Get the “Medical Certificate of Birth” sorted out before discharge; decide on the baby’s name early and avoid typos

No cost at all. It can be arranged effortlessly while completing discharge procedures.

Article 23 of the Maternal and Infant Health Care Law: medical and health-care institutions and persons engaged in home delivery issue a uniformly produced medical certificate of birth for the newborn under rules of the health administration under the State Council. This certificate is the prerequisite for everything that follows: hukou registration, insurance enrollment, a medical insurance card, and kindergarten or school all need it. The State Council General Office’s 2015 opinion on registering hukou for people without one states: for births inside a midwifery facility, apply to that facility for the Medical Certificate of Birth. For births outside a midwifery facility, first obtain a parentage test from a qualified appraisal body, then apply to the agency entrusted by the county-level health department

全国人大常委会 (1994, 2017 修正). 中华人民共和国母婴保健法（第二十三条）. https://www.gov.cn/guoqing/2021-10/29/content_5647619.htm；国务院办公厅 (2015). 关于解决无户口人员登记户口问题的意见（国办发〔2015〕96 号）. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2016-01/14/content_10595.htm

Before filling out the form, double-check every character in the parents’ names, their ID numbers, and the baby’s name. The characters chosen for the name must be compatible with the household registration system — using rare or uncommon characters can lead to endless complications down the line. Both name changes and certificate reissues involve reissuance procedures, which are far more expensive than simply verifying the details at the time of application. Once you receive the certificate, store it separately from other important documents: it holds the same legal weight as your household register and ID card.