Yuantongsi wrote "Instead you could go to Thailand or any other country where Chinese can get a visa on arrival, then when you land in that country use her Aussie passport to continue your journey to Oz." and what about on the way back through Thailand? That's the way they'll have to come back as the Chinese passport will have to show entry & exit stamps from Thailand.

Ah yes, the fabled D visa/green card/"permanent" residence permit (though 10 years isn't "permanent"!)

Allegedly being made easier to qualify for but still for most people would require 5 years marriage AND lived in China during that time.

So a stupid question....if you've lived in China for >5 years what value is an outdated certificate of no criminal record from your home country worth?

I'd like to aim for this in 4 years time by which point I'll have been living here for 8 years! So a no criminal record certificate from my home country would be a bit pointless after this time. Especially as in the UK the majority of convictions are considered spent after 5-10 years unless they led to a prison sentence of >2.5 years.

Great feedback Laotou. Just one clarification from what I know from my Scottish friend. Children here can't have dual nationality under Chinese law. They are either Chinese or not. His daughter is Chinese BUT he also registered her birth quietly at the British consulate so at any time until she is 18 she can go & claim British citizenship & renounce her Chinese nationality.

And most foreigners won't have known about this because in the experience of my Scottish friend his wife/mothe-in-law dealt with it. He only found out because he asked!

Find out where the local baby control office is (I know it's not called that!). There is normally a small government office in each area, normally attached/close to a police station. They'll be able to tell you the rules, not a bunch of foreigners on an expat forum.

Anecdote, so don't quote me! Scottish friend of mine married to Cantonese lady (in Guangzhou). They had to go to the local population control officer & get a baby book before the birth. This showed she'd not had a baby before & they could then access hospitals for ante-natal care & the birth.

Chinese friend of theirs, with hukou in Guangxi also had to do the same thing, in the same area (Austrian husband). Location of her hukou wasn't an issue.

Both babies registered as Chinese after so in these cases the baby books were needed.

So....get you wife to speak to the local government population control office to find out the exact rules. They are there to help!