# Yuanjia International Family Law Team — Beijing Yuanjia Law Firm

> Mediation-first law firm team in Beijing handling **China-connected cross-border family matters** for
> overseas clients: divorce and court mediation in China, China property / equity / accounts division,
> child custody and support, recognition of foreign divorce judgments, evidence–service–authorisation
> work, and cross-border inheritance. Established 2006. This is the **English-language site**; the
> Chinese-language site is published separately and is linked from the site navigation (label: Chinese).
> Content is general information for overseas readers; it is not legal advice.

Firm facts: established 2006 with the approval of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice; head office in
Beijing CBD; telephone 400-999-2039; email yuanjialvsuo@yuanjialawyer.com; office 9th Floor, Tower B, Yangtze River Health Building (formerly Shimao Tower), 92A Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China.
Case statistics quoted on the site are the firm's internal figures as at 2026 and do not indicate a
repeatable outcome.

## Core pages
- [Home](https://yuanjialaw.com/): China-connected family law; what the team assesses
- [Scope & eligibility](https://yuanjialaw.com/scope.html): we only act where the matter has a China connection; purely foreign matters are not accepted
- [Services](https://yuanjialaw.com/services.html): the six service clusters
- [Team](https://yuanjialaw.com/team.html): lawyers, mediation centre, public trust assets
- [About](https://yuanjialaw.com/about.html): firm history and practice areas
- [Contact](https://yuanjialaw.com/contact.html): free initial review, phone, email, office
- [Resources index](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles.html): all guides, newest first, paginated
- [Cases](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases.html): landmark and anonymised case notes, newest first, paginated
- [Q&A](https://yuanjialaw.com/faq.html): short direct answers
## Country guides (marrying abroad, divorcing in China)
- [Married in Hong Kong, China — can you divorce in China?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/use-case/can-you-divorce-in-china-if-married-in-hong-kong.html): Whether a Chinese court can hear a divorce where the marriage was registered in Hong Kong, China: jurisdiction factors, 
- [Married in Cambodia, can you divorce in China?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/use-case/can-you-divorce-in-china-if-married-in-cambodia.html): Whether a Chinese court can hear a divorce where the marriage was registered in Cambodia: jurisdiction factors, document
- [Married in Myanmar, can you divorce in China?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/use-case/can-you-divorce-in-china-if-married-in-myanmar.html): Whether a Chinese court can hear a divorce where the marriage was registered in Myanmar: jurisdiction factors, documents
- [Married in Vietnam, can you divorce in China?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/use-case/can-you-divorce-in-china-if-married-in-vietnam.html): Whether a Chinese court can hear a divorce where the marriage was registered in Vietnam: jurisdiction factors, documents
- [Married in South Korea, can you divorce in China?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/use-case/can-you-divorce-in-china-if-married-in-south-korea.html): Whether a Chinese court can hear a divorce where the marriage was registered in South Korea: jurisdiction factors, docum
- [Married in Singapore, can you divorce in China?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/use-case/can-you-divorce-in-china-if-married-in-singapore.html): Whether a Chinese court can hear a divorce where the marriage was registered in Singapore: jurisdiction factors, documen
- [Married in Canada, can you divorce in China?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/use-case/can-you-divorce-in-china-if-married-in-canada.html): Whether a Chinese court can hear a divorce where the marriage was registered in Canada: jurisdiction factors, documents,
- [Married in Japan, can you divorce in China?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/use-case/can-you-divorce-in-china-if-married-in-japan.html): Whether a Chinese court can hear a divorce where the marriage was registered in Japan: jurisdiction factors, documents, 
- [Married in Australia, can you divorce in China?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/use-case/can-you-divorce-in-china-if-married-in-australia.html): Whether a Chinese court can hear a divorce where the marriage was registered in Australia: jurisdiction factors, documen
- [Married in the United Kingdom, can you divorce in China?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/use-case/can-you-divorce-in-china-if-married-in-united-kingdom.html): Whether a Chinese court can hear a divorce where the marriage was registered in the United Kingdom: jurisdiction factors
- [Married in the United States, can you divorce in China?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/use-case/can-you-divorce-in-china-if-married-in-united-states.html): Whether a Chinese court can hear a divorce where the marriage was registered in the United States: jurisdiction factors,
## Explainers
- [Property in a Vietnam-connected divorce](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/vietnam-property-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): 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](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/vietnam-documents-for-a-chinese-court.html): The Apostille only became available in September 2026, so documents prepared earlier followed a different route.
- [Business interests in a Vietnam-connected divorce](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/vietnam-company-equity-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): Where records are thin, valuing a business is harder than dividing one — and valuation is what the negotiation turns on.
- [Tracing remittances from China to Vietnam](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/tracing-assets-from-china-to-vietnam.html): The Chinese-side remittance records are unusually strong evidence here, which reverses the usual difficulty.
- [Tracing assets moved from China to South Korea](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/tracing-assets-from-china-to-south-korea.html): Korea's real estate and corporate registries are searchable, making the trail relatively establishable — the constraint 
- [Tracing assets from China into Singapore structures](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/tracing-assets-from-china-to-singapore.html): In Singapore the trail frequently ends at a corporate or trust layer, which is where the tracing stops being decisive.
- [Tracing assets between the Mainland and Hong Kong, China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/tracing-assets-from-china-to-hong-kong.html): The boundary is not a barrier to information in the same way an international border is, which changes the practical app
- [Tracing assets from China to Germany](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/tracing-assets-from-china-to-germany.html): German bank confidentiality is real but not absolute, and the documentation trail usually comes from the Chinese side.
- [Tracing assets from China to France](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/tracing-assets-from-china-to-france.html): French real estate records are reliable, but the asset holdable in France is frequently not real estate at all.
- [Support and bride-price claims in Vietnam-connected cases](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/support-payments-across-china-and-vietnam.html): Payments made in connection with the marriage are frequently claimed back, and the outcome depends on facts rather than 
- [Support between China and South Korea](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/support-payments-across-china-and-south-korea.html): Both systems calculate support from income and needs, but the cost bases differ enough that a straight transfer produces
- [Support arrangements across the China–Singapore divide](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/support-payments-across-china-and-singapore.html): Two relatively straightforward enforcement regimes do not add up to a simple cross-border arrangement — recognition is s
- [Support between the Mainland and Hong Kong, China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/support-payments-across-china-and-hong-kong.html): The dedicated arrangement can make a Hong Kong maintenance order enforceable in the Mainland, which is unusual for a for
- [Support between China and Germany](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/support-payments-across-china-and-germany.html): German support rules are formula-driven and income-based, which makes the calculation predictable but the cross-border c
- [Support between China and France](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/support-payments-across-china-and-france.html): French support is calculated by reference to income and needs without a fixed table, which makes the figure more negotia
- [Korean property and jeonse deposits in a China divorce](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/south-korea-property-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): Jeonse deposit funds are a large asset class with no Chinese equivalent, and they are frequently overlooked in the asset
- [Korean documents for a Chinese court](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/south-korea-documents-for-a-chinese-court.html): Certain Korean documents need a prior certification before the Apostille is issued — a step that is easy to miss and exp
- [Korean business interests in a divorce decided in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/south-korea-company-equity-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): Korean small businesses are frequently held through family arrangements, which makes the ownership picture harder to est
- [Singapore private property in a China divorce](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/singapore-property-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): A Singapore private property held through a company is not the same asset as one held directly, and clients almost alway
- [Singapore documents for a Chinese court: Academy of Law authentication](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/singapore-documents-for-a-chinese-court.html): Authentication is quick; evidencing the ownership chain is what takes the time.
- [Singapore company equity and family office structures in a divorce](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/singapore-company-equity-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): Singapore structures are built so that control sits with whoever holds the shares — which is exactly the point the other
- [Cross-border recognition in Vietnam-connected matters](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/recognising-a-vietnam-divorce-in-china.html): Where a marriage record is thin, recognition questions are often about establishing the underlying facts rather than abo
- [Recognising a Korean divorce in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/recognising-a-south-korea-divorce-in-china.html): Korean divorces reached by agreement and by court decision take different documentary forms, and the recognition applica
- [Recognising a Singapore divorce in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/recognising-a-singapore-divorce-in-china.html): A Singapore order dealing with overseas assets raises a scope question: what exactly is being asked to be recognised.
- [How a Hong Kong divorce takes effect in the Mainland](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/recognising-a-hong-kong-divorce-in-china.html): Two separate routes exist and choosing wrongly costs time: the dedicated arrangement, or an ordinary Mainland divorce.
- [Recognising a German divorce in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/recognising-a-germany-divorce-in-china.html): A German divorce decided by court order and one by agreement take different forms, and the recognition application must 
- [Recognising a French divorce in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/recognising-a-france-divorce-in-china.html): A French divorce by mutual consent produces a notarial or court-approved document, which needs explaining to a Chinese c
- [Planning ahead for a marriage with a Vietnamese element](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/planning-ahead-for-a-marriage-connected-to-vietnam.html): Planning is most valuable here precisely because the records are often weak — an agreement creates documentation that wo
- [Planning ahead for a marriage with a Korean element](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/planning-ahead-for-a-marriage-connected-to-south-korea.html): Korea's separate-property default with a contribution claim means an agreement is addressing a different baseline than c
- [Planning ahead for a marriage with a Singapore element](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/planning-ahead-for-a-marriage-connected-to-singapore.html): Where structures are already in place, the planning question is not whether to create one but who controls it.
- [Planning ahead for a marriage with a Hong Kong element](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/planning-ahead-for-a-marriage-connected-to-hong-kong.html): Because the Mainland and Hong Kong have a mutual recognition arrangement, an agreement can be structured to be effective
- [Planning ahead for a marriage with a German element](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/planning-ahead-for-a-marriage-connected-to-germany.html): Because Germany already protects premarital assets by default, an agreement's real value is in settling the equalisation
- [Planning ahead for a marriage with a French element](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/planning-ahead-for-a-marriage-connected-to-france.html): France actively supports planning, so a registered agreement is given effect rather than being treated with suspicion.
- [Hong Kong property in a Mainland divorce](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/hong-kong-property-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): A Hong Kong property is outside the reach of a Mainland court, but the dedicated arrangement changes what is possible wi
- [Hong Kong documents for a Mainland filing](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/hong-kong-documents-for-a-chinese-court.html): Hong Kong documents are foreign public documents for Mainland filing purposes, despite Hong Kong being part of China.
- [Hong Kong company equity in a Mainland divorce](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/hong-kong-company-equity-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): Hong Kong company structures are common holding vehicles, and their shares are not transferable by a Mainland order.
- [German property in a China divorce: equalisation rather than division](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/germany-property-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): The German model produces a monetary claim against a person, not a share of an asset — which changes what can be enforce
- [German documents for a Chinese court: Land authority authentication](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/germany-documents-for-a-chinese-court.html): Certification is by the Land authority, so the federal state of issue controls the route — the same issue as in the US a
- [German company interests in a divorce decided in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/germany-company-equity-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): GmbH share transfers require notarisation, which makes a contested transfer practically unenforceable even in Germany.
- [French property in a China divorce: the regime decides the answer](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/france-property-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): French property regimes are strictly applied, which makes the analysis more predictable but less flexible than in discre
- [French documents for a Chinese court](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/france-documents-for-a-chinese-court.html): Certification differs between judicial and notarial documents, so the document type has to be identified before anything
- [French company interests in a divorce decided in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/france-company-equity-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): French business ownership is often layered through holding companies, and the marital right attaches at a specific level
- [Estates spanning China and Vietnam](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/estates-spanning-china-and-vietnam.html): Where the record of the family relationship is thin, proving heirship is harder than the succession law itself.
- [Estates spanning China and South Korea](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/estates-spanning-china-and-south-korea.html): Korean succession gives a reserved share to certain heirs, which can override what the will appears to provide.
- [Estates spanning China and Singapore](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/estates-spanning-china-and-singapore.html): Where wealth is held through structures, the estate question is often about control of the structure rather than about t
- [Estates spanning the Mainland and Hong Kong, China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/estates-spanning-china-and-hong-kong.html): Hong Kong probate and Mainland succession are separate, and Hong Kong has no reserved-share regime, so the outcomes can 
- [Estates spanning China and Germany](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/estates-spanning-china-and-germany.html): Germany applies the law of the deceased's last habitual residence under the EU Succession Regulation, which may not be G
- [Estates spanning China and France](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/estates-spanning-china-and-france.html): French succession gives children a reserved share that overrides the will, and an assurance-vie sits outside the estate 
- [Divorcing in China when the marriage was registered in Vietnam](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/divorcing-in-china-when-married-in-vietnam.html): The threshold question in Vietnam-connected cases is usually whether a registrable marriage exists at all — not how to d
- [Divorcing in China when the marriage was registered in South Korea](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/divorcing-in-china-when-married-in-south-korea.html): Korea keeps a live family relations register rather than a fixed marriage certificate, which changes what evidence means
- [Divorcing in China when the marriage was registered in Singapore](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/divorcing-in-china-when-married-in-singapore.html): Singapore is the one jurisdiction where the assets are frequently held through structures rather than directly, so the f
- [Divorcing in China when the marriage was registered in Hong Kong, China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/divorcing-in-china-when-married-in-hong-kong.html): Hong Kong is part of China but a separate legal jurisdiction, and there is a dedicated arrangement for mutual recognitio
- [Divorcing in China when the marriage was registered in Germany](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/divorcing-in-china-when-married-in-germany.html): Germany's accrued-gains system is the opposite of Chinese community property, and clients who assume a half-share are us
- [Divorcing in China when the marriage was registered in France](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/divorcing-in-china-when-married-in-france.html): A registered prenuptial agreement can reverse the entire analysis, and it is the first thing to check rather than an aft
- [Children in a Vietnam-connected divorce](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/child-custody-between-china-and-vietnam.html): Three separate questions — custody, household registration and nationality — are routinely confused with one another.
- [Custody and parental authority: Korea and China compared](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/child-custody-between-china-and-south-korea.html): Korea requires a court decision to terminate joint parental authority, which is a structural difference that affects wha
- [Custody where one parent is in Singapore and the child is in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/child-custody-between-china-and-singapore.html): Singapore courts apply a welfare test similar in principle to other common-law jurisdictions, but the practical question
- [Custody between the Mainland and Hong Kong, China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/child-custody-between-china-and-hong-kong.html): The mutual recognition arrangement covers family judgments, which can extend to care arrangements — a route unavailable 
- [Custody and parental responsibility: Germany and China compared](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/child-custody-between-china-and-germany.html): Germany's joint parental responsibility continues after divorce by default, which is a different starting point from the
- [Custody between China and France: authority and residence](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/child-custody-between-china-and-france.html): French parental authority is exercised jointly, and international relocation requires the other parent's agreement or a 
- [Dividing US property in a Chinese divorce: what the court can and cannot touch](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/united-states-property-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): The community-property versus common-law distinction between US states is the single fact that most changes what a clien
- [US documents for a Chinese court: which office certifies what](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/united-states-documents-for-a-chinese-court.html): State and federal documents follow different certification routes, and mixing them up is the most common avoidable error
- [US company equity in a divorce decided in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/united-states-company-equity-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): Delaware incorporations and LLC structures mean the shares are usually governed by a US state's corporate law, which a C
- [UK property in a Chinese divorce: discretion versus rules](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/united-kingdom-property-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): English financial remedy orders are discretionary, which is structurally different from the rule-based approach Chinese 
- [UK documents for a Chinese court: FCDO legalisation and what follows](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/united-kingdom-documents-for-a-chinese-court.html): The Apostille certifies the official's signature, not the document's content — a distinction that matters when a court q
- [UK company interests in a divorce decided in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/united-kingdom-company-equity-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): An English company's articles and any shareholders' agreement are the real limit on what can be transferred.
- [Tracing assets moved from China to the United States](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/tracing-assets-from-china-to-united-states.html): The window between suspecting a transfer and needing preservation is measured in days, not months.
- [Tracing assets moved from China to the United Kingdom](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/tracing-assets-from-china-to-united-kingdom.html): London property ownership is searchable, and that makes the UK one of the more traceable destinations.
- [Following assets from China into Canada](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/tracing-assets-from-china-to-canada.html): Canadian banking records are not reachable from China, so the investigation informs negotiation rather than producing di
- [Tracing assets moved from China to Australia](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/tracing-assets-from-china-to-australia.html): Australian property and company records are searchable, which makes the paper trail relatively reliable — but the money 
- [Child support from a parent living in the United States](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/support-payments-across-china-and-united-states.html): Collecting periodic support across the Pacific is the hardest part; capitalising it into an asset transfer is usually th
- [Support arrangements across the China–UK divide](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/support-payments-across-china-and-united-kingdom.html): English courts can order capitalised lump sums, which fits cross-border enforcement far better than periodic payments.
- [Support payments across the China–Canada divide](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/support-payments-across-china-and-canada.html): Dollar income against yuan obligations makes the calculation contentious, and enforcement is the harder half.
- [Support across the China–Australia divide](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/support-payments-across-china-and-australia.html): Child support formulas are domestic by design, and neither country's formula travels well.
- [Getting a US divorce recognised in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/recognising-a-united-states-divorce-in-china.html): Most refusals turn on service and finality in the original US proceedings, not on the merits of the divorce.
- [Recognising a UK divorce in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/recognising-a-united-kingdom-divorce-in-china.html): A decree absolute that includes a financial remedy order raises two separate recognition questions.
- [Recognising a Canadian divorce in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/recognising-a-canada-divorce-in-china.html): Provincial court files and federal documents follow different paths, and the recognition application needs both if suppo
- [Recognising an Australian divorce in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/recognising-a-australia-divorce-in-china.html): An Australian divorce order is a single document, but the financial orders made alongside it are separate for recognitio
- [Structuring ahead when your marriage has a US element](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/planning-ahead-for-a-marriage-connected-to-united-states.html): The choice of governing law matters more than the content of a prenuptial agreement.
- [Planning ahead for a marriage with a UK element](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/planning-ahead-for-a-marriage-connected-to-united-kingdom.html): English courts can override a prenuptial agreement where it would produce an unfair result, which changes what an agreem
- [Planning ahead for a marriage with a Canadian element](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/planning-ahead-for-a-marriage-connected-to-canada.html): The provincial regime, not the agreement alone, determines the default — so the agreement has to displace something spec
- [Planning ahead for a marriage connected to Australia](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/planning-ahead-for-a-marriage-connected-to-australia.html): Binding financial agreements are enforceable but technically demanding, and small drafting failures can invalidate them.
- [Settling an estate that spans China and the United States](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/estates-spanning-china-and-united-states.html): Who inherits and how the assets are released are two separate problems, and US institutions answer only the second.
- [Settling an estate that spans China and the United Kingdom](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/estates-spanning-china-and-united-kingdom.html): UK probate and the Chinese succession procedure are independent, and neither institution recognises the other's grant.
- [Estate matters spanning China and Canada](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/estates-spanning-china-and-canada.html): Probate is provincial in Canada, so a single estate can require two separate grants.
- [Estates spanning China and Australia](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/estates-spanning-china-and-australia.html): Australian probate is state-based, and each state has its own procedural requirements.
- [Divorcing in China when the marriage was registered in the United States](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/divorcing-in-china-when-married-in-united-states.html): State-versus-federal confusion is the defining feature of US-connected matters: the same marriage can generate documents
- [Divorcing in China when the marriage was registered in the United Kingdom](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/divorcing-in-china-when-married-in-united-kingdom.html): England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are three separate systems, and which one made the order affects everyt
- [Divorcing in China when the marriage was registered in Canada](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/divorcing-in-china-when-married-in-canada.html): The 2024 Apostille change split Canadian practice into two eras, and documents prepared before it followed a completely 
- [Divorcing in China when the marriage was registered in Australia](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/divorcing-in-china-when-married-in-australia.html): Australia's no-fault divorce is simple, but the property settlement is a separate process with its own timing rules.
- [Custody when one parent is in the United States and the child is in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/child-custody-between-china-and-united-states.html): The child's habitual residence — not the parents' nationalities — is what anchors a custody case, and US and Chinese cou
- [Custody where one parent is in the United Kingdom and the child is in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/child-custody-between-china-and-united-kingdom.html): English courts apply a welfare test, and the child's practical home carries more weight than any legal label.
- [Custody where one parent is in Canada and the child is in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/child-custody-between-china-and-canada.html): Canada applies the best-interests test through provincial courts, and the child's habitual residence usually decides whi
- [Custody where one parent is in Australia and the child is in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/child-custody-between-china-and-australia.html): Australia's framework emphasises equal shared parental responsibility, which differs from the Chinese approach to decisi
- [Canadian property in a Chinese divorce: provincial regimes and what follows](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/canada-property-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): Canada has no single matrimonial property law — the province decides, and the difference is larger than most clients exp
- [Canadian documents for a Chinese filing: the provincial question](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/canada-documents-for-a-chinese-court.html): Marriage certificates are provincial, so the issuing province — not the client's current city — sets the route.
- [Canadian corporate interests in a divorce decided in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/canada-company-equity-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): Canadian small-business structures commonly sit alongside a family trust, and the trust is usually the harder problem.
- [Australian property and superannuation in a China divorce](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/australia-property-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): Superannuation has no Chinese equivalent, so it cannot be divided by a Chinese court at all — it has to be handled separ
- [Australian documents for a Chinese court](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/australia-documents-for-a-chinese-court.html): DFAT can combine authentication and translation, which removes the most common sequencing problem.
- [Australian business interests in a divorce decided in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/australia-company-equity-in-a-chinese-divorce.html): Family trusts are very common in Australian structures, and they take assets outside the property pool in ways clients r
- [Cross-border inheritance in China when heirs live in different countries](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/cross-border-inheritance-when-heirs-live-in-different-countries.html): How inheritance involving China-situated estate and heirs spread across several countries is untangled: choosing between
- [How to trace assets transferred overseas in a divorce](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/how-to-trace-assets-transferred-overseas-in-a-divorce.html): What to do when you suspect assets have been moved offshore: preserve China-situated value first, build the transfer rec
- [How to apply for recognition of a foreign divorce judgment in China](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/how-to-apply-for-recognition-of-a-foreign-divorce-judgment-in-china.html): The recognition route in practice: which court, which documents, what the court examines, what the procedure does and do
- [How to divorce in China without travelling back](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/how-to-divorce-in-china-without-travelling-back.html): The practical route for remote clients: appointing a lawyer, executing and authenticating a power of attorney, appearing
- [Which court in China can hear a cross-border divorce?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/china-court-jurisdiction-in-a-cross-border-divorce.html): How Chinese jurisdiction works in cross-border divorce after the 2023 amendment: connecting factors, the identity-relati
- [The spouse has gone back to Vietnam or Myanmar and cannot be reached — can the divorce still proceed?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/article/spouse-cannot-be-located-in-vietnam-or-myanmar.html): Where a foreign spouse has returned home, stopped responding, or cannot be traced, a Chinese court can still decide the 
## Comparisons
- [Mediation or litigation for a China-connected divorce?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/compare/mediation-vs-litigation-for-a-china-connected-divorce.html): Comparing court mediation and contested litigation for cross-border divorces handled in China: time, cost, privacy, enfo
- [Recognise a foreign divorce in China, or start again in China?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/compare/recognition-vs-refiling-a-divorce-in-china.html): A decision guide: recognition of a foreign divorce decree versus filing a fresh divorce suit in China, compared on marit
- [Apostille or consular legalisation — which does your document need for China?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/compare/apostille-vs-consular-legalization-for-china-documents.html): Since 7 November 2023 the Apostille Convention has been in force for China. How to tell whether your marriage certificat
## Checklists
- [Key evidence in a cross-border divorce involving China assets](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/list/key-evidence-in-a-cross-border-divorce-with-china-assets.html): What evidence actually moves a cross-border divorce: jurisdiction evidence, asset evidence, transfer evidence, custody e
- [Documents checklist for a China-connected divorce](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/list/documents-checklist-for-a-china-connected-divorce.html): The documents a cross-border divorce in China usually requires, grouped into identity, marriage, residence, assets, chil
- [Which countries need an Apostille for a China filing — and which still need consular legalisation?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/list/which-countries-need-an-apostille-for-china-filing.html): A country-by-country guide to authenticating documents for a Chinese court or notary: which states are covered by the Ap
## Short answers
- [Which Chinese court manages divorce for overseas Chinese?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/qa/which-chinese-court-manages-divorces-of-overseas-chinese.html): Where the country of settlement declines jurisdiction — typically because the marriage was registered in China, or becau
- [How do I apostille documents for a China filing?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/qa/how-to-apostille-documents-for-a-china-filing.html): Have the public document certified with an Apostille by the competent authority of the country that issued it, then obta
- [How long does recognition of a foreign divorce judgment take?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/qa/how-long-does-recognition-of-a-foreign-divorce-take.html): Recognition is a court procedure with its own review, not a registration formality. Timelines vary with the court's case
- [Do I need a Chinese lawyer if I live abroad?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/qa/do-i-need-a-chinese-lawyer-if-i-live-abroad.html): For any matter that must be resolved in a Chinese court or before a Chinese authority — a divorce filing, recognition of
- [Does China recognise a foreign divorce decree?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/qa/does-china-recognize-a-foreign-divorce-decree.html): Not automatically. A foreign divorce decree does not take effect in China on its own; it must be recognised by a Chinese
- [What happens if my spouse cannot be located abroad?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/qa/what-happens-if-my-spouse-cannot-be-located-abroad.html): The case can still proceed. Where none of the statutory service routes can be used, the court serves by public notice, a
- [Can a Chinese court divide overseas real estate?](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/qa/can-a-chinese-court-divide-overseas-real-estate.html): Generally a Chinese court will not make a directly enforceable order over real property located outside China. What it c
## High-Net-Worth Divorce Lawyer — 20 specialist services (high-net-worth cluster)
- [High-Net-Worth Divorce Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/): all twenty services with a China connection
- [High-Asset Divorce Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/high-asset-divorce-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Divorce Property Division Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/divorce-property-division-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Large Asset Divorce Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/large-asset-divorce-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Business Owner Divorce Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/business-owner-divorce-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Entrepreneur Divorce Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/entrepreneur-divorce-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Company Equity Division Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/company-equity-division-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Business Asset Divorce Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/business-asset-divorce-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Marital Asset Division Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/marital-asset-division-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Cross-Border Divorce Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/cross-border-divorce-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Cross-Border Asset Division Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/cross-border-asset-division-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [International Divorce Property Division](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/international-divorce-property-division.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Divorce Real Estate Division Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/divorce-real-estate-division-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Complex Divorce Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/complex-divorce-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [High-Value Divorce Settlement Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/high-value-divorce-settlement-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Prenuptial Agreement Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/prenuptial-agreement-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Postnuptial Agreement Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/postnuptial-agreement-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Marital Asset Protection Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/marital-asset-protection-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Family Wealth Planning Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/family-wealth-planning-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
- [High-Net-Worth Family Law](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/high-net-worth-family-law.html): high-net-worth service page
- [Family Wealth Protection Lawyer](https://yuanjialaw.com/high-net-worth/family-wealth-protection-lawyer.html): high-net-worth service page
## Case notes (updated as matters conclude)
- [Spouse missing in West Africa for three years and domestic assets being transferred](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/west-africa-spouse-missing-assets-transferred-preservation.html): Asset tracing · 2026-10-10
- [Three years separated across Frankfurt: equity and property deadlock resolved remotely](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/frankfurt-equity-and-property-deadlock-resolved-remotely.html): Business & equity · 2026-10-10
- [Cross-Strait separation resolved by document attestation and remote mediation](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/cross-strait-document-attestation-remote-mediation.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [Offshore trust used to conceal assets in a Singapore-connected divorce](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/singapore-offshore-trust-concealed-assets-recovery.html): Business & equity · 2026-10-10
- [A year of deadlock resolved: converting a property settlement into a support arrangement](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/california-green-card-domestic-property-support-conversion.html): Property partition · 2026-10-10
- [UK spouse unreachable and concealing assets: preservation, default judgment and cross-border coordination](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/uk-spouse-unreachable-concealed-assets-default-judgment.html): Asset tracing · 2026-10-10
- [Offshore trust used to isolate assets in divorce: how the position was addressed](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/cayman-trust-divorce-asset-isolation-challenged.html): Asset tracing · 2026-10-10
- [Children brought back to China unilaterally: giving effect to an Australian parenting order](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/melbourne-unilateral-relocation-parental-contact-enforcement.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [Hong Kong resident, Shenzhen property: attestation and remote mediation](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/hong-kong-resident-shenzhen-property-attestation-mediation.html): Property partition · 2026-10-10
- [Divorce while living in Tokyo: preservation and value-offset for a domestic property](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/tokyo-divorce-domestic-property-preservation-value-offset.html): Property partition · 2026-10-10
- [Four years separated across Melbourne: remote authorisation and preservation to resolve a domestic property dispute](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/melbourne-separation-domestic-property-remote-authorisation.html): Property partition · 2026-10-10
- [Spouse unreachable in Dubai for two years: securing the domestic estate by public notice and preservation](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/dubai-spouse-unreachable-domestic-asset-preservation.html): Asset tracing · 2026-10-10
- [Choosing between a Chinese court and a foreign court](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/guidance-choosing-between-china-and-foreign-forum.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [Planning ahead where a marriage has an international element](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/guidance-planning-before-cross-border-marriage.html): Pre-marital checks · 2026-10-10
- [Planning document authentication so it does not delay the filing](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/guidance-document-authentication-planning.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [Company equity in a cross-border divorce: valuation usually decides the outcome](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/guidance-company-equity-cross-border-division.html): Business & equity · 2026-10-10
- [Administering an estate that spans two countries](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/guidance-cross-border-estate-administration.html): Inheritance & estates · 2026-10-10
- [Collecting support from a payer abroad: why capitalising is usually the answer](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/guidance-cross-border-support-collection.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [A child has been taken or kept abroad: the first questions to answer](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/guidance-child-relocated-across-border.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [Using a foreign divorce in China: what the recognition application actually requires](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/guidance-foreign-divorce-decree-recognition-steps.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [Assets have been moved abroad: the first two weeks matter most](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/guidance-assets-moved-abroad-before-divorce.html): Asset tracing · 2026-10-10
- [The overseas spouse cannot be reached: how these cases usually proceed](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/guidance-spouse-unreachable-overseas-divorce.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [Online hearings: what actually has to be in place beforehand](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-online-hearing-cross-border-procedure.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [Malaysian documents and the certification route that is not an Apostille](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-malaysia-double-certification-documents.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [Macao property: the same assumptions do not hold as in Hong Kong](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-macao-registry-route-differs-from-hong-kong.html): Property partition · 2026-10-10
- [Where no reliable marriage record existed at all](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-myanmar-marriage-record-absent.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [No registration record: establishing the evidence before filing](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-vietnam-unregistered-marriage-evidence-first.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [Korean parental authority: a different starting point from Chinese law](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-south-korea-parental-authority-difference.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [New Zealand trust property that was not relationship property](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-new-zealand-trust-relationship-property.html): Property partition · 2026-10-10
- [Assets moved into a Swiss structure with only fragmentary records](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-switzerland-trust-structure-during-marriage.html): Asset tracing · 2026-10-10
- [Structuring an agreement so it would hold in both France and China](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-france-prenuptial-agreement-dual-recognition.html): Pre-marital checks · 2026-10-10
- [Correcting a client's expectation before filing: German accrued gains](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-germany-accrued-gains-expectation-reset.html): Property partition · 2026-10-10
- [Using the Mainland–Hong Kong arrangement instead of the general recognition route](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-hong-kong-order-mainland-recognition.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [A UK will and a Chinese property: two procedures, not one](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-uk-will-china-property-succession.html): Inheritance & estates · 2026-10-10
- [Australian superannuation that a Chinese court could not touch](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-australia-superannuation-outside-china-reach.html): Property partition · 2026-10-10
- [Converting an unenforceable support order into an asset transfer](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-canada-superannuation-capitalised-support.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [Reflecting Canadian assets in a Chinese division by value rather than by order](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-canada-value-offset-property-division.html): Property partition · 2026-10-10
- [Three jurisdictions, a jurisdictional objection, and a fund for the children](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-three-jurisdiction-equity-settlement-fund.html): Business & equity · 2026-10-10
- [A China divorce for two green-card holders, without either returning](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-us-green-card-holders-china-divorce-mediation.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [Avoiding a two-year Hague service route where the spouse could not be found](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-singapore-spouse-uncontactable-public-notice.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [Litigating in China while remaining in the United States](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-remote-hearing-us-green-card-holder.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [When passport records were not enough to establish UK residence](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-residence-evidence-united-kingdom-jurisdiction.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [Child taken to Japan: holding the support position without a custody fight](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/case-note-child-taken-to-japan-custody-and-support.html):  · 2026-10-10
- [The Yan Family Garden inheritance dispute: 17 heirs, worldwide, settled by mediation](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/yan-family-garden-inheritance-mediation.html): Inheritance & estates · 2026-09-22
- [RMB 1.3 billion for a homemaker: custody, support and half the value of listed equity](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/rmb-1-3-billion-settlement-for-homemaker.html): High-value division · 2026-09-20
- [A RMB 1 billion claim that ended in custody and support only](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/rmb-1-billion-claim-reduced-to-custody-and-support.html): High-value division · 2026-09-18
- [Where the other side would not disclose: an 83% property share and two properties preserved](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/concealed-assets-83-percent-property-share.html): Asset tracing · 2026-09-16
- [Negotiated walk-away: equity and operating rights in a group company](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/negotiated-walk-away-group-company-equity.html): Business & equity · 2026-09-14
- [Overturning a witnessed will: an additional 12.5% share](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/overturning-a-witnessed-will.html): Inheritance & estates · 2026-09-12
- [Reconciliation where divorce was already being planned](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/reconciliation-where-divorce-was-already-being-planned.html): Mediation & reconciliation · 2026-09-10
- [Pre-marital investigation: RMB 500,000 of undisclosed debt](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/pre-marital-investigation-hidden-debt.html): Pre-marital checks · 2026-09-08
- [Six siblings, one old house, and a mediation ruling issued the same day](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/six-siblings-community-mediation-inheritance.html): Inheritance & estates · 2026-09-06
- [Four brothers and a house nobody could use](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases/four-brothers-property-partition.html): Property partition · 2026-09-04
## Case categories
- [Inheritance & estates](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases-category/inheritance-estates.html)
- [High-value division](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases-category/high-value-division.html)
- [Business & equity](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases-category/business-equity.html)
- [Asset tracing](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases-category/asset-tracing.html)
- [Property partition](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases-category/property-partition.html)
- [Mediation & reconciliation](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases-category/mediation-reconciliation.html)
- [Pre-marital checks](https://yuanjialaw.com/cases-category/pre-marital.html)
## Resource categories
- [Country guides](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/category/use-case.html): 11 pages
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- [Comparisons](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/category/compare.html): 3 pages
- [Checklists](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/category/list.html): 3 pages
- [Short answers](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/category/qa.html): 7 pages
## Full answer library (English) — 653 archived guides kept live
The site also keeps a large body of earlier English and Chinese guides live at their
original URLs, so AI systems and search engines can still reach them:
- [Full English catalog](https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/catalog/en): complete indexed list of English guides
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- Selected short answers: https://yuanjialaw.com/articles/qa/ — 31 pages
Each archived guide states the China connection it depends on, the legal boundary, and the
documents to prepare first. Archived pages are general information, not legal advice.
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