Permanent Residence Permit for Foreigners( or “Chinese Green Card”) is a legal identification that can be used separately to stay in China. Foreigners who hold valid passports and a Chinese green card are not restricted in the duration of their stay in China, and they can also enter and exit China without a visa. A Chinese Green Card can be given to foreigners who have stayed in China for more than a year.
Green cards are classified according to the following categories: investment, employment, seeking family reunion with parents, dependents, and outstanding aliens.
Aliens who seek approval to reside permanently in China must stay for at least three cumulative months every year. If an alien is not able to stay for such a period for any reason, he/she must apply for approval from the department or bureaus of public security at the level of province, autonomous region, or municipality directly in the place of his/her long-term residence, under the proviso that the cumulative period of residence in China must not be less than one cumulative year in five years.
I. Types of Permanent Residence Permit (PRP):
To apply for a permanent resident visa, a foreigner must meet at least one of the following four criteria:
1.be a high-level foreign expert holding a post which promotes China’s economy, scientific and technological development or social progress;
2.Have made a large direct investment in China;
3.Have made an outstanding contribution of special importance to China;
4.Come to China to be with family, such as spouse, dependent minor, or senior citizen.
II. Qualification:
To qualify for the Green card, you need to fulfill at least one of the following criteria:
1. Investors made direct and stable investment in China for three consecutive years and kept good tax records
2. Professionals working as a deputy general manager, deputy factory director or above, or of associate professor, associate research fellow and other associate senior titles of professional posts or above.
Worked for at least four successive years, with a minimum period of residence in China for three cumulative years within the four years and have a good tax record.
3. Having made an “outstanding and necessary contribution” to China.
4. An unmarried minor under 18 born to persons that mentioned above
5. Married to a Chinese citizen or a foreigner with permanent residence status in Hunan for at least five years, with at least five successive years of residence in Hunan and at least nine months of residence in Hunan each year, and having stable source of subsistence and place of residence
6. An unmarried minor under 18 born to a Chinese citizen or a foreigner with permanent residence status in China.
7. A person above 60 years old that has no immediate relatives abroad and seeks to remain with an “immediate relative” in China, and has stayed in China for at least five successive years with at least nine-month residence in China each year, and has stable source of subsistence and place of residence. Immediate relatives include parents (spouse’s parents), grandparents, children at least 18 years old and their spouse(s), and grandchildren at least 18 years old and their spouse(s).
III.Accepting Department:
To apply for the Permanent Residence permit, an alien individual, or their parents or a principal if the applicant is less than 18 years old and unmarried, needs to submit the application to the county-level branch of the Public Security Bureau.
IV.Required Materials:
1.Filling out the Permanent Residence Application Form;
2.Investors in China should submit the following materials(materials issued by foreign institutions should be notarized by the Chinese embassy in the corresponding country):
a. Valid foreign passport:
b. Health Certificate issued by the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau or one that is issued by the foreign medical and hygiene institutions and notarized by the Chinese embassy in the corresponding country.
c. The Certificate of No Criminal Conviction in the main living area of foreign countries(more than 2 years’ residence) certified by Chinese embassies in foreign countries.
d. The Certificate of No Criminal Conviction in China.
e. Four recent 2-inch color photos: full face without hat (taken at the office).
f. Copies of the Business License
g. The Foreign Invested Enterprise Approval Certificate
h. The Registration Certificate and Joint Annual Inspection Certificate (for 3 years)
i. Capital Verification Report.
j. The Certificate of Individual Income Tax Payment of the recent three years.
k. Foreign investment enterprises encouraged by the government should also submit the Encouraged Foreign Investment Project Confirmation Letter.
3. Foreigners who are employed in China should also submit the following materials to apply for a China Green Card.Foreigners must be employed in the following 7 types of enterprises or institutions:
1) Departments under the State Council or institutions under the provincial government.
2) Key institutions of higher learning (“211 Engineering” schools and those regular institutions of higher learning appointed by the province, the autonomous region, or the municipality as the first ones to enroll new students);
3) Enterprises or undertakings carrying out the state’s key engineering projects or major scientific and technical projects.(enterprises or undertakings that accept the project directly from central government agencies or provincial government and carry out the main work.)
4) High-tech enterprises.
5) Encouraged foreign invested enterprises.
6) Foreign invested enterprises with advanced technology.
7) Exportation-oriented foreign invested enterprises.
Applicants work in the 7 kinds of work-units mentioned above and submit the following materials:
a. Valid foreign passport:
b. Health Certificate issued by the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau or one that is issued by the foreign medical and hygiene institutions and notarized by the Chinese embassy in the corresponding country.
c. The Certificate of No Criminal Conviction in the main living area of foreign countries(more than 2 years’ residence) certified by Chinese embassies in foreign countries.
d. Four recent 2-inch color photos: full face without hat (taken at the office).
e. Certificate of Incumbency issued by the employer.
f. Foreign Expert Certificate of Employment Certificate for Foreigners.
g. The Registration Certificate and Annual Inspection Certificate (for 3 years) of the work units; if the work unit is a foreign invested enterprise, then the applicant should also submit the Foreign Invested Enterprise Approval Certificate and the Joint Annual Inspection Certificate.
h. The Certificate of Individual Income Tax Payment of the recent four years.
i.Other materials
Applicants working in the third type of work-unit should submit the project certificate issued by the provincial or the ministerial departments.
Applicants working in the fourth type of work-unit should submit the High-tech Enterprise Certificate.
Applicants working in the fifth type of work-unit should submit the Encouraged Foreign Invested Project Confirmation Letter.
Applicants working in the sixth type of work-unit should submit the Foreign Invested High-tech Enterprises Confirmation Letter.
Applicants working in the seventh type of work-unit should submit the Foreign Invested Exportation Enterprises Confirmation Letter. Certificates mentioned above should be issued by the State Development and Reform Commission (the Planning Committee), Ministry of Science and Technology, or the Ministry of Commerce respectively based on the functions
4. Special people need to provide documents as follows:
(Among all the documents above, those issued by foreign departments concerned, need to be certified by Chinese embassies in foreign countries.)
(1) The valid passport;
(2) Four recent 2-inch color photos: full face without hat (taken at the office);
(3) Providing recommendation letters issued by ministry, committee or bureau under the State Council, residence permit or reward certificate issued by department concerned, and certificate of high-valued or worldwide influential scientific research result of applicants.
(4) Chinese sci-tech talents with foreign nationalities could be recommended by the Ministry of Personnel, and recommendation letter or identity confirmation and Evidence of Settled Foreign Experts in China could also be issued by the Ministry of Personnel.
5. For couples’ reunion, applicants need to provide documents as follows.
(Among all the documents above, those issued by foreign departments concerned, need to be certified by Chinese embassies in foreign countries);
(1) Valid foreign passport;
(2) Health certificate issued by China Inspection and Quarantine or foreign medical department certified by Chinese embassies in foreign countries;
(3) Certificate of non-criminal record issued by main residence overseas (living continuously for more than 2 years) and certified by Chinese embassies in foreign countries.
(4) Four recent 2-inch color photos: full face without hat (taken at the office);
(5) Providing household registration booklet, ID card of Chinese spouse or permanent residence permit of foreign spouse.
(6) Providing marriage certificate;
(7) Notarized living guarantee certificate and certificate of house renting or house property.
6. For reunion of parents and children, applicants need to provide documents as follows.
(Among all the documents above, those issued by foreign departments concerned, need to be certified by Chinese embassies in foreign countries);
(1) Valid foreign passport;
(2) Four recent 2-inch color photos: full face without hat (taken at the office);
(3) Providing household registration booklet, ID card of one Chinese parents or passport and permanent residence permit of one foreign parents;
(4) Personal birth certificate or kinship certificate; those who belongs to adoptive relationship, please provide adoption certificate.
7. For applicants who reunite with relatives
(Among all the documents above, those issued by foreign departments concerned, need to be certified by Chinese embassies in foreign countries);
(1) Providing valid foreign passport or substituted certificate;
(2) Health certificate issued by China Inspection and Quarantine or foreign medical department certified by Chinese embassies in foreign countries;
(3) Certificate of non-criminal record issued by main residence overseas (living continuously for more than 2 years) and certified by Chinese embassies in foreign countries;
(4) Four recent 2-inch color photos: full face without hat (taken at the office);
(5) Providing household registration booklet, ID card of Chinese citizen or passport and Permanent Residence Certificate of Foreigners.
(6) Notarized evidence of kinship;
(7) Notarized evidence of no-lineal relatives in foreign countries.
(8) Notarized living guarantee certificate;
(9) Notarized certificate of house renting or house property.
V. Processes:
Acceptation---First examination --- Reexamination --- Approval --- Accreditation — Certification
(1) Submit an application to the public security organ of the People's Government at the city level or the branch office or county office of the public security bureau of a municipality directly under the central government, which is in charge of the community of the applicant's major investment or long-term residence,
(2) Provide the specified application documents.
(3) The public security body shall investigate and verify the conditions of the applicant according to the specified prerequisites.
(4) The local department will submit the application to the Ministry of Public Security for examination and approval.
(5) The ministry shall decide whether to approve or reject the application for permanent residence permit within 6 months of receiving the application.
(6) Upon the approval of the Ministry of Public Security, the applicant will be granted a Foreigner Permanent Residence Permit by the Ministry of Public Security.
VI.Acceptable Period of Time
The decision of approval or disapproval of application made by foreigners for permanent residence would be made within 6 months from the day that application accepted.
VIII.Charging standards for foreigners’ application for permanent residence
Aliens who apply under “the Regulations on Examination and Approval of Permanent Residence of Alien in China” shall pay fees for visas or certificates. The rates of fees are decided by the national development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Finance.
In 2004, the fee for the new green card certificate is shown in the following table.
| ing Categories | Charging Standard (RMB)
|
Charge Bases |
| Fee of Application of permanent residence | 1500 | All charges are based on No. [2004] 1267 issued by National Development and Reform Commission. |
| Alteration or renewal of permanent residence certificate | 300 | All charges are based on No. [2004] 1267 issued by National Development and Reform Commission. |
| Reissue of permanent residence certificate (including reissue of damaged certificate). | 600 | All charges are based on No. [2004] 1267 issued by National Development and Reform Commission. |
IX. Validity
The Foreigner Permanent Residence Permits are valid for five or ten years.
--Certificates with five-year validity are granted to minors.
--Certificates with ten-year validity are granted to adults.
X.Office Time/Address
In Changsha, the "Green Card" application files are accepted by the Entry-Exit Administration of the Public Security Bureau.
Tel: 0731-82290001;0731-82587623
Office Hours: Monday-Friday (except holidays) Morning: 9:00-12:00; Afternoon: 13:00-17:00
Office Address: Southwest side of the intersection of Xiangzhang Road and Guitang Road, Yuhua District, Changsha(长沙市雨花区香樟路与圭塘路交汇处西南侧)
Buses: No. 63, No. 68, No. 159, No. 167, No. 802, No. 805.
Bus Stop: Outangpo Station in Xiangzhang Road
Tips:
Take a Chinese friend or an interpreter with you. Of course I believe that your Chinese is good enough, but since the English version of the regulation is still being worked on you'd better let your friend help you translate the exact meaning of some articles.
Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn
