Chinese Name Change Translation
Chinese name change translation for anyone whose documents carry two names: a hukou name and a 曾用名, a diploma name and a passport name, or two romanizations of the same characters. China records a name change at the 派出所 rather than in a court, so the proof is a 户口簿 entry, a 公安局 certificate or a notarial certificate. We translate each into certified English, and US name change orders into Chinese.
- Up to 250 words per page
- $25 per page
- Standard turnaround
- From 24 hours
- Certificate of accuracy
- Signed & stamped
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Written for Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified change of name records
How a name change is recorded in China
There is no court order to translate. The change lives in the household register, and proving it to a US office means translating the right page or obtaining the right 公证.
The 曾用名 line
A 姓名变更 is approved by the 户籍 desk of the 派出所, and the old name is written into the 曾用名 field of the 常住人口登记卡 page in the 户口簿. The 身份证 shows only the new name, and a passport issued afterwards may note the old one on its 备注 page. We translate the whole hukou page, label 曾用名 as former name, and give both names in pinyin with the characters, because a US officer who sees only a new name and an old birth certificate has no way to connect them.
Certificates from the 派出所 and the 公证处
When the register no longer shows it, because the booklet was reissued or the hukou was cancelled on emigration, the 派出所 issues a 户籍证明 or 姓名变更证明 listing the current and former names. A 公证处 issues a 曾用名公证 or a 同一人公证, a notarial statement that 张伟 on one document and Zhang Wei or an older Chang Wei on another are the same person. USCIS, credential evaluators and licensing boards take these when a diploma shows one name and the passport another, and we translate the certificate with its seal and the 公证员's name.
Romanization is not a name change
A Chinese name changes spelling without changing at all. Wong and Huang, Hsu and Xu, Mei-Ling and Meiling are one set of characters written three ways, and an English first name adopted at school has no legal standing in China. Nothing was changed, so there is no document to prove it. In those cases a translator's note stating the characters and that the passport pinyin is their standard romanization is usually enough, and where an office insists on a document, the 同一人公证 above is the one to ask for.
Who is asking for your Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified change of name translation?
The translation is the same. What changes is whether the recipient wants anything added to it.
USCIS
USCIS asks for a complete English translation and a signed certification from the translator. No notarization is needed.
US passports and the Department of State
The Department of State wants the translation notarized. Add notarization at checkout and we handle the rest.
Banks, DMVs and Social Security
Offices updating your record to the new name accept a certified translation of the order, read next to the original. Some DMVs want it notarized as well, so check with your office first.
Before you upload
Three things that save a day of back and forth on a Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified change of name.
Send the court order or the registry act
A name change is proved by the judge's order, the deed poll or the registry entry that recorded it. Upload the document that made the change, not only an ID in the new name.
Show both names in the scan
The page that lists the old name and the new one is the page every recipient wants. Include the seal, the registration number and the back of the page.
Give us the English spelling of both names
Tell us how each name appears on your passport or other documents. The translation keeps the names as the order writes them and notes the spelling you use.
Details and pricing
What is included in a Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified change of name translation
One price per page covers the translation and its certification. A page is up to 250 words, and the quote tells you the page count before you pay.
Everything on the change of name is translated, including stamps, seals and handwritten notes. Tell us the English spelling you use for each name when you order.
Certified Translation
Word-for-word translation with a certificate of accuracy for official use.
$25
USD / page
up to 250 words per page
Included
- Signed & stamped certification of translation accuracy
- Certified by a professional translator
- Digital delivery via PDF
- Review and approve final translation
- 100% Guaranteed Acceptance
- Standard turnaround starting at 24 hours
Optional services
- Expedited turnaround
- Priority handling when your deadline is shorter than the standard turnaround.
- By deadline
- Notarization
- A notary public signs and stamps the certification statement.
- $20 per order
- Physical copy
- A wet-ink original of your translation, mailed by express courier.
- $35 per order
- Apostille
- Authenticates the notary’s signature and seal for use in Hague Convention countries.
- $180 per document
What the certificate of accuracy states
Your translation arrives with a Certification of Translation Accuracy issued by ImmiTranslate. It is the page the receiving organization checks first.
- The translation is complete and accurate.
- The document title and the language pair.
- The translator is competent in both languages.
- A signature and the ImmiTranslate certification stamp.
- Our American Translators Association corporate membership.
Our translation process
Our goal is to make the translation process as simple as possible for you. Our service is streamlined specifically for documents of this nature.
Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified Change Of Name FAQ
Most questions about pricing and turnaround can be answered faster by requesting a quote.
- I took a new name when I naturalized. Does China need the translation?
- Sometimes. A Chinese visa application asks a former citizen for the 曾用名 and the old Chinese passport, and when the naturalization certificate shows a new name the consulate may ask how the two connect. Cancelling your 户口 at the 派出所 after naturalization needs the naturalization certificate, and the office wants it in Chinese. We translate the certificate or the court order into Chinese, and the receiving office may want that notarized, which we can add.
- My child's name was changed in China before the visa. What ties the documents together?
- The hukou. A minor's name is changed by the parents at the 派出所 with the 出生医学证明 and both parents' consent, and the old name goes into the child's 曾用名 field. A child arriving on an IR-2 or an adoption visa then has a birth certificate in one name and a passport in another, and the translated 户口簿 page is the document that shows they are the same child. Send the birth certificate and the hukou page together so the translator can cross-reference them in a note.
- My diploma spells my name one way and my passport another. Which do you use?
- The passport, with a note. The commonest case is 吕: older passports and diplomas spell it LU or LV, and newer passports spell it LYU, so the same person holds documents in three spellings. The characters have not changed, so the translation uses the passport spelling and adds a translator's note giving the characters and the spelling on the diploma. If the evaluator still wants a document, a 同一人公证 from a 公证处 settles it.
- How much does a certified translation cost?
- Certified translation is $25 per page, with a page counted as up to 250 words. Notarization, a mailed physical copy and an apostille are optional and priced separately.
- How long does a certified translation take?
- Standard turnaround starts at 24 hours and depends on the length and language of your documents. If you have a deadline, include it in your quote request.
Other Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified documents we translate
Change of name translation in other languages
Each of these pages is written for that language's change of name records.
Sending it with an application? Read the USCIS translation requirements before you order.