The classification screen

4 questions before you choose the route.

This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.

01

Do both want the divorce?

If not, court path.

Will
02

Are children and property agreed in writing?

Registration needs a complete settlement.

Deal
03

Can both attend civil affairs?

Power of attorney is tightly limited.

Attend
04

Is a cooling-off clock running?

Resolve the is a cooling-off clock running question separately before choosing the route.

Clock

Working rule: Where both spouses agree to divorce and have settled children, property and debts, Mainland China generally uses divorce registration at the civil-affairs authority, not a first-instance court judgment.

What changes the answer

The signal ledger.

These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.

Signal
Ask the operating question
Why it changes the route
WeChat yes
Did you treat a chat as a registered divorce?
Only the certificate counts.
One spouse abroad
Can they actually appear?
Additional facts can change the Divorce & Family route, evidence and next step.
Hidden property later
Was the deal incomplete?
Registration does not freeze unknown assets forever — but timing matters.
Prepare before you escalate

Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.

Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.

01Identity and marriage certificateHukou, passports, marriage cert.
02Settlement draftChildren, housing, debts, cash.
03Where you will fileCivil-affairs window with jurisdiction.
Common confusions

Questions people ask before they build.

Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.

Is this the same as a US uncontested divorce?

No. Mainland registration is an administrative civil-affairs act, not a court decree — unless you later need a judgment for overseas use.

Do foreigners qualify?

Sometimes. Open the foreigners and jurisdiction pages. Do not assume a tourist visa is enough.

Primary authorities

Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.

PRC Civil Code (NPC laws database)
Supreme People’s Court
Gov.cn
National laws database (NPC)