Birth Certificate name different from CRBA (please help me out)

[Dobee 0]

(TLDR version: will the US accept a name other than what appears on my babies Chinese birth certificate???  For example lets say my child has a name in Chinese characters with the mother's maiden name (Chinese) but on the CRBA we would like a middle name + my family name.)

 

So I live and work in China and me and my wife had our first baby last month.  We plan on living here in China for a while and don't want to renounce our child's Chinese citizenship but would still want to file for a CRBA to make him a US citizen. (Yes, we want to be in that weird "pseudo" dual citizen ship category .... for now. I know China doesn't recognize dual citizenship.) The reason I ask this is because the people at our hospital give us two options for naming our child. 1.) You can pick a Chinese name, which would allow the child to get a Hukou. 2.) You can choose and English (foreign) name but they make you renounce the child's Chinese citizenship then and there. 

 

Any insight on this would help a ton!

Thanks!

Edited April 9, 2019 by Dobee

[aaron2020 11,651]

If you pick a different name, then how are you going to prove that they are the same person?  People do not go around with two different legal names.  

 

When you turn in the CRBA with the Chinese birth certificate, how are you going to prove that Jane Doe is Jane Smith?  

[RandyW 149]

2 hours ago, aaron2020 said:

If you pick a different name, then how are you going to prove that they are the same person?  People do not go around with two different legal names.  

 

When you turn in the CRBA with the Chinese birth certificate, how are you going to prove that Jane Doe is Jane Smith?  

 

 

With a legal alias. Chinese people are REQUIRED to have Chinese names, as per the original post. The CRBA will most likely not accept the Chinese characters, but you may be required to enter the Pinyin equivalent, or you may be allowed to enter a name of your own choosing.

 

The CRBA is, in effect, the baby's American birth certificate. 

 

[Dobee 0]

2 hours ago, RandyW said:

 

 

With a legal alias. Chinese people are REQUIRED to have Chinese names, as per the original post. The CRBA will most likely not accept the Chinese characters, but you may be required to enter the Pinyin equivalent, or you may be allowed to enter a name of your own choosing.

 

The CRBA is, in effect, the baby's American birth certificate. 

 

 

Thanks for the response!!!  So I understand that the CRBA serves as a birth certificate for the USA.  That last part of your last sentence is the core point to my question, "may be allowed to enter a name of your choosing".  Are you saying you don't know and are just guessing??? Or are you saying you have heard of some circumstances in which you can make a significant change to the child's name on the CRBA???

 

Let me know!

[RandyW 149]

3 hours ago, Dobee said:

 

Thanks for the response!!!  So I understand that the CRBA serves as a birth certificate for the USA.  That last part of your last sentence is the core point to my question, "may be allowed to enter a name of your choosing".  Are you saying you don't know and are just guessing??? Or are you saying you have heard of some circumstances in which you can make a significant change to the child's name on the CRBA???

 

Let me know!

 

 

I'm saying you need to ask. Yes, people HAVE been allowed to use a different, Western name on the CRBA. That doesn't mean that you will be allowed to do so.

 

Google the phrase I've highlighted for cases that have gone either way.

 

Worst case is that you would have to go through a legal name change in the U.S. courts.

 

My bet is that you WILL be allowed to use a westernized name, but you're at the mercy of the Visa Officer who accepts your application. Most people report having no issues with this.