Will I still receive a paper patent authorization certificate?

According to the latest regulations of China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), starting from 2020, the paper-based patent authorization certificate will be stopped and the electronic certificate will be fully implemented. In other words, the newly applied patent authorization certificate will only be in electronic version. If you have obtained the paper patent authorization certificate before, it will still be valid and you will not receive a new electronic certificate. However, for the existing patent, the applicant can choose to convert its paper certificate into electronic version or keep the paper certificate. Electronic certificate and paper certificate have the same legal effect, so there is no need to worry that the change of certificate form will affect the legal effect of patent.