Getting Your Chinese Medical Records Translated (2026 Guide)
Which Chinese hospital records to copy and translate, when a certified, notarised or apostilled translation is needed, and how to handle scans and names.
最終更新日:
Quick answer
Collect the right documents before you leave, translate only what your doctor or insurer needs, and know when a certified translation or apostille is required.
- Do Chinese hospitals give medical records in English?: Ordinary departments issue records in Chinese.
- What is the difference between a certified and a notarised translation?: A certified translation carries the translator's signed statement that it is complete and accurate (and, for some authorities, a recognised credential).
- Do I need an apostille on Chinese medical documents?: Only when a foreign authority demands it, typically for court, immigration or benefits use.
- Can I just use machine translation?: For your own understanding, it helps. For a doctor who will change treatment, an insurer paying a claim, or an authority, use a professional human translation, and keep the Chinese original with it.
- Last updated:
公開者：CareAtlas · 編集方針
Collect your full Chinese records before you leave the hospital — patients have a legal right to copy them. Then translate only what the next reader needs. Your doctor at home usually needs a professional translation of the discharge summary, operation note, pathology and imaging reports. An insurer or authority may need a certified translation. Courts, immigration and benefits offices may also need notarisation and, since November 2023, an apostille rather than consular legalisation.
Step 1: collect the right originals
Under China's medical dispute regulations and records rules, patients can ask to copy their outpatient and inpatient records, including test results, imaging reports, operation records, anaesthesia records, pathology reports and nursing records. Hospitals usually have a records office (病案室) for inpatient copies, often with a set waiting time after discharge.
Ask for:
| Document | Chinese name | Translate? |
|---|---|---|
| Discharge summary | 出院小结 / 出院记录 | Yes — the most important document |
| Operation record | 手术记录 | Yes, if you had surgery |
| Pathology report | 病理报告 | Yes — it often drives later treatment |
| Imaging reports (CT, MRI, ultrasound) | 影像报告 | Yes |
| Diagnosis certificate | 诊断证明书 | Yes, for insurers and employers |
| Lab results | 检验报告 | Usually only on request; abnormal values matter most |
| Imaging files | DICOM 影像 | No — the images are universal |
| Itemised bill and receipts | 费用明细 / 发票 | Only if your insurer asks |
Also ask for your medication list with generic names and doses. If you had an implant, ask for the device card or sticker. See medical records and follow-up for what to arrange before discharge.
Step 2: ask the hospital first
International and VIP departments can sometimes give you an English summary or a bilingual discharge letter. Ask on admission, not at checkout. Ordinary departments issue records in Chinese only. Even if you get an English summary, keep the Chinese originals: they are the legal record.
Step 3: choose the right level of translation
Think of it as a ladder. Climb only as high as the reader requires.
- Machine translation — fine for your own understanding of a report. Not good enough for a doctor changing treatment or for anyone paying money.
- Professional translation — a medical translator working from the Chinese. This is what most doctors at home need.
- Certified translation — the translator signs a statement that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate. US immigration rules, for example, require exactly this for foreign-language documents. Some countries expect an accredited translator, such as NAATI-credentialed translators in Australia.
- Notarised or officially certified copy — a notary or solicitor confirms a signature or that a copy matches the original. Rules on who can certify differ by country; the UK, for instance, lists who may certify copies.
Ask the receiving organisation which level it accepts before paying for translation.
Step 4: apostille or legalisation, only when required
The Apostille Convention entered into force for China on 7 November 2023. For use in another member state, a Chinese public document (for example a notarial certificate) is authenticated with a single apostille. Consular legalisation is no longer needed. Local foreign affairs offices issue apostilles, and Shanghai's office publishes its application steps. Countries outside the Convention may still require consular legalisation.
Hospital records themselves are usually not public documents. In practice, a Chinese notary office first notarises the copy or translation, and the apostille goes on the notarial certificate. Doing this while you are still in China is much easier than arranging it later by post or through an agent.
Most patients never need this step. It matters for court cases, disability or immigration files, and some large insurance claims.
Practical details that save trouble
- Names: your name may appear in pinyin, in Chinese characters, or misspelled. Make sure the translator writes it exactly as in your passport and adds your passport number and date of birth.
- Dates and units: Chinese records use year-month-day order and SI units. Ask the translator to keep units as written.
- Imaging: get the DICOM files on disc, USB or by download link. DICOM is the international standard for medical images, readable by radiology systems worldwide. Screenshots and printed films are not enough.
- Keep sets together: staple each translation to a copy of its Chinese original, and keep a scanned PDF of everything.
- Continuity of care: the US CDC advises medical travellers to bring home copies of all records and to share them with their regular doctor. Translation is what makes that possible.
Next steps
- Read medical records and follow-up and insurance for treatment abroad.
- Ask a hospital for an English summary or bilingual discharge letter with the inquiry letter tool.
- Find hospitals with English-language services and plan follow-up with the CareAtlas planner.
よくある質問
Do Chinese hospitals give medical records in English?
Ordinary departments issue records in Chinese. Some international departments can provide English summaries, so ask before treatment. Either way you are entitled to copy your records, so collect the Chinese originals before you leave.
What is the difference between a certified and a notarised translation?
A certified translation carries the translator's signed statement that it is complete and accurate (and, for some authorities, a recognised credential). A notarised translation adds a notary's act, usually confirming the translator's signature or the copy. Which one you need depends on who will read it.
Do I need an apostille on Chinese medical documents?
Only when a foreign authority demands it, typically for court, immigration or benefits use. Since 7 November 2023 China has been party to the Apostille Convention, so documents for other member states need an apostille instead of consular legalisation.
Can I just use machine translation?
For your own understanding, it helps. For a doctor who will change treatment, an insurer paying a claim, or an authority, use a professional human translation, and keep the Chinese original with it.
Do CT and MRI images need translating?
The images themselves do not — DICOM files are a universal standard any radiology system can open. Translate the written radiology report, and make sure you have the DICOM files, not just screenshots.
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