I translate Chinese marriage certificates for UK spouse visas. £30 per 250-word page includes a full English translation, signed accuracy statement, MITI seal and PDF. Standard: 2 working days; express within 24 hours +50%; urgent 1–2 hours +100% for short documents, by agreement. Send both red booklets and passport name spellings through the form below.
I am Rex Su, an independent translator based in Shanghai, China, working remotely for UK clients. My ITI directory entry lists my Qualified Member (MITI) status; membership 00024532. I am a CIOL member, number 72852 (CIOL website), and an ATA member, number 273323. Every certification includes my MITI seal and signed statement of accuracy. The recipient decides its submission requirements.
Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) is the only UK-based membership association providing a professional home for practising translators, interpreters and all those involved in supplying language services.
CIOL (Chartered Institute of Linguists) is the UK’s Royal Charter body for language professionals and linguists.
RexTrans provides chinese certified translation services on GOV.UK for British nationals in China.
The American Translators Association (ATA) is the largest professional association of translators and interpreters in the United States with nearly 8,500 members in more than 100 countries.
Chinese marriage certificates are issued in pairs. The registrar prints two identical booklets and hands one to each spouse, the holder’s name (持证人) being the only difference between them. That single difference matters, because a caseworker who sees one booklet sometimes asks where the other is. Each booklet opens to a page carrying the certificate number (结婚证字号), the registration date (登记日期), and a block for each spouse: name, sex, nationality, date of birth and identity document number. Below that sits your joint photograph, crossed by an embossed dry seal from the registration authority, with the red ink seal and the registrar’s signature that make the booklet valid.
The maroon-red booklet most people picture dates from the early 2000s. Older certificates look nothing like it: marriages from the 1980s and 1990s were often recorded on a large decorated certificate sheet, sometimes completed by hand, and much earlier marriages may survive only as a registry entry for which you request a 婚姻登记记录证明 today. I translate all of them, including the notarial 结婚公证书 that many couples obtain when a foreign authority is involved.
UKVI wants the certificate on spouse and partner applications as evidence that a marriage is legally recognised. HM Passport Office and the DVLA use it for a change of name; banks, HMRC, pension providers and universities use it to prove marital status; the family court needs it if the marriage later ends. My longer article on Chinese marriage certificate translation for a UK spouse visa goes into what a Home Office caseworker is actually looking at on the page.
The recurring problems are specific to this document:
Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are separate cases. A Hong Kong marriage certificate from the Registrar of Marriages is already printed in English and Chinese and often needs no translation at all; a Macau certificate is typically Chinese and Portuguese; a Taiwanese 結婚證書 is in traditional characters and is normally read together with the household registration transcript. Tell me where you married and I will tell you honestly whether you need me.
One habit saves people money and delay: photograph both booklets fully open, in daylight, including the cover and every page carrying writing or a stamp. Angle the page slightly so the embossing catches the light. Send those images with the passport spelling of both names, and I will confirm the page count and price before starting. Revisions are included if a caseworker raises a query.
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GOV.UK says the translator should confirm in writing that the translation is accurate, with the date, full name and contact details. I provide a signed statement with my ITI membership number; check the recipient’s own document instructions.
Send both, and I will normally translate both. Chinese registrars issue one booklet to each spouse; they are identical apart from the holder’s name on the inside page. Because they are not literally the same document, a caseworker who receives only one sometimes asks where the second is, and answering that later costs more time than translating a short document now. If you have been told explicitly that one is enough, say so and I will price it as a single job. Each booklet is short, so this is rarely an expensive decision.
Completely different. A Hong Kong marriage certificate is issued by the Registrar of Marriages and is already printed in English and Chinese, so in most cases no translation is needed and I will say so rather than take the work. Macau certificates are typically Chinese and Portuguese. A Taiwanese 結婚證書 uses traditional characters and is usually read alongside the household registration transcript, which often needs translating too. Mainland red booklets are the ones that always need certified translation. Send a photograph and I will confirm which category yours falls into.
The price starts from GBP30.
Our rates vary depending on the complexity and length of the document as well as the required turnaround time. We provide a free, no-obligation quote upon reviewing your document, ensuring that you know exactly what the translation will cost before proceeding.
The number of pages for certified translations is determined by the total word count of the document. A single page is considered to be 250 words or fewer, including any numerical data.
If a page exceeds 250 words, we will adjust the calculation accordingly based on the word count. At that point, you will need to request a quote from us.
Find out more about how pages are calculated.
Send me clear scans of both booklets through the quote form. I translate them and add my UK ITI Qualified Member (MITI) seal and signed statement of accuracy. I send the signed PDF. Paper copy: posted within the UK on request — Royal Mail 1st Class £7.50, or Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm next working day (tracked) £12.50, per envelope added to the translation price. This is a colour print of the digitally signed certified translation; the signed PDF is always included. Outside the UK or for a hand-signed original: international express from Shanghai, with time and cost confirmed first. Most of my clients submit the signed PDF or a colour printout for UK official purposes.
That is normal and not a problem. Earlier marriages were recorded on larger decorated certificate sheets, often completed by hand, with different field names and sometimes period slogans printed across them. I translate these as they stand, handwriting and seals included, and add a short note explaining the format so a UK reader does not assume the document is irregular. If the original has been lost, Chinese registry offices can issue a marriage registration record certificate (婚姻登记记录证明) instead, which I translate in the same way.
Yes. That dry seal belongs to the marriage registration office and is part of what makes the booklet genuine, so it is translated and its position described even though it barely shows on a scan. The red ink seal, the registrar’s signature and the certificate number get the same treatment. When photographing the booklet, use daylight and tilt the page so the embossing catches the light. If I genuinely cannot make out the characters I have to record it as illegible, which is exactly the sort of gap a caseworker queries.
If you still have questions that are not covered here, feel free to reach out to me directly.