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China in 2015: Are you really allowed to have only one child in China?
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11 Answers
Thank Ryan Chew for rewriting this answer.
As of 2014, only 35% of families fall under the One-child policy. Here are some of the conditions that would qualify a family for an additional child.
For ordinary citizens of China.
If your first child is disabled.
If your only child has passed away.
If your second child is born overseas and has renounced Chinese citizenship.
If you have remarried and both you and your new spouse have less than two children from your previous marriage/s, you are allowed to have another child. This does not apply to couples who divorced and got back together again.
If you and your spouse are older than 30, have only adopted children and no biological children.
From 1984 onwards, if both you and your spouse are the only children in your respective families, you are allowed to have 2 children. (called Shuang Du Liang Hai 双独两孩 Double only children, two children policy)
From 2014 onwards, if either you OR your spouse is an only child, you are allowed to have 2 children. ( called Dan Du Liang Hai 单独两孩 Single only child, two children policy)
Residents of rural hukous
(hukous are residential registries)
If your first child is a girl.
If the husband has married into the wife's family, the wife has no brothers, and the couple has only one child.
If you live in a mountainous region and your wife is a resident of a rural hukou, and your only child is a girl.
Special provisions
If both you and your spouse are non-Han Chinese minorities, you can have two children in urban hukous, and up to three or four in rural hukous.
Some minorities such as Tibetans may have no limits to the number of children depending on the hukou.
If either you or your spouse are servicemen/women with first to sixth degree disabilities, or if either you or your spouse have first to sixth degree work-related disabilities.
If both you and your spouse are overseas Chinese/ residents of Hong Kong and Macau/ residents of Taiwan who have lived in Mainland China for less than 6 months; and you have only one child living in Mainland China.
If you or your spouse are employed in downhole operations (A term used in the oil and gas extraction industry) for more than 5 years and your only child is a girl.
Following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, families who have lost children in the disaster are allowed to additional children.
Further Notes
Families with 2 girls and no other children are called Er Nue Hu 二女户(two girl household), which are actually encouraged. In some areas, if you are a child of a Er Nu Hu 二女户, you can be awarded bonus points in your senior high school entrance examinations 中考.
Twins or multiple births are not penalized.
For unqualified couples, each additional child would incur a substantial fine which is adjusted for the economic wellbeing of your region and your income.
China's birth control policy is as dynamic as the English language, and individual provinces may have special provisions at the provincial level.
As of 2014, only 35% of families fall under the One-child policy. Here are some of the conditions that would qualify a family for an additional child.
For ordinary citizens of China.
If your first child is disabled.
If your only child has passed away.
If your second child is born overseas and has renounced Chinese citizenship.
If you have remarried and both you and your new spouse have less than two children from your previous marriage/s, you are allowed to have another child. This does not apply to couples who divorced and got back together again.
If you and your spouse are older than 30, have only adopted children and no biological children.
From 1984 onwards, if both you and your spouse are the only children in your respective families, you are allowed to have 2 children. (called Shuang Du Liang Hai 双独两孩 Double only children, two children policy)
From 2014 onwards, if either you OR your spouse is an only child, you are allowed to have 2 children. ( called Dan Du Liang Hai 单独两孩 Single only child, two children policy)
Residents of rural hukous
(hukous are residential registries)
If your first child is a girl.
If the husband has married into the wife's family, the wife has no brothers, and the couple has only one child.
If you live in a mountainous region and your wife is a resident of a rural hukou, and your only child is a girl.
Special provisions
If both you and your spouse are non-Han Chinese minorities, you can have two children in urban hukous, and up to three or four in rural hukous.
Some minorities such as Tibetans may have no limits to the number of children depending on the hukou.
If either you or your spouse are servicemen/women with first to sixth degree disabilities, or if either you or your spouse have first to sixth degree work-related disabilities.
If both you and your spouse are overseas Chinese/ residents of Hong Kong and Macau/ residents of Taiwan who have lived in Mainland China for less than 6 months; and you have only one child living in Mainland China.
If you or your spouse are employed in downhole operations (A term used in the oil and gas extraction industry) for more than 5 years and your only child is a girl.
Following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, families who have lost children in the disaster are allowed to additional children.
Further Notes
Families with 2 girls and no other children are called Er Nue Hu 二女户(two girl household), which are actually encouraged. In some areas, if you are a child of a Er Nu Hu 二女户, you can be awarded bonus points in your senior high school entrance examinations 中考.
Twins or multiple births are not penalized.
For unqualified couples, each additional child would incur a substantial fine which is adjusted for the economic wellbeing of your region and your income.
China's birth control policy is as dynamic as the English language, and individual provinces may have special provisions at the provincial level.
Related QuestionsMore Answers Below
I kind of disagree with the use of the phrase "money talks" here, as if it's bad.
I think it's generally a good thing that the government is using "soft" measures (subsidies and taxes and fines) to regulate our society, instead of force. Especially when you compare it with the past, when the 1-child policy was indeed enforced with force.
Note that I'm not talking about the one child policy itself, which I consider at best obsolete (because China is already suffering from having too few children) and at worse simply bad and cruel.
I think it's generally a good thing that the government is using "soft" measures (subsidies and taxes and fines) to regulate our society, instead of force. Especially when you compare it with the past, when the 1-child policy was indeed enforced with force.
Note that I'm not talking about the one child policy itself, which I consider at best obsolete (because China is already suffering from having too few children) and at worse simply bad and cruel.
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