Is it possible to transition from a student visa to a marriage visa without leaving China?

Do a search here for the 'visa office'. Give them a call. Have your wife speak to them.

Even if technically possible, in practice you will probably need to acquire a fresh (properly legalized) no-cririminal certificate from your home country. Depending on what country that is, it may require a trip back home to get it.

Also assuming that you aren't yet married and only contemplating visa implications in doing so, the marriage registration itself requires equally legalized document from your home country, proving that you are single and as such eligible for the marriage in China.

Don't need certificate of no convictions for family visa, just marriage certificate. Yes, I did last year without leaving China and posted my experiences on here, if you can find the post! Unless the rules have changed since then! Go to Tuodong Lu and ask them.

It used to be possible to convert various visas to residence visas by paying either a penalty or service fee - but this kind of request is sometimes beyond the scope of the front desk staff - they may not be trained or knowledgeable - occasionally leading them to either refuse the request outright or start making up bizarre rules and requests.

As others have mentioned - it's best to go to the visa office directly with your spouse/fiancee and escalate the request immediately to a supervisor if the front desk staff can't make a decision or they start asking for bizarre and seemingly illogical things (they're making things up). Based on personal painful experience - you need to get it escalated BEFORE staff start making things up - or you may be stuck trying to fulfill an insane or impossible request, so that the front office staff can save face.

You may need to write a letter explaining why you prefer to pay the penalty or service fee - usually medical reasons (COVID related travel risks) and or financial (it's just expensive to bounce in and out of china just for a visa.

The service fee or penalty used to be ¥2k depending on which schedule they apply - but still cheaper and significantly less hassle than roads, rails, and airports in and out of China - especially at this time.

When I got married 14 years ago in Kunming, I had to go to the consulate in Chengdu (which is closed now :-(

) and sign an affidavit stating that I was divorced and single.
I had my divorce decree and showed it to the clerk and raised my hand and stated that the information was the truth. Don't know how it is now.

For US citizens - it's called the Certificate of Marriageability and it's basically a sworn and notarized statement. Notarized statements need to be done in person at your nearest US Consulate or Embassy.

An alternative which may or may not work is doing a local document (statement of marriageability) and having it notarized locally, as you'll need to have the Consular or Embassy Certificate of Marriageability translated and notarized anyway...

And hopefully - a belated congratulations on your nuptials...

Thanks...

Technically no.

But if it goes ugly, and the marriage has proven history of having one half forced to take care of home (even if no children) instead of possibility of going to work and making career, then there are cases where courts have decided to require compensations.

China's marriage law keeps property of the individuals separate. In case of divorce, the ex will not have claim to any property that you already had before the marriage.