigid choice.
1) Child get your alphabetical name, and your family name if you want.
2) Child gets a Chinese character name and inherits Chinese citizen's family name, even if it's the mother.
If you plan to live in China with your child and deal with bureaucracy, the latter is the best choice. Our family chose it too, so my kids will have to endure being named Ouwen and Andi on their British passports, because rules only allow for direct pinyin translation. You'll have to apply for a separate name change later on if you want it corrected.
The most immediate bureaucratic benefits would be an easier claim to Chinese nationality, and the right to Chinese education. Getting this done with an alphabet name is possible in theory, but disappointing in practice.
I'd stay away from Chinese education even with a Chinese name, but that's a whole different story.
The 18 thing is about choosing one's nationality. Authorities have been known to be difficult about letting half-foreign children leave with a Chinese passport, if they suspect the child will claim a 2nd nationality and passport. Often the kid can leave somehow, but either has to leave behind their Chinese passport, or sign some kind of statement.
They're eager to take away Chinese nationality, but without the child being adult, it feels wrong to rob them of it before they've reached an age to decide which passport to keep. It sounds very compassionate, but it's probably the result of some ABC tuhao suing the shit out of local authorities, causing authorities to be more cautious in their assholery.
yasiru:
I really appreciate your comments and I also agree with you about every thing you said here.really I am in a dilemma about my child's future.I know how bad Chinese education system is.But our life is not stable so I think better register with a Chinese name and send him to an international school ,So if some thing happen to me my wife will be able to send him to a Chinese school if our financial status are low.Please share your advice I am sure there are lots of people will get the benefit from this
coineineagh:
My advice, even though I couldn't convince my own wife to do this, is start the formal process of relinquishing your child's Chinese nationality. It takes around 6 months. Authorities might be uncooperative, but this is because they know they lose all hold over the child. You are free to home-school your child once you realize how harmful Chinese 'education' is to a child's mind. You don't need an Entry/Exit Permit from the PSB (which only allows the child to exit to the country of his/her other nationality). International school is a little better than public schools, but definitely not worth the money you spend on it. The staff still operate with Chinese characteristics, so this will rub off, and your child will learn crass elitism as well as the regular Chinese prick behaviour. Take it from someone who worked in Chinese education: The school system in China kills their curiosity and creativity. They are not subtle about banning deep thought. International schools do a bit more than the regular cattle herding, but the impulse to control and brainwash is still there. You can get extra homework sessions if you can afford it, but it will not make your child a robust, rational, independent thinker.
My country follow priciple of "dad blood" so my son has to be Czech person whereever he was born, unless we rewoke it. In chinese hospital we have stated that our son will bear czech nationality and czech name, and they write his name in alphabet to the chinese birth certificate. then you have to go to embassy, start the process of registration of your kid as citizen of your own country, on the end you get his birth certificate issued from your country and his foreign passport. yeah, need to have visa to stay here, dependent on yours usually.
If you decide go with chinese family name and citizenship, then it is easier for many things if you wanna stay here long term. but why do things easier, when we can challenge the life ? 
unless you happen to have a surname that matches exactly "one character" in the chinese language, the whole thing is a problem for a future life in china, schools, id card, employment, hukou, etc.
my embassy(us) had me fill out an affadavit and change the name to english for the us passport, so the chinese pinyan is not on the western passport to track and find 2 passports,
the pain is using the chinese passport to travel abroad and waiting in line for a visa, once you get through the line, show the western official both passports and he will automatically issue a pro forma visa for the child.
lots of trouble and time, i just fly the child on chinese passport to bangkok or seoul and then use the western passport back to the states, i never use the western passport in china for anything.
i actually just went to the embassy to pick up the passport last week, for americans a little bit of news, since the community agitator harrassed conservatives like nixon used the irs, the backlash of cutting funding by the conservatives has forced the irs to close in the embassy in beijing and you have to talk to an agent in manilla, so harassing of expats in china by the irs has become a wet dream that will never happen and the irs wont be at our throats, that was some very good news.
most of us make less than the limit and dont owe any tax anyway but we are still supposed to fill out these damn forms every year, if you dont move any money by wire, and dont fill in the forms, dont sweat it, nobody cares, and now nobody's watching. for the flamers, yes i am a CPA.
mike695ca:
I have a question about this. If a kid flys to say bangkok on a chinese passport and then uses an American passport to fly home , when he returned to China via Bangkok wouldnt his Chinese passport show he has spent a significant amount of time in Tailand? Like overstayed there? Would that cause any issues?
ambivalentmace:
flying back into thailand on the us passport is no problem, but leaving to china with the chinese passport could be a problem, i have always done short trips, never over 2 weeks, will check with some other friends who travel for long stays and see what happens.
mike695ca:
Thanks! I uave some of these decisions to make any day now. Wife is about to pop.
My son has a Chinese birth certificate with a western first and second name and my family surname,it did cause a bit of trouble at local police station,they asked us to give him a Chinese name,but local P.S.B. said it couldn't be changed once signed by hospital.My son is 3 years old now.
yasiru:
As you say your Child have your surname and an English name ,how about school ,is he going to a Chinese local school or an International school?what are the difficulties you are facing because of his English name?
paulmartin:
My son is 3 years 4 months,so he just started kindergarden last week.It's a private kindergarden so no problem.My daughter is 7 she's in grade 2 Primary school with U.K. Passport,not a big school,just local normal Primary school.
yasiru:
Thank you for your answer .Can you please tell me which City you live?so the primary school your daughter attend they teach in Chinese or English ?
Thank you guys ,from all your answers I feel like my only option is to have a Chinese name and surname for my child's Chinese birth certificate .And get a separate passport from our embassy for traveling.Except Paulmartin every one else have done the same it seems.Plese keep on commenting as I really would like to have my child with my surname ,But since my wife is the only child she don't want to leave China .So I am stuck in china for a good part of my life
ScotsAlan:
Just get a Chinese passport. So far as I am aware, Chinese nationals do not need a visa for Sri Lanka. But they need a visa to exit China, so get a Thai visa in the Chinese passport and travel home through there. Then, if you decide to move back home your kid can get a Sri Lanka passport then.
