If lasting impairment remains, apply for a disability certificate through the county-level disabled persons' federation where your household is registered
A disability certificate is a gateway to disability benefits, not merely proof of an injury. It covers seven categories—visual, hearing, speech, physical, intellectual, psychiatric, and multiple disabilities—with Grades 1–4. The process is application, acceptance, assessment by a designated institution, public notice, approval, and issuance. It lasts ten years and is renewed free at expiry. Eligibility depends on meeting the standard, not personal connections.
What it takes
The Chinese certificate itself is free. Assessment and photographs are generally paid by the applicant, with reductions available for serious financial difficulty. Bring your identity card, household registration book, and three two-inch white-background photographs to the county-level disabled persons' federation at your registered domicile. A qualifying assessment is publicized in the village or community for five working days; the federation completes review within ten working days. Several visits and waiting time may be needed.
What you may gain
China's disability certificate legally establishes disability category and grade and is an important basis for access to national and local preferential policies. Assessment uses the national standard Classification and Grading Criteria of Disability, GB/T 26341-2010. Applications are voluntary and managed territorially. All seven categories may apply, at Grades 1–4. County-level federations accept applications and issue certificates based on assessments by provincially designated hospitals or professional institutions. Qualifying results are publicized locally for five working days, and county review must be completed within ten working days. No certificate production fee is charged. Applicants generally bear assessment and photograph costs; local finances may subsidize them where possible, and departments should coordinate reductions or exemptions for applicants in exceptional difficulty. Certificates last ten years and are renewed free. Changes in category or grade can prompt reassessment. An applicant disputing a result may request reassessment from the prefecture-level federation within ten working days; if disagreement remains, the provincial disability assessment expert committee makes the final determination. These measures took effect nationally on January 1, 2018.
Context & considerations
Check the available benefits before applying. The certificate itself does not pay money. It connects to the two disability subsidies: living allowances for disabled people in minimum-living-assistance households and nursing allowances for people with Grade 1 or 2 disability needing long-term care; see chapter 7, entry 8. Local rehabilitation, assistive-device, tax and fee, employment, and transport benefits also vary considerably. Check the local federation's website. This certificate, judicial injury-disability grading, and occupational work-capacity assessment are separate and cannot substitute for one another; see entry 10. The certificate is for the holder only and cannot be lent out. It is canceled if the person no longer meets the criteria, with no reapplication for one year after cancellation. Multiple disabilities are graded according to the most severe category.
Research & references
China Disabled Persons' Federation and National Health and Family Planning Commission (2017). Measures for the administration of disability certificates of the People's Republic of China, issued May 27, 2017, effective January 1, 2018; Articles 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 17, 19, 22, and 25. https://www.bdpf.org.cn/cms68/web1459/subject/n1/n1459/n1508/n1509/n1512/c68465/content.html