Consular registration of births or deaths is not a legal requirement; However, it is more likely that other countries will recognise the British style birth/death certificate rather than the Chinese one.

Consular Birth Registration
A permanent and accessible record of the birth registration is also maintained at the General Register Office (GRO) in the UK. The following documentation should be provided: originals of all documents must accompany the application, photocopies cannot be accepted. The original documents will be returned to you.
1. A completed birth registration form;
2. The child’s local birth certificate;
3. Parents’ passports;
4. Parent(s) full (unabridged) British birth certificate(s);
5. Parent(s) registration/naturalisation certificate (if applicable)
6. Parents’ marriage certificate; and
7. The appropriate fee
We aim to process applications for birth registration within five working days.

Does my child need a visa to leave China?
Yes. Your child will need to obtain a visa/permit. According to Chinese visa regulations, foreign babies cannot exit China until they obtain a one-time Exit Visa/Permit.

NOTE: Chinese and British laws governing citizenship differ. Article 3 of The People’s Republic of China Nationality Law does not recognise dual nationality. And Article 4 of The People’s Republic of China Nationality Law states that any person born in China whose parents are both Chinese nationals or one of whose parents is a Chinese national shall have Chinese nationality. This may mean a child born to a Chinese national, regardless of their partner’s nationality, will automatically acquire Chinese citizenship and may experience problems when applying for a Chinese exit visa at some local Public Security Entry and Exit Bureau because the Chinese government does not recognise their British citizenship (even though the United Kingdom does).

In some cities, the Municipal Public Security Entry and Exit Bureau issue a one-time exit permit to assist the child to leave the country. But the local public security entry and exit bureau in many other cities do not offer such service. In order to legally leave the country, the parents will have to apply with the local public security authorities to renounce the Chinese citizenship for the child. The process can take more than three months. Once the child's Chinese citizenship is officially forsaken, the local public security entry and exit bureau will recognise the child's British passport and issue an exit visa for the child.

For further details on this issue contact your local Public Security Bureau or the British Embassy or the Consulates-General closest to you (Click here for contact details). The contact details of the Beijing Public Security Entry and Exit Bureau are:

Tel: 010-8402 0101
Add: No 2 Dong Dajie, Andingmen, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Click here for a leaflet called Birth Certificate or First Passport for Child.

Consular Death Registration
We can provide a British-style death certificate for a British Citizen who dies in China.

The following documentation should be provided: originals of all documents must accompany the application, photocopies cannot be accepted. The original documents will be returned to you.
1. a completed death application form;
2. the full local death certificate/evidence of death, such as a hospital notification of death;
3. the deceased’s British passport;
4. evidence of the deceased's claim to British nationality eg certificate of naturalisation or registration as a British national, if applicable;
5. the informant’s passport; and
6. the appropriate fee.
We aim to process applications for death certificates within three working days.