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A residence permit is a VISA, affixed to your passport, issued by the PSB Entry & Exit Administration. It has the advantage over the visas issued by the consulates in the U.S. of having NO length of stay limitation, and an unlimited number of entries and exits. They are usually issued with a period of validity of 2 or 3 years, and do NOT require border runs for renewal. The PSB Entry & Exit Administration can help with ANY stay issues, when possible. Be sure to check with them about your EXACT circumstances. Visas to ENTER China include L, Q1, Q2, Z, and D. These visas allow stays of 30 days up to 180 days. Q1, Z, and D visas allow stays of ONLY THIRTY DAYS, during which time you must head to the PSB and apply for your residence permit and/or work permit. AFTER THIRTY DAYS, these visas are no longer valid - your residence permit is your visa. For a D visa, PSB pre-approval is required. "Residence Approval Certificate issued by the Chinese public security bureau. (The applicant may entrust his or her relatives within China to apply for this certificate with the said authority.)" It is unlikely that they will issue one of these - a Q1 is the norm these days. If you are in China legally, check with your PSB about what THEY require for a residence permit. They can most likely help you out, even if you are on a tourist visa.

Edit March, 2018 - requirements given to us in 2018 by the PSB are listed in Post # 18 of this thread http://candleforlove.com/forums/topic/47314-applying-for-a-chinese-green-card/?p=637654 Edit June, 2020 - This topic includes a discussion (and links) of how to get a US Police Report and a link to a discussion on how to get a China residence permit. One of the requirements for getting a Chinese green card is to obtain a "No Criminal Record" certification from the U.S. government. The only snag that I see in that is that it appears that a trip to the U.S. might be necessary, just for the fingerprints. Criminal Record Checks - U.S. Dept. of State Identity History Summary Checks - FBI From the FBI link - This will need to go through the document certification process, to be certified by the Dept. of State (I assume the Federal Dept. of State) and the Chinese Embassy. I haven't yet looked at this closely, but I believe it will have to go through the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., since it is a Federal document. Another requirement is five years of residence (at least nine months of every year), which I'll reach as of Dec. 9. How to Apply for a Chinese Green Card They tell me that I'll also be eligible for a three year residence permit/visa, so that might be the more expedient way to go for now, especially since I'll need a new visa anyway, even if I do decide to go for the green card this year (my passport and current residence permit visa both expire in Feb., 2015). For right now, I need to go get a new passport, and then renew the visa. We'll see what happens after that.

Hello Everyone, Currently I have a 10 yrs Q2 visa. I’ve just found out from some previous posts on this site that 1. "The Q1 visa allows you to enter the country, and apply for a residence permit, which will allow you to live indefinitely in China (subject to renewal)." And 2. "When my wife called them last week, they said that it didn't matter which visa I was on for the family Res Permit, just as long as we were married. They told her that they would de-register my Q2 visa and I would now use the Residence Permit to exit and enter." It seems that, if I understand everything correctly, I can kind of exchange my Q2 visa with a “Residence Permit” then keep renewing it to avoid any visa in the future indefinitely. What are pros and cons of each? Do I miss anything here? Please help me. Thanks

When I retire, me and my wife are thinking of living in China, at least part time. She is a Chinese citizen with US permanent residence. Of course, I am a US Citizen. Can I obtain a family visa there and what are some requirements and length of stay? I have heard that US citizens can fairly easily reside in China for a year or longer. Thank you for your advice!

Hello All, I've been lucky enough to be awarded a ten-month fellowship to support my PhD research in the PRC from June '17 through March '18. Unfortunately, it appears that the (multiple entry) visa I receive will require that I leave and re-enter the country every sixty days. My children are American citizens (with passports, etc.). My wife is Chinese. I'm wondering what type of document I can get for my boys to avoid them also having to leave the country every sixty days during our ten-month stay. It'll be enough hassle, financial and personal, for me to leave every so often. I'd really like to avoid having to take the boys each time as well. What are my options? Thanks!

More great news for foreigners hoping to plan their careers in China. MORE: https://www.thatsmags.com/china/post/18120/china-launching-a-5-year-work-permit-for-foreigners

Hello. Both me and my fiancee live and work in China. He is Spanish, and this summer we will get married in Spain and return to China at the end of August. At that time we will then start with the Green Card procedure and filing the I-130 petition. My passport will expire in July of 2017. I plan to renew my passport in Spain this summer before returning to China. Will this pose any sort of problem for filing the I-130? Or will this pose a problem for me returning to China? I only ask this because my current passport has my residence permit, and it will be cancelled the moment I apply for a renewal passport. I don't want this to cause any sort of problem. Thank you very much!

First, I'm just going to say thank you to all the members on the board for explaining so many things so well. I've read a few other topics on this, which have been really helpful, but we've a (seemingly) insurpassable wall here. My wife was born in 1992, and where she lives in Qingdao they didn't produce birth certificates until 1994. I know what document we need for the interview and exactly what it looks like, the 顣When we went to the notorial office, they said we couldn't get a unless we had a birth certificate (even though we had her parents' ID cards, wedding certificate, and the hukouben). They told us to go the to get that. We went to two of them, one being her hukou, the other in the city. However at both of those we were told that her ڱ and all of her other documents were enough to prove her birth, and we couldn't get any kind of birth certification. We've made many calls to /notary offices and different paichusuo, and they say we can't possibly get the documentation we need in order to get that notarized document. Any body else with similar problems, and what did you do to get past them? I have a feeling this is just bureaucracy in China, but I'm worried if we can't get this if it will be an issue come time for my wife's interview and the final issuance of her visa. I also have a few other questions that I hope can be answered. In terms of notorized documents, I need (I don't know the English names, but I can explain them): 1) notorial certificate of birth 2) notorial certificate of criminal background check 3) notorial certificate of wedding certificate (hers) 4) notorial certificate of wedding certificate (mine) Am I missing anything there? Also, do I need to go in person to the. Guangzhou consulate to submit my application, and how do I set up that appointment? Do I need to have lived in China for 6 months to do DCF still? I heard you didn't. Becauese it's convenient for me to go at my 5 months and 20 plus days mark of being in China. On my travel visa I'm required to leave every 60 days, so I go to Hong Kong, spend the night, then fly back the next morning. Are my visa stamps enough proof for 6 months, if it is still needed? Thank you very much!

Hey everyone! This is my first post here, and I'm just now getting familiar with all the details of the DCF process. I have browsed extensively for clarification but haven't been able to pinpoint an exact answer, so...does the residency requirement begin on the date of the residence permit or the date I entered China? I originally came on a family visit visa and changed it to the permit after being here a few weeks. Thanks in advance!

hi all can anyone confirm any successful personal stories that the spousal visa (Q1/Q2) resident permit can be used to file a DCF in USCIS BJ? just learning about it now - not sure if only the Q1 gives a residence permit (Q1 is for stays >=180 days) but if so, this question would only apply for Q1 then for those who might have read my previous topic, I am currently on a Z visa/residence permit and may transfer to work in HK (work permit). But i would still want to do a DCF for my PRC wife in Shanghai (she would stay in SH) instead of doing it stateside when we are ready to move I am hoping that with a Q1 visa, I can both work in HK and do a PRC DCF when the time is right.

Hi guys. My fiancee is 7 months pregnant (Due May 8th) and we are beginning the process of the CR-1 Visa. My work visa here in Shenzhen lasts until July 10th. My head is starting to spin thinking of all that needs to be done and knowing that I have so many questions about this process. We have to go to Nanchang (hopefully next week) to actually get married, after which I will try to DCF the I-130 petition as soon as possible. I have a lot of questions that I would greatly appreciate your help with. 1. About the process of actually getting married. From what I've gathered from my fiancee, we need to go to Nanchang because I'm a foreigner and her hometown of Ji'An won't process a marriage with a foreigner. Do I need to do anything special to make sure the marriage is properly registered after I marry in Nanchang? 2. I read that when I bring in the I-130 to Guangzhou, I will need a notarized marriage certificate. I've also read that I will need to bring a notarized translation of the marriage certificate. Where can I get these notaries completed? Do other documents need to be notarized such as birth certificate and police report? I read that her birth certificate, which I think we only need for the interview not for for the I-130, must be obtained by a "local notary public office", and I'm not sure what that means. Does she need to go to Ji'An to get a notarized birth certificate? 3. Since my visa expires July 10th and I doubt the process will be finished by then, what can I do to make sure I'm able to stay in China until the process is complete? Should I go to Hong Kong and apply for a tourist visa? Or is there a longer term visa I can apply for since I will be married? Can we still stay in Shenzhen if neither of us are working or would we have to live with her parents? I'd really like to avoid that because they live in a tiny village in the mountains and I'd rather not bring my newborn baby there. 4. For filling out the I-130, I know this question has been answered before so forgive me, but line 1, 2 and 3 about name address obviously is meant for names and addresses in English. Do we just attach a form with her name and our adresses written and write "see attached form"? Should we use Pinyin or Chinese characters? Line 20 says to write the name and address in relative's native alphabet, so I'm assuming for line 1, 2 and 3 we would use Pinyin. The next few questions are concerning the interview, which I know is in the future but it would help put my mind to rest having a few things cleared up: 5. Does she need to bring both of our "police certificates" or criminal records with her? Or is it just her police certificate she needs to bring? If she needs mine, would I need to provide one from America and Suzhou (where I lived last year) and Shenzhen? 6. I read that her medical examination must be completed in a designated place, but I didn't see it written where that designated place is. Will we have to go all the way to Shanghai to get the medical check done? I'm worried that because the baby is due in early May it will be complicated for her to be travelling around and getting vaccinations. 7. I don't think I'll have a job lined up for when I get back to the US. We've saved up some money and I was planning to go job hunting once I actually get back to the US. I will have a joint-sponsor (my mother) because I would not qualify. Will it be a problem that I don't have something lined up for when I get back? Is one joint sponsor enough (she is well above the poverty line but not rich). Okay that's all that's coming to mind right now. I'm sorry for so many questions, but I'm just feeling very overwhelmed especially with the baby on its way. I'm sure that as I go through the process I will think of a few more. You all are an amazing resource, thank you so much,

http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/i-130-petition-for-alien-relative.html I found this from the above website: Evidence of the petitioners residence in China. Please note that We need a Residence Permit for Foreigner in the Peoples Republic of China ( to prove your residence in China. Holder of a Chinese visa (ǩ֤) in any categories must apply for a Residence Permit for Foreigner to prove their residence in China before direct filing with USCIS Beijing Field Office.I have been in Shanghai for 3 years, I have a work permit book as well as a work visa in my passport. Is that the same as the residence permit for foreigners? If not, please let me know where I can go to get one.

Hello everyone, long time lurker; first time caller. The wife (Chinese citizen/ US LPR) and I (US Citizen) are preparing to make the move to Shanghai and are painfully un-prepared for what we are finding as it relates to visa requirements for me. Starting to wade through it all and looking for some sage advice, I figured this might be a good place. I have a current M visa valid through 2016 (60 day stays) obviously not ideal. I own my business and have clients in China. My guess is to apply for the Q1? (looks for nod of approval) I welcome any advice, comments, words of encouragement, good jokes...

Started this journey in July of 2008, Married my Chinese wife in Aug of 2010 in the USA she now has her 10 year green card.... Now we want to get married in China What documents will I need to marry in China? besides my passport, and our USA Marriage license I know she will need her China residence documents and possible her divorce document .... since we are already married, will we need to go to Guangzhou for the "Marriageability Affidavit" seems like all the info is for the first marriage in China any help or info will be appreciated....thanks

Hi there! I am new here. Firstly, sorry for my English, it is very rusty. I am desperate in my situation. I am in China, my wife is Chinese, and we are going to change my Xuexi Juliu Xuke to Tuanju Juliu Xuke. Everything is OK, exept one big obstacle, they say that I will need to attend interview once at month during the whole time me staying in China! In Bejing there is no such kind of restrictions, in Harbin there is no such restrictions either, heck, even the Chinese law states that interview is only needed when I am applying for VISA, not change . Moreover, interview is only needed if I have not been in China before. I am not a criminal! What can I do in my situation? Is there anywhere, or anyone I can address to? Will be very glad for any advice. Thanks in advance. Eugene

My wife is a Chinese citizen and I am an America. When I retire, we are thinking of moving to China or live part time. I have read that it is very hard to get a long term visa. My current tourist visa allows stays of 60 days. What if I want to stay longer? Is it possible just to go to Hong Kong and then have another 60 days? If so, can I keep doing this? Thanks for all your help.

Hi all, this is my first post. The site was recommended when I had some questions, so I hope you can help me. I'm Alex, an American. Vivienne is my wife, she is Chinese. We want to move to the US in August/September of this year. We're hoping to get a CR-1 visa for her. Our situation is really complicated, so I will do my best to explain it... I moved to Beijing on an F visa in February of 2012. In June of 2012, I moved to Hong Kong on a work permit. Since September, I have lived in Xiamen, first on a long-term F visa (I was at Xiamen University) and now on one of those you-must-leave-the-country-every-30-days business travel visa (Vivienne owns a small market research firm in HK, and sponsored me for this visa) Our combined income should be sufficient to fill out the I-864, but only for 2013, so I'm asking my parents to fill one out as well, which brings me to my first question, 1) If I fill out an I-864, does that make my parents "the only joint sponsor" or the "first / second of two joint sponsors"? 2) Am I eligible to apply through the Guangzhou consulate? I have lived in Greater China for two years now. I have a Chinese and Hong Kong bank account, and together with Vivienne I rent an apartment here (though the lease is in her name). 3) If I'm not eligible because of my F visa, I have an opportunity to apply for a Q1 visa here while Vivienne and I head to her hometown for Spring Festival. Once I'm on a Q1, could I apply right away for the CR-1, or would I have wait until I've been here for six months? Of course, I'd much rather be on a Z visa, but it's hard to find work when you won't be around for a year. I think that's it.. Please let me know if you have any advice. Sincerely, Alexander & Vivienne

From China Daily http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-01/01/content_17209250.htm http://shanghaiist.com/2014/01/02/shanghai-updates-expat-visa-renewal-process.php

I'm not sure of exactly what's new here, but this was a new article in the People's Daily on the 18th. No mention is made of residency requirements prior to applying. My understanding there is that you must have lived in China for at least six months of each of 5 years before applying. As far as I know, that requirement has NOT been relaxed. The D-visa mentioned in the article is simply to allow you to enter the country (after your residence permit is approved??) How to apply for a green card in China http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90782/8459176.html The PRP (Premanent Resident Permit) allows one a lot of the same privileges as Chinese citizens, including work, school, social insurance, etc. Like I've said, I believe the new regulations for the most part simply clarify and organize the prior regulations, and cause the PSB to actually read the directions.

I have been a student in China for 9 semesters in a row (4.5 years) but I have recently come back to USA for summer holiday, and I'll be flying back through Guangzhou and would like to stop there and submit my I-130 application without first going back to my school to get my residence permit (I'm entering on a student visa). Is it really 100% necessary to have my residence permit before submitting the I-130? Do they even check? I'm going to be living in the same dorm that I've been in for over 4 years. It would be annoying and time consuming and costly to have to go back to my school first, get my residence permit and then fly back to Guangzhou. Below is their official wording: If you do not have a long-term Chinese residence permit, you must file a petition at your local USCIS office when you return to the United States. http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/acs_married.html

Hi, There are new recently implemented Q1 and Q2 visa categories which would make visiting and even living in China easier, right? For those American citizens with Chinese spouses, they can now apply for Q1 or Q2 visa. I mean they do not need formal employment in China, so long as their spouses are Chinese citizens, they can apply for Q1 or Q2 visa. I think it makes things a lot easier.

Just read about this on China Daily. I know it effects some of our members, so I thought I would post the link. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-05...ent_9875992.htm

I hope to get an endless residence permit that allows me to stay and work in China when my contract ends at my current work. I already have with my Z visa and residence permit at my current job. I got married in December and I'm living and working in China. I would like my residence permit to not depend on my current job and allow me to change jobs without affecting my working residence permit. Any input?

Hi everyone, This is my first post. I'm hoping that I can get a little clarity on my situation, since I've been pulling my hair out over it for the past month or so. I have been in China since the summer of 2005. My wife and I met in 2007 when I was living and working in Changsha (her hometown & hukou). We've been living together ever since and registered for marriage in July 2011. We had our official wedding ceremonies earlier this year (Yay!). We recently decided that we would like to move to the US to figure out if we should settle down there or in China (my wife, a Chinese national, has never lived in the US before). I'm currently working on the I-130 petition in Changsha, where we just moved so that we can be closer to her family during the visa process. While living here, I've lived in a lot of different cities/provinces/consular districts and have had a number of jobs, all of which have been legal and under a Z-visa+residence permits, until now. See below: 2005-2008: Changsha, Hunan (Z-visa, Residence Permit)2008-2011: Shanghai (Z-Visa, Residence Permit)2011-2012.07: Beijing (Z-Visa, Residence Permit - through my company in Shanghai)2012.07 - present: 6-month, multiple entry spouse visa (categorized as "L", issued by Changsha PSB: I was told that this visa is a prerequisite for the spouse residence permit, because I have never applied for this type of residence permit before)My question is: can I still file DCF? I have been living in Hunan now for less than a month, but I lived here for 3 years from 2005-2008. Does this help me qualify for the 6 month requirement for residency in the consular district of Guangzhou?How much do they look at work/non-work related visas, residence permits? If they don't accept my spouse visa, should I consider getting a job here in Changsha for the z-visa just so that I can file DCF?Also, neither the USCIS websites for Guangzhou nor Beijing claim Hunan province (or Chongqing). Do I file through Guangzhou? I've read from other posts that GZ has jurisdiction over Hunan, but I just want to make sure.I admittedly made the mistake of starting this paperwork late in the game. I should have started working on this while I still had a valid residence permit & Z visa. Unfortunately, here I am and I need some help. Any advice is very much appreciated!

Most of you know I have been living and working in Nanjing for four years now. To live and work in China, requires a Work Permit, which is authorized by your employer, and also a Residence Permit. The Residence Permit is glued to one of your passport pages like a visa. Every year, both my Work Permit, and Residence Permit must be renewed, and both expire at about the same time of year. That time of year is right now, and must be accomplished before I leave China to seek medical treatment in Australia. To accomplish this renewal, my company hires a third-party agency to gather the necessary information and material, and submits it to government officials. To get a Residence Permit, for Z-visa, requires getting a work permit first. To get a Work Permit, you need the following: 1. Letter from your employer authorizing you to work 2. Two 2-inch x 2-inch, passport style photos with white background 3. Copy of your employment contract 4. Copy of your previous Work Permit, if there is one 5. Copy of the temporary residence permit. The temporary residence permit is obtained from a local police station in the district you live Now, regarding the 2-inch x 2-inch photo, with white background, one can quickly learn that it's an arbitrary requirement if you look at other foreigner's Work Permits. It's a little booklet comprised of about eight-pages, and one of the pages has the photo attached; probably with a glue-stick or similar. Of the many work permits I have looked at, you will find green background, gray background, blue background, and so on. I have rarely seen a Chinese Work Permit, which follows the photo guidelines as stipulated by the Chinese government. Working in China takes a lot of patience, giving in, and excusing behaviors. If one wants to succeed here, with the least amount of pain, then a good deal of your life will be about giving into unreasonable demands and requests. I can give many examples of this, but for the sake of brevity, will confine my comments to the Chinese Work Permit. As per the requirements given to me, I submitted the five items I previously listed. Included, was a 2-inch x 2-inch photo, on white background. Another point, is the request only stipulated a 2-inch photo; yes, one single dimension. So, it begs the question, do they want a 2-inch wide photo, that is 6-feet long? If you investigate further, one will learn that they want it to be square. Or, do they? Well, depends on the dummass government person looking at it, and what bug is up his ass that day. Yes, my supply of patience has run dry. Especially after returning to work from a doctor visit, I was met with an admin from my HR department. It's important to note that this is the fifth time I have renewed my residence permit in China. Every previous renewal my photo was accepted. The HR admin told me that the authorizing people for my work permit did not like my photo, and that I must get a new one. They also said the photo paper was too thin. Those who have lived in China for any length of time, know better than to ask questions like, "Why, what's wrong with the one I provided?" Avoid asking, unless you've got a lot of time on your hands. Take Dramamine, as you will be spun in circles. Turns out, they didn't like the photo size. They didn't say I was ugly too, but they may have been thinking it. So, I defied my own rule, and said, "There is nothing wrong with the size of the photo. I provided them with exactly the size required." So, loop-di-loop we go. Round and round, where it stops, nobody knows. They requested I go to a photo studio and get a new photo. More aggravating was knowing a few of my colleagues recently renewed their Work Permits. One of them used white card stock, and gave them a 2-inch by 2-inch photo. Another colleague submitted a 7-year old photo, with blue background, about one-inch wide and 1 1/2 inches tall. The photo was printed on white paper; not photo paper. I then told the admin from HR, no. I will not get a new photo. I will not go to a photo studio. I told her that if the agency refuses to accept the photo because it's the wrong size, then they need to provide me with a copy of Chinese law that states a different size photo, and paper requirement than what I provided them. The admin's jaw nearly hit the floor. She paused for several seconds, and could not believe I actually refused to follow this request. Will I win this battle? Very unlikely. Am I standing on principle? No. I have simply had enough of this bullshit.