Before spending money on a certification, first verify whether it appears in the National Vocational Qualification Catalogue or in the list of evaluation agencies registered with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

No cost at all. It takes just a few minutes to check once.

The Ministry has launched nationwide efforts to address these issues. Official documents specifically identify the problematic practices as “some organizations and entities arbitrarily running training, evaluation, and certification activities under the banner of new occupations, skill levels, etc., charging excessive fees and issuing certificates indiscriminately; others making false or exaggerated claims, even impersonating authoritative institutions to organize training, evaluation, and certificate issuance.” Related measures include joint crackdowns with authorities such as Cyberspace Administration, public security, and market regulation to “severely punish any evaluation or certification activities conducted by unregistered agencies or those not approved by the Ministry.” Illegal promotional content on websites and social media is also shut down per law. Additionally, the Ministry urges the public to learn how to verify certificate legitimacy and value.

人力资源社会保障部 (2022). 关于开展技术技能类「山寨证书」专项治理工作的通知. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2022-03/18/content_5679641.htm

Follow this exact sequence for verification. First, check whether the occupation appears in the National Vocational Qualification Catalogue; if not, it is not a nationally recognized qualification. Next, confirm that the issuing agency is registered with the Ministry. Finally, use the official platform for skilled worker qualification certificate queries to see if the certificate number returns a valid result. Do not enroll if any step fails. Certificates bearing terms such as “International”, “Advanced”, “Registered”, or those promising “guaranteed passing results” or “income from certificate registration” carry the highest risk.