Nationality Law of The People's Republic of China - Nationality By Birth

Nationality By Birth

Chinese nationality law operates mainly on the basis of jus sanguinis ("right of blood"). On 1 October 1949, most people of Chinese nationality acquired nationality of the People's Republic.

In general, when a person is born in China, that person is a Chinese national if he or she has at least one parent holding Chinese nationality, or if both parents are settled in China and are stateless or of "uncertain" nationality.

A foreign-born person with at least one parent who is a Chinese national has Chinese nationality, so long as the Chinese-national parent(s) have not "settled" in a foreign country. The term "settled" is usually taken to mean that the Chinese national parent has permanent residency in another country. A person born outside China, including those with parent(s) holding Chinese nationality, does not have Chinese nationality if a foreign nationality is acquired at birth, if a Chinese national parent has settled abroad.

In China, children born of Chinese-foreign marriages are considered to be Chinese nationals by the government of the People's Republic of China, which can cause complications if a foreign passport is subsequently used to exit China.