Consider a premarital health examination, and disclose any serious disease before registration
Under Chinese law, failing to disclose a serious disease before marriage lets the other spouse ask a court to annul it, within one year of learning the relevant grounds. Premarital examinations have been voluntary, not a prerequisite for registration, since 2003. Costs depend on local policy; allow half a day.
What it takes
Most Chinese localities offer eligible people free or subsidized examinations. Paying privately costs a few hundred RMB. Allow half a day.
What you may gain
The legal consequence of concealment is explicit. The new Marriage Registration Regulations require truthful disclosure of serious disease before registration and permit the other spouse to request annulment under Civil Code Article 1053 if disclosure is withheld. China treats premarital examinations as the first stage of birth-defect prevention. Current targets are examination rates above 70% and coverage of the target population for preconception health checks above 80%. Policy also promotes placing examination facilities close to marriage registrars and providing registration, examinations and reproductive guidance in one location. The Civil Code requires an annulment request within one year after the person knew or should have known the grounds.
Context & considerations
Examinations have been optional since 2003, but concealment of serious disease does create a right to seek annulment within the one-year limit. Localities determine coverage and included tests; ask a local maternal and child health institution or a combined marriage-registration service counter. TODO: the nationwide documentary basis and scope of free premarital examinations remain to be verified.
Research & references
National People's Congress of China (2020). Civil Code, Article 1053. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202006/t20200602_463888.shtml; State Council of China (2025). Marriage Registration Regulations, Order No. 804, Article 12. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202504/content_7017752.htm; General Office of China's National Health Commission (2023). Birth Defect Prevention and Treatment Capacity Improvement Plan (2023–2027), document [2023] No. 9. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202308/content_6900320.htm