Forums > Living in Kunming > Birth certificate in Kunming @luliana
1. You need to visit a maternity hospital in Kunming NOW. Go EARLY in the morning as the wait lines are cruel and unusual punishment. If you wait, you run the risk that the hospitals will NOT admit you and you will now have a serious problem - not to mention maternity stress.
To give you an idea of the scope of maternity and child care in Kunming - the primary children's hospital typically sees 3,000 OUTPATIENT visits per day and typically has over 1,000 INPATIENT beds in use at roughly 110% utilization (over-utilized). So, choose a hospital as soon as possible. If you can't communicate effectively in Chinese - get a translator or assistant NOW or pay the premium to deliver in the expat friendly hospitals. Remember - just because someone has basic communication skills in English, is NO guarantee of professionalism.
Your bloodwork MUST test clean (NO std's, aids, HIV, etc). The hospital will test you as a pre-condition. This may also reveal other complications, such as pre-Clamydia (which causes high blood pressure and other potential maternity complications with the birth mother). If your bloodwork comes back with a communicable disease, you're facing an entirely new challenge, so hopefully, you won't have to deal with that. I saw this in Japan - the Japanese mother had unknowingly contracted AIDS from her philandering husband and had to give birth in a CDC (center for disease control) hospital trained, skilled, and equipped to handle AIDS patients and babies. It was a heart wrenching stigma for the expectant mother.
Assuming your lab tests come back mostly normal, the hospital will set a date to give birth and will most probably induce labor via IV if you're late. Maternity in China is a machine, but the people are generally good natured and courteous about it all.
Unlike other developed countries, Chinese in general seem to genuinely welcome and embrace children.
2. Once you've registered to see a physician - they'll then direct you to the Kunming Municipal Hospital (near the eastern edge of TuoDeng Lu I think). You'll need to go to that hospital/clinic to apply for the "authorization to have a baby" certificate. I can't remember the exact title - but the maternity hospitals are somewhat interconnected for at least this one thing - this will permit you to name your baby (in advance) and authorizes the hospital to issue you a formal birth certificate, shortly AFTER your baby is born.
3. SOME (probably not in China) hospitals encourage you to donate your own blood to yourself prior to delivery - in case you need a blood transfusion (example c-section, complications, etc).
4. Also, you should be aware - children born in China to non-Chinese citizens are NOT Chinese Citizens by birth. Shortly after your child is born, (30-90 days), you will need to register the baby with the local public security office AND begin the process of applying for your baby's passport.
5. Once you have your baby's passport, you MUST visit the Visa office to get your baby an ENTRY visa. Inevitably, some moron in the visa office may tell you, your baby must leave and return to China in order to get the ENTRY visa (but you can't EXIT without a valid ENTRY visa). Tell them you'd prefer to pay the extra fee, so you do NOT have to travel with a newborn. They will arrange to stamp your new baby's passport with an entry visa.
If the front desk staff give you any bureaucratic nonsense, ask to speak to a supervisor.
ALWAYS be polite, but firm, when things need to be escalated to a supervisory level, if the front desk staff become belligerent or unreasonable. Sometimes, people just have bad days and the front desk staff sometimes like to share their bad days.
Hopefully, I've been more helpful than terrifying (occupational hazard) and wish you only the best in welcoming your newborn child into this world.
Yunnan's population by the numbers
发布者Patrick
Thanks much - great demographic info update!
Maybe your next article (assuming the census updated that info) can be on the various GDP per capita ratios?
Report: Yunnan to have universal preschool education by 2020
发布者More preschools and more teachers always a good thing. Nothing wrong with a little nationalism and culture in todays's world. Free would be an amazing step forwards for a socialist country.