China: How to apply

How to apply for permanent residence in China

The following materials are required when applying for permanent residence in China:

1.The correctly completed Application Form for Permanent Residence in China;

2.Four recent 2-inch full-faced, head-uncovered color photos;

3.The original and a copy of valid passport or the certificate equivalent to the passport;

4.Health examination certificate of the applicant made within 6 months after the application, issued by a health inspection authority designated by Chinese government or issued and signed by any foreign health medical institution recognized by the Chinese embassy or consulate in the relevant country;

5.the Certificate of No Criminal Conviction certified by the Chinese embassy or consulate in the relevant country;

6.Other application documents related to the identity of the applicant.

The Ministry of Public Security within 6 months after receiving the application, decide whether to approve the application in China. If the application is approved, the Ministry of Public Security will issue and sign the Permanent Residence Certificate for Aliens.

If the applicant is not in China, the Ministry of Public Security will issue the Confirmation Form of Permanent Residence Identity of Aliens. The applicant then should take the Confirmation Form of Permanent Residence Identity of Aliens to the Chinese embassy or consulate in the relevant country for a category "D" visa; and will receive the Permanent Residence Certificate for Aliens, within 30 days upon his/her arrival in China, from the authority of public security receiving the application first.

What rights do you have if you have a Permanent Residence Certificate for Aliens

If you have a Permanent Residence Certificate for Aliens, you may reside in China for unlimited period of time, are not subject to any visa requirement when entering and exiting China, and can enter or exit China with your valid passport and the Permanent Residence Certificate for Aliens.

The Permanent Residence Certificate for Aliens is your certificate of identity when you are residing in China. The Permanent Residence Certificate for Aliens is valid for 5 in the case of minors and 10 years in the case of adults.

How to Get a Green Card in China?

You Should Submit: (a) Valid Passport or equivalent; (b) Health certificate issued at state level; (c) Credentials proving no criminal record by China embassies or consulates; (d) Two passport photos, no hat; (e) Other relevant credentials if required.

Fees: The fee for the new green card certificate is 300 yuan or about US$36. The cost of getting a new card is 1500 yuan or about US$180.

Time: The agency is open from Monday to Saturday, 8:30 to 12:00 in the morning, 13:00 to 17:00 in the afternoon.


In order to qualify for Green Card holder status, you must fulfill at least one of the following criteria:

I. Be a high-level foreign expert holding a post which promotes China's economic, scientific and technological development, or social progress.

II. Have made outstanding contributions of special importance to China

III. Have made a large direct investment of over US$ 500,000 in China

IV. Have come to China to be with your family, such as spouse, dependent minors or senior citizens.


To apply for the certificate:

I. Submit an application to a city-level Public Security Bureau or at the county-level branch of the Public Security Bureau directly responsible for the community of the applicant's major investment or long-term residence.

II. Provide the specified application documents.

III. The public security body shall investigate and verify the conditions of the
applicant according to the specified pre-requisites.

IV. The local department will submit the application to the Ministry of Public Security for examination and approval.

V. The ministry shall decide whether to approve or reject the application for permanent residence permit within 6 months of receiving the application.

VI. Upon the approval of the Ministry of Public Security, the applicant will be granted a Foreigner Permanent Residency Permit by the Ministry of Public Security.

A Chinese green card is not equivalent to Chinese nationality. Presently China does not recognize dual or multiple nationalities. Thus, if one wants to become a Chinese national, original nationality status would have to be cancelled.

Those who obtain a Chinese green card should not stay in China less than three months in a year or less than a year in five years. Special causes will need approval from city level public security bureaus.

Expats with a Chinese green card will still need to observe rules concerning traveling, temporary living in other cities, and visiting areas closed to the public.

For further information or for a free copy of the "Chinese Green Card Guide," call Xiang Yang at the Beijing Zhongfu Law Firm at 6329-3541.

Location: Beijing Commercial Guild Hall, Bldg 1 Yulinli, You'anmenwai


Benefits of Chinese green card

Long validity

Foreigners without a Chinese green card need to renew their residence permit once a year. There are also limitations over the time duration and location they can stay within the PRC. In comparison, a Chinese green card for foreigners below 18 years of age is valid for five years and for those above 18, it is valid for 10 years. Because the Ministry of Public Security issues the card, it is valid throughout China.

Easy entry and exit

With a passport and Chinese green card, one can go in and out of China freely without needing a visa, thus a green card saves time and expense needed to get a visa each time you travel through customs. A Chinese green card can also be used separately as a legal certificate to stay in Beijing.

Employment

Expats without residency permits and who come to study in schools are not allowed by law to work in China without approval. However, there is no such employment regulation limiting foreigners with Chinese green cards. This means expats with a Chinese green card should be allowed to work freely and treated according to all Chinese labor laws.

Rent

Expats with a Chinese green card have the same rights in civil and commercial affairs as Chinese citizens. They can rent or lease houses without examination or approval from the public security bureau.

The following are some examples of the advantages of a working and residing license in Beijing:

Children's education

Expats with a Chinese green card have the same rights and responsibilities (apart from the right to elect, be elected and serve military service) as Chinese citizens of the city they live in. Thus, if in Beijing, their children can go to kindergarten, primary and high schools without extra fees.

Buying a home

With a green card, one can buy commercial housing or even economic-class houses in the city they reside in, if they meet the requirements.

Driver's license

With a green card, one can apply for a driving license, a temporary driving license, or automobile registration.

Opening an enterprise

They can establish an enterprise in the city they live in, and apply for scientific and technological project sustentation.

Professional status

They can join the city's talent cultivation projects and apply for awards given to talents and experts. They can also take part in professional qualification tests and registration.

Insurance

They are valid for basic retirement insurance, city workers' basic medical insurance and can store money for housing in an accumulation fund.

Investment

Expats with a Chinese green card and without Chinese nationality enjoy the same investment advantages as other foreigners in China.

Requirements for Permanent Residence Permit

You Should Submit: (a) Valid Passport or equivalent; (b) Health certificate issued at state level; (c) Credentials proving no criminal record by China embassies or consulates; (d) Two passport photos, no hat; (e) Other relevant credentials if required.

Fees: The fee for the new green card certificate is 300 yuan or about US$36. The cost of getting a new card is 1500 yuan or about US$180.

Time: The agency is open from Monday to Saturday, 8:30 to 12:00 in the morning, 13:00 to 17:00 in the afternoon.

In order to qualify for permanent residence status, you must fulfill at least one of the following criteria:

I. Be a high-level foreign expert holding a post which promotes China's economic, scientific and technological development, or social progress.

II. Have made outstanding contributions of special importance to China

III. Have made a large direct investment of over US$ 500,000 in China

IV. Have come to China to be with your family, such as spouse, dependent minors or senior citizens.

(Beijing.gov.cn, China Daily, October 16, 2006)

Application for Residence Permit by Foreigners Working in Permanent Representative Offices

Foreigners working in the permanent representative offices of foreign enterprises in China and their family members (spouse, underage children) should hold Visa "Z" (work) to enter China and apply for, within 30 days of entry, residence permit to the Division of Exit-Entry Administration of Beijing Public Security Bureau. The residence permit shall be valid for no more than 1 year within the period of the passport.

I. When applying for residence permit, the applicants should present the following documents and certificates:

1. Valid passports and visa;

2. Master copy and photocopy of the "Employee's card" of the representative office of foreign enterprises in China, issued by the Administrative Bodies for Industry and Commerce;

3. Master copy and photocopy of the "Employment Certificate", issued by Beijing Bureau of Labor and Social Security;

4. "Health Certificate" issued by Beijing Exit-Entry Inspection and Quarantine Bureau;

5. Two recently taken, half-length bareheaded and full-faced photos of 2 inch size (either color or black-white).

Those applicants who work in Beijing for less than 1 year should apply for temporary residence permit, without presenting "Health Certificate".

II. When applying for extension or alternation to residence permit, applicants should present the following documents:

1. Valid passports and residence permits;

2. Master copy and photocopy of the "Employee's card" of the representative office of foreign enterprises in China, issued by the Administrative Bodies for Industry and Commerce;

3. Master copy and photocopy of the "Employment Certificate", issued by Beijing Bureau of Labor and Social Security;

4.Should there be any alternations to the contents of the residence permits (name, nationality, occupation or identity, address, passport number, children), the permit-holders shall register, within 10 days, the changes at the Division of Exit-Entry Administration of Beijing Public Security Bureau. If there is any change relating to work units, occupation or identity, the permit holders should also present the documents certifying the termination of his/her work from the previous enterprises, as well as a certification of the present work unit. Should the permit holders move into or out of Beijing, they shall finish the transferring procedure before they move. After they reach the destination, they should handle the moving-in procedure within 10 days.

III. The procedure of applying for an exit-entry Visa

With their passports and residence permits, applicants could apply for a single journey Exit-Entry visa which is valid for 3 month, or a double and multiple Exit-Entry visa valid for a half year, or a multiple Exit-Entry visa valid for a year (the term of validity of visa should be within the validity of residence permit). Applicants can apply for visa and residence permits at the same time.

IV. Applying for the alternation to the category of visa

For those foreigners working in the representative office of foreign enterprises who enters China with visa "L" (touring and visiting relatives) and visa "F" (visiting), they can change their visa to visa "Z"(work) under some special circumstances. When applying for the alternation to the category of visa, applicants should present the following documents:

1. Valid passports and visa;

2. Master copy and photocopy of the "Employee's card" of the representative office of foreign enterprises in China, issued by the Administrative Bodies for Industry and Commerce;

3. Master copy and photocopy of the "Employment Certificate ", issued by Beijing Bureau of Labor and Social Security;

4. Official letter provided by his/her work unit to state the reason for alteration.

V. Filling in the application form and points for attention.

1. When handling the above mentioned procedures, applicants should fill in the "application form for visa and residence permit", on which a recently taken, half-length bareheaded and full-faced photos of 2-inch size should be stuck;

2. Applicants should fill in the specific items on the application form with the seal of the host enterprises;

3. The application form should be clearly and neatly filled in with blue-black ink pen or ballpoints.

For more information, please visit:

Residence Permits

Registration Procedure

- Requirements for Permanent Residence Permit
- Application Procedures for Permanent Residence Permit
- Application for Residence Permit by Foreigners Working in Permanent Representative Offices
- Application for Residence Permit by Foreigners Working in Sino-foreign Joint Ventures
- Application for Residence Permit by Foreign Journalists
- Application for Residence Permit by Foreign Experts (Teachers) Working in China
- Application for Residence Permit by Foreign Students Studying in China
- Lodging Registration Procedures
- Validity Period of Residence Registration
- Residence Registration in Beijing


Necessary Documents

- Documents for Registration of Foreigners Among Independent Investment Joint Venture and Foreign Investment Enterprises
- Documents for Registration of Foreigners Among Permanent Offices in China of Foreign Enterprises
- Documents for Registration of Foreign Students
- Documents for Registration of Foreign Experts
- Documents for Registration of Foreign Journalists in Beijing
- Documents for Registration of Returned Students Abroad
- Documents for Registration of Children Entrusted to Be Brought up
- Documents for Registration of Foreigners Among Domestic Investment Enterprises
- Documents for Registration and Health Check of the Pets


Renting a House

- Purchasing or Renting a Home and Office in Beijing
- Notice on the Adjustments on the Regulations Concerning Purchasing or Renting Residence and Offices of Resident Foreign Correspondents and Media Organizations in Beijing


How to Find a Proper House

- Rules on Second Homes Purchase in Shanghai
- Purchasing or Renting a Home and Office in Beijing
- New Rules for Property Sales to Foreigners
- Notice on the Adjustments on the Regulations Concerning Purchasing or Renting Residence and Offices of Resident Foreign Correspondents and Media Organizations in Beijing

Any way for information on applying for Japan PR?

Good idea. A person who has married a China mei mei can retire in China with his CPF which can stretch much further that Sinkeeland.

Hello Friends,

I read every one's suggestion and it's really good. I appreciate it. As of my I would like to suggest all of to first hire a visa lawyer before we face any problem during emigration time. We have to be very clear before applying for emigration. It's not compulsory but it's good for your safety purpose.....

Thanks....

In order to qualify for Green Card holder status, you must fulfill at least one of the following criteria:

I. Be a high-level foreign expert holding a post which promotes China's economic, scientific and technological development, or social progress.

II. Have made outstanding contributions of special importance to China

III. Have made a large direct investment of over US$ 500,000 in China

IV. Have come to China to be with your family, such as spouse, dependent minors or senior citizens.


so basically u need 500k