At a Loss on How to Retrieve Documents from Hometown

[AZwolfman]

Does she really have to travel back to her hometown in person to get her documents, such as Birth Certificate, Divorce Certificate, and Police Record? This would be very expensive not only for the airfare, but it would also require several days off work to make the 1200-mile trip from Guangdong to Sichuan Province and return. Is China not modern enough to make these documents available without such hardship? Isn't there a way to acquire these documents via mail, fax, internet, or from a nearby branch government office?

[Randy W]

Does she really have to travel back to her hometown in person to get her documents, such as Birth Certificate, Divorce Certificate, and Police Record? This would be very expensive not only for the airfare, but it would also require several days off work to make the 1200-mile trip from Guangdong to Sichuan Province and return. Is China not modern enough to make these documents available without such hardship? Isn't there a way to acquire these documents via mail, fax, internet, or from a nearby branch government office?

 

The people to ask are at her hukou - it's very possible that a relative may be able to pick them up for her

 

The procedures to follow for a Beijing hukou are at http://www.bnpo.gov.cn/guide/detail1.asp

 

China is a little more modern than the US in this respect - U.S. police documents, if needed, must be acquired from each jurisdiction, since no national database is maintained.

[david_dawei]

My wife was able to have her mom go and request and get papers. So it is worth asking about this.