CHSI Old Passport or Name Mismatch? How Foreign Graduates Can Check Their China Academic Records

Why an Old Passport Can Affect CHSI Matching

Official CHSI guidance for foreign students indicates that the passport number used during study and the name appearing on the graduation certificate are important identity details in the specific foreign-graduate qualification registration and query process covered by that guidance. See the official CHSI foreign-student query guidance.

This means an expired passport can remain relevant after you receive a new one. It may contain the identity number connected to the university’s original student or graduate information.

However, this does not mean:

• every CHSI function requires the old passport;
• degree and qualification records necessarily use the same passport number;
• entering the old passport automatically resolves a binding problem;
• you should automatically create another CHSI account; or
• your current passport is irrelevant.

CHSI provides different functions for queries, account access, identity verification, record binding, verification applications and report delivery. An identity detail that works for one stage may not resolve a problem at another.

Applicants who are unsure which report or record they are trying to access can review the available CHSI degree, qualification and transcript verification reports before deciding what needs to be matched.

Old Passport Versus Current Passport

A passport renewal does not invalidate your academic credential.

The old passport represents the identity used during an earlier period. The current passport establishes your present identity. The practical issue is often proving that both passports relate to the same graduate.

Your academic record should not be assumed to require automatic replacement of the old passport number with the new one. If the old number was accurate when the university registered your information, it may be historically correct data rather than an error.

Compare:

• the passport used when you enrolled;
• the passport valid when you graduated;
• the name and number printed on or associated with your certificates;
• your current passport;
• the identity attached to your CHSI account; and
• the identity shown in the record or verification report.

If you used more than one passport during your studies, try to identify which passport number the university used when it registered the relevant qualification or degree information.

Do Not Automatically Create Another CHSI Account

A changed passport does not, by itself, establish that you need a new CHSI account.

Before registering another account, check:

• whether you already have an account;
• which name and identity number are attached to it;
• whether you can recover access to that account;
• whether the academic record appears under the historical identity;
• whether the failure occurs during query, binding or identity verification; and
• what the current CHSI/CSSD instructions say about the particular function.

Official help materials describe different routes for account-profile issues, changed identity details and records associated with different identities. Those materials should not be converted into a universal instruction to create a second account whenever a passport is renewed.

A second account may not address incorrect university source data, and this article does not assume that separate accounts can later be merged. For binding-specific checks, consult the official CHSI report-binding guidance.

What Kind of Name Mismatch Do You Have?

A CHSI name mismatch can arise because a surname and given name appear in a different order, a middle name is omitted or added, spaces or hyphens differ, capitalization changes, the university used another transliteration, or one record contains a Chinese name while another uses a Latin-script passport name.

A former surname, lawful name change, nationality change or simple university data-entry error can also create a difference.

The first question is not simply whether the name matches your current passport. Ask whether the recorded name was accurate for the identity used when the academic information was created.

A former surname or different transliteration may be historically correct. By contrast, a misspelling that did not match the passport used at the time may indicate a source-data problem.

Does Letter Case Matter?

In CHSI’s foreign-student qualification-query guidance, the entered name and letter case are expected to match the graduation certificate.

This is useful when troubleshooting that particular process. It should not be generalized into a claim that every CHSI/CSSD function is case-sensitive.

If a query fails, compare the certificate carefully before assuming the underlying record is missing. Check capitalization together with name order, spaces, punctuation and the historical passport number.

Chinese Name Versus Passport Name

A Chinese name in a university record is not automatically an error.

A university may have used a Chinese name in one part of its records and a Latin-script passport name elsewhere. A transcript, graduation certificate and degree record may not necessarily display the identity in the same way.

Identify where each version appears: the university archive, graduation certificate, degree certificate, transcript, qualification record, degree record, CHSI account and verification report.

If the Chinese name was officially used by the university, it should not automatically be removed. The appropriate solution may involve establishing the connection between the Chinese and passport names rather than changing historically accurate data.

Historically Correct Identity or Actual Source-Data Error?

This distinction should be resolved before anyone requests correction.

Examples of potentially accurate historical information include:

• an old passport number that was valid at graduation;
• a former surname used when the degree was awarded;
• a current passport issued after graduation; or
• a Chinese name officially used in the university’s records.

Examples of possible source-data errors include a mistyped passport number, a name that did not match the passport used at the time, an incorrect date of birth, or registered information that conflicts with the university’s own archive.

Request source-data correction only when the historical source information itself appears incorrect. A difference from your current identity is not sufficient by itself.

If the case requires formal record comparison or verification-route support, China academic-record verification support may help identify the relevant documents and responsible institution.

Degree and Qualification Records May Need Separate Checks

An academic degree and a higher education qualification or graduation record are separate concepts. They may also have been registered through different processes or at different times.

Finding one record does not prove that the other uses identical passport or name information. A graduate might successfully match the qualification record but encounter an identity problem with the degree record, or the reverse.

Diagnose each record separately. Avoid treating the inability to bind one report as proof that every academic record is missing.

Should You Contact the University or CHSI/CSSD?

The university is more likely to be the appropriate first contact when the source passport number appears objectively incorrect, the source name appears misspelled, the date of birth is wrong, academic details conflict with the physical certificate, or an archive review is necessary.

CHSI/CSSD is more likely to be the relevant route when:

• the account identity is incorrect or cannot be verified;
• an existing record cannot be bound;
• a verification application or report cannot be generated;
• report delivery fails; or
• the source academic information appears correct but does not connect to the account.

Some cases require both. The university may need to confirm the source data before CHSI/CSSD can determine why a report displays unexpected identity information.

Do not assume that a university can simply replace a historically correct passport number with the current one. Actual source-data corrections may require university review and, depending on the record and procedure, education-authority involvement. Similarly, CHSI/CSSD should not be described as independently rewriting university academic source data.

Changing information in a CHSI account is not the same as correcting the academic identity information originally submitted by the university.

What If You No Longer Have the Old Passport?

Losing, surrendering or disposing of an expired passport does not prove that your academic credential cannot be verified. It may, however, make identity continuity more difficult to demonstrate.

Possible supporting materials, if available, may include:

• an old passport scan or photograph;
• the remembered passport number;
• an old Chinese visa or residence-permit copy;
• graduation certificate, degree certificate or transcript;
• admission letter or former student card;
• university registration or archive records;
• passport-renewal or lawful name-change evidence; or
• university confirmation.

These are possible diagnostic or supporting materials. They are not a universal CHSI/CSSD substitute-document list.

If you do not remember the old passport number, ask the university what identifying information it can use to search its archive and what evidence it requires from you.

What If You Legally Changed Your Name?

Marriage, divorce or another lawful post-graduation name change does not automatically require the historical academic record to be rewritten.

The record may correctly remain under the name used when the credential was awarded. The applicant may instead need evidence connecting the former and current identities.

Depending on the case, useful evidence may include an old passport, current passport, marriage or divorce certificate, official name-change document or university confirmation. The requirements of the organization receiving the academic documents must also be checked.

What If Your Nationality Changed?

Nationality change should be treated separately from an ordinary passport renewal. It may involve a new passport system, a different number format, different transliteration and a changed legal name.

No single nationwide CHSI/CSSD procedure has been verified for every foreign graduate who changes nationality after graduation. The route is case-specific. Do not assume that the graduate automatically needs a new CHSI account, a new academic record or a source-data rewrite.

Can the Problem Be Addressed From Outside China?

Many diagnostic steps can begin remotely. You can compare documents, preserve error screenshots, contact the university, contact CHSI/CSSD support and assemble evidence connecting the old and current identities.

Applicants abroad may also seek document services for former international students in China for document review, translation and communication coordination.

Fully remote resolution is not guaranteed. The official procedure may require personal participation, identity verification, a signed request, original or certified documents, or institution-specific authorization.

A university’s willingness to communicate with a representative does not mean the representative can complete formal identity or correction steps for the graduate.

Could the Mismatch Affect WES?

Historical passport and name differences may complicate matching between the WES applicant profile, Chinese academic documents, CSSD verification reports and report transmission.

This does not mean WES automatically rejects the credential. Follow the applicant-specific instructions in the current WES Required Documents resources. WES may need documents or reports delivered through an approved channel and may request clarification when identities differ.

Applicants dealing with this downstream requirement can review China academic document support for WES.

Could It Affect Notarization or Apostille?

A CHSI passport or name mismatch does not by itself prove that notarization or Apostille is impossible.

The route depends on the document, available identity evidence, the notarial institution’s requirements, the competent authentication authority and the receiving organization’s instructions. Review the applicable China degree Apostille requirements separately.

As the China Ministry of Foreign Affairs Apostille explanation makes clear, an Apostille authenticates the formal origin of a qualifying public document, including the relevant signature, capacity, seal or stamp. It does not correct academic identity data or verify the substantive truth of the credential.

Documents and Information to Review

Before requesting assistance, collect what is available:

• graduation certificate;
• degree certificate;
• transcript;
• passport used during study;
• current passport;
• previous passport copy or number, if available;
• CHSI/CSSD screenshot or error message;
• university, faculty or program, if useful;
• graduation year;
• exact former and current names;
• lawful name-change evidence, where applicable; and
• WES or other recipient instructions.

Not every item is mandatory in every case. The purpose is to identify which identity was used, where the mismatch occurs and whether the historical data are actually wrong.

Frequently Asked Questions