Lost or damaged degree certificate in China: the certification-letter rule

A lost or damaged academic qualification certificate (学历证书) or degree certificate (学位证书) is not reissued as a new original. Under Order No. 41, Article 38, the university, on your application and after verification, issues a certification document (证明书) that has the same effect as the original certificate.

The English wording in this article is this site's translation of the Chinese text of the official provisions quoted.

What the national rule says

Order No. 41, Article 38 states: when an academic qualification certificate or a degree certificate is lost or damaged, you apply, the university verifies, and the university shall issue a corresponding certification document. The certification document and the original certificate have equal effect.

Note the wording: Article 38 provides a certification document (证明书), not a replacement original. Order No. 41, Article 38 names no application procedure, fee or time limit for issuing it.

How this applies to international students

Order No. 41 (Provisions on the Administration of Students in Regular Higher Education Institutions) is written for students in regular higher education in general. Its Article 66 says schools manage international students (留学生) by reference to these provisions. Order No. 42, Article 31 says universities manage international students' student status by reference to the rules that apply to Chinese students.

So a university applies Article 38 to an international graduate by reference. The university's own published rules for international students give the actual periods and procedure.

Filling in and correcting certificate information

Order No. 41, Article 34 says the university shall fill in and issue academic qualification certificates, degree certificates and other academic certificates strictly according to the type of education and study form determined at admission, and according to the personal information you filled in at admission.

If you change certificate information such as your name or date of birth during your studies, you must have a reasonable and sufficient reason and provide a corresponding legally effective proof document. The university reviews it. If the university needs assistance from the provincial education administrative department of your source region and the relevant departments, those departments shall cooperate.

CHSI verification reports

The CHSI (China Higher Education Student Information) Verification Service page, run by the Center for Student Services and Development (CSSD) of the Ministry of Education, says verification reports can be issued for qualification certificates awarded at any time, including those awarded before 1991, and for certificates that may not be in the database. The page lists higher education student records, qualification certificates, degree certificates and academic transcripts, high school qualifications, Gaokao scores and Huikao results as all verifiable, and states the reports can be issued in both Chinese and English. The page states no fee or processing time.

Questions people ask

Can I get a new original degree certificate instead of a letter?

No. Order No. 41, Article 38 provides a certification document (证明书), not a new original; the certification document has the same effect as the original.

Can a verification report be issued in English?

Yes. CHSI's Verification Service page says reports can be issued in both Chinese and English, covering certificates awarded at any time.

Sources

• Provisions on the Administration of Students in Regular Higher Education Institutions (Order No. 41) — Ministry of Education of the PRC
• CHSI Verification Service — Center for Student Services and Development, Ministry of Education (CSSD)

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not published by or affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council, CHSI or any university, is not legal advice, and the official text and the current notice of the university or authority handling your case prevail if they differ.