Quote Originally Posted by bmold View Post
Thanks, I was wondering how to go about getting a foreigner's Chinese name on an official document, being as there is no official instance of a randomly chosen name...
Actually, if you have a Chinese name that you regularly use, you can often include this on application forms for various documents. Certainly include it upon arrival when you register with the police, as your temporary residential police registration is often accepted for many administrative purposes. It'll be a printed document in Chinese and English with all your vitals -- passport name and number, visa type, number and expiration, your local address and your name in Chinese. Here in Shanghai, some foreigners have managed to use this to establish the link between their foreign name and their Chinese name, which the motor vehicle computers want to see.

Another document that generally carries both names, thereby establishing that you and Wang Laowai are one and the same, is your work permit. Be sure when you apply for that document that it includes both your legal foreign (passport) name and your established Chinese name. If you have any expired documents from your previous residence in China (Henan, right?) that show both names, this could be of some help. Stick to the same Chinese name; don't go changing it because your new girlfriend wants to.

Finally, if you've never established a Chinese name, put some thought into it and do so now, before you arrive. You don't want some motor vehicle bureau hack dreaming one up for you.

good luck!