Hukou translation: how to translate a Chinese household register for USCIS

A hukou translation is the certified English translation of a Chinese household register (户口簿), the booklet families in mainland China keep with the details of each member. For USCIS, it comes complete, with every page, seal and note, and with the translator’s signed statement of accuracy. The details that most often cause trouble are the names, the dates and the numbers, because Chinese writes all three differently from English.

Key takeaways

• The hukou (户口簿) is the household register kept by families in mainland China.
• For USCIS, it gets a certified translation, complete, with seals and notes.
• Names follow the spelling in the passport: the surname comes first, and 陈 can be Chen or Chan.
• Dates are year, month and day, and large numbers count in units of ten thousand (万).
• Mainland China documents are in Simplified characters; Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau use Traditional.

Table of contents

• What a hukou is
• Names: surname first and passport spelling
• Dates and numbers
• Seals and every page
• FAQ

What a hukou is

Chinese families keep a household register (hukou, 户口簿) with the details of each member, and adults also carry a resident identity card (居民身份证). The hukou is often asked for alongside birth and marriage certificates, and every page that is submitted needs to be translated.

Names: surname first and passport spelling

In Chinese the surname comes first, so in Wang Xiaoming the family name is Wang. Mainland passports spell names in pinyin, while Hong Kong and Taiwan use other romanizations, so the same surname 陈 can be Chen or Chan. The translation follows the spelling in the passport, which is why we ask you for the spelling of your name in the Latin alphabet as it appears on it.

Dates and numbers

In Chinese	In the translation
2026年10月3日	October 3, 2026
5万	50,000
陈 (mainland passport)	Chen
陈 (Hong Kong passport)	Chan

Seals and every page

A hukou carries seals from the issuing office on its pages. The certified translation describes every seal and reproduces every note, and it keeps the layout close to the original, so the officer finds each member’s page in the same order. Our Chinese translation page lists every language pair, in Simplified and Traditional characters.

FAQ

Does USCIS accept a translated hukou?

Yes, with a complete certified English translation and the translator’s signed statement of accuracy.

How will my name be written in the translation?

As it appears on your passport. We ask you for the spelling in the Latin alphabet.

Do I need to translate every page of the hukou?

Every page you submit needs to be translated, including seals and notes.

Do you translate Traditional Chinese too?

Yes. We translate documents from mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore, in Simplified or Traditional characters.

Have a hukou to translate?

Send a photo or scan of every page, see the price and the deadline instantly, and receive the certified translation as a PDF.

Related topics: Chinese translation | certified translation | certified translation for USCIS | help center

Related article: Which certificates need certified translation?