How to request a gongzhengshu at a Chinese notarial office
The gongzhengchu is an efficient machine when fed right: the person's base documents (hukou, identity, the work unit's archives when the case asks), the entitled requester or their representative, and the certificate comes out in days — bilingual, standardised, ready for the world.
The base documents
- The family's hukou (the household booklet) — the mother-proof of birth and kinship.
- The shenfenzheng (identity card) of those involved.
- For births: the medical certificate (出生医学证明) when it exists (post-1996, standardised).
- For old cases: the danwei's archives (the planned-era work unit kept civil life) and the local records the notary knows how to search.
The representative and the weituoshu
The weituoshu (委托书, the power of attorney) enables someone to act — the one drawn up at the Chinese consulate in Brazil is the gold standard; the Brazilian notarial one travels with apostille + translation into Chinese. The right representative (a relative in the city, or a local Hand) transforms the corridor: they carry the originals, answer the notary, pay and collect.
The counter and the timelines
The big cities' gongzhengchu serve by appointment (frequently via WeChat) and issue in days — the standard notarial takes 3-7 working days; the urgent one, less, for a higher fee. The countryside follows the countryside's pace. The fees: hundreds of yuan per certificate, set by province.
The outgoing bilingual
Ask for the certificate with the translation embedded (the gongzhengchu produces it in English, Portuguese and other languages depending on the city) — the established format for abroad. Choosing the target language in the request saves the Brazilian step when the destination accepts it.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is the hukou?+
The family household register — each family has its booklet, with births, marriages and moves annotated. It is the documentary base of Chinese life and the notariat's primary source.
My family emigrated before the modern hukou. Now what?+
The notariat works with what exists: local archives, clan records, testimonies — in the kinship notarial. The case's design is discussed with the gongzhengchu; the local representative is essential.
Informative content about request procedures. We do not cover citizenship or visa eligibility. Rules and amounts may change; always confirm before acting.