Your divorce, custody, property or inheritance matter has to work inside China.
We help overseas clients find the China path: which court, which documents, which evidence, and what can actually be enforced. Mediation first — quietly, with the smallest possible footprint.
This is for you if the result has to work in China
Yes — when
One party is in China or holds Chinese nationality, domicile, residence or identity documents; China real estate, accounts or company equity are involved; documents must be authenticated, translated or served for China; or a foreign order needs to be used in China.
Not really — when
All parties, assets and documents sit outside China and no Chinese court or authority needs to act. In that case you are better served by a lawyer in the jurisdiction that will decide the case.
What happens first
A short screening: is there a China court path, what must be authenticated, and what is realistically enforceable — reviewed before any formal engagement or cost.
Which China-connected problem do you need to solve?
These are the situations most likely to need a China-specific court, document, mediation or enforcement review.
Married abroad, need a China court divorce?
Check whether a Chinese court path is available when the marriage certificate, nationality, residence or assets cross borders.
Spouse overseas, or cannot be located?
Assess service, authorisation, translation and court communication options — without assuming a fixed timeline.
China property, equity or accounts involved?
Identify what a Chinese court can deal with directly, and where value-offset or parallel steps abroad are needed.
Need to use a foreign divorce order in China?
Separate marital status, property, custody and document-use questions before choosing a route.
Custody or support with a China connection?
Establish the residence, schooling, caregiving and travel facts before deciding on a forum.
Latest guides: start with the question you actually have
Which countries need an Apostille for a China filing — and which still need consular legalisation?
A country-by-country guide to authenticating documents for a Chinese court or notary: which states are covered by the …
Property in a Vietnam-connected divorce
The recurring asset in these cases is a home built with remittances, and proving who paid is what decides the outcome.…
Vietnamese documents for a Chinese court
The Apostille only became available in September 2026, so documents prepared earlier followed a different route.…
Business interests in a Vietnam-connected divorce
Where records are thin, valuing a business is harder than dividing one — and valuation is what the negotiation turns o…
Dividing US property in a Chinese divorce: what the court can and cannot touch
The community-property versus common-law distinction between US states is the single fact that most changes what a cli…
US documents for a Chinese court: which office certifies what
State and federal documents follow different certification routes, and mixing them up is the most common avoidable err…
Looking for something more specific?
Browse the complete library by topic — explainers, comparisons, checklists and country scenarios, in English and Chinese. Every page answers one question and states the China connection it depends on.
Nine lawyers, mediation-led, bilingual
Yao Ping
Graduate of Southwest University of Political Science and Law. Invited guest on Beijing Television's Third Mediation Room and on Fangyuan Lüzheng, published under the Supreme People's Procuratorate. Editor-in-chief of the firm's marriage-and-family title (200,000+ copies in circulation) and editorial board member of Wealth Management magazine. Founding speaker of the public lecture series on emotional-crisis resolution. Leads a team that has handled 300+ cases involving amounts over RMB 100 million and 4,100+ cases over RMB 10 million.
Zhou Chunhua
In practice since 2010, with more than 1,500 cases handled and a strong reputation for legal analysis and case management. Contributor to the firm's marriage-and-family title. A core lawyer for cross-border matter review and coordination.
Weng Yusu
Specialist in emotional-crisis resolution with a mediation settlement rate above 70%. Contributor to the firm's marriage-and-family title. Focuses on mediation-led divorce, reconciliation and custody.
Public trust assets
Beijing Yuanjia Law Firm was established in 2006 with the approval of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice. Public materials include marriage and family publications, a retired-judge-led mediation centre, a moot court for pre-hearing preparation, and public legal education lectures. Case examples are published anonymously and do not indicate a repeatable outcome.
What we assess before a route is chosen
Cross-border family matters turn on jurisdiction, documents, service, evidence and enforceability. This site gives general information; a lawyer must review your facts before any conclusion is given.
Divorce in China after an overseas marriage
Assess whether a Chinese court can accept the case when the marriage was registered abroad, or when one spouse lives outside China.
Mediation and court settlement
A China court mediation or litigation path when both sides need a result that is legally usable in China.
China property and family wealth
China real estate, deposits, equity and value-offset strategies where overseas assets cannot be directly enforced by a Chinese court.
Child custody and support
Custody, visitation, support and cross-border evidence where children and more than one jurisdiction are involved.
Foreign judgments and documents
Whether a foreign divorce decree, settlement or identity document can be recognised or used in China.
Evidence, service and authorisation
Notarisation, legalisation, Apostille, translation, overseas service and power of attorney materials.
A Beijing practice built for China-side work
Head office in the Beijing CBD, a dedicated mediation room, and an in-house moot court for pre-hearing preparation — the rooms where cross-border family matters are actually handled.
Matters we have handled
Landmark decisions and anonymised firm matters, with what was at stake and what we did. Added as matters conclude.
Spouse missing in West Africa for three years and domestic assets being transferred
A husband working in Ghana became unreachable and, over three years, domestic assets worth roughly RMB 10 million were being transferred out of his na…
Three years separated across Frankfurt: equity and property deadlock resolved remotely
A Chinese couple separated for three years, one living in Frankfurt, held both company equity and a residential property in China, with a combined val…
Cross-Strait separation resolved by document attestation and remote mediation
A Taiwan, China resident and a Mainland spouse had been living apart across the Strait. They wanted to end the marriage and preserve the property posi…
Thank-you banners, in the clients' own words
In China a client who has been helped often presents a banner (jinji) as a formal thank-you. The department has received more than 5,400. These are from recent matters; client identities have been obscured.
Questions overseas clients ask first
Start with a free initial review
Use the public phone, email or form. Beijing office hours 09:00–18:00 (UTC+8); overseas clients can book a video call outside those hours.
Request a review