Q: My son was born at Shanghai Putuo Maternity and Child Care Center in September 2026. Both my wife and I are Indian citizens, and our baby is also Indian. He has no Chinese hukou (household registration). After obtaining his Medical Certificate of Birth (出生医学证明), we decided to change the name recorded on it. The hospital said it was unable to amend or reissue the certificate once it had been issued.

We would like to know whether there is any lawful and compliant procedure through which a competent higher authority could review our particular circumstances, or through which we could apply to have the certificate replaced or reissued.

A: Please note that once the Medical Certificate of Birth has been issued, the issuing institution will, in principle, not alter the information recorded on it.

Where a newborn is to be registered with a household registration authority and the applicant wishes to change the newborn's name, the authority shall first complete the birth registration using the name recorded on the certificate, and then proceed with the name change procedures in accordance with relevant regulations, with the name recorded on the certificate registered as a former name.

Source: Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health