Laws of China for Visas and Residence Permits

 

Ⅰ. Applying for Residence Permits

Foreign students coming to Nanjing to study should enter China with X-visas. They should come to Nanjing Exit-and-Entry Administration Division of Public Security Bureau to apply for residence permits within 30 days after they enter China. They may apply for a staying period that is as long as their studying period in Nanjing. If the studying period specified on the official letters of the host institution is different from that specified on the Admission Notices issued to the foreign student, the host institution’s final notice should be regarded as the most updated one.

Foreign students applying for residence permits should answer related questions if asked, and present the following documents

1.        Your original and valid regular passport and visa. If you don’t have a regular    passport while studying in Nanjing,  you should apply for residence permits after you obtain a regular passport;

2.        Temporary Residence Registration Certificate;

3.        Properly-completed Foreigner Visa and Residence Permit Application Form with a photograph affixed to the form. The photograph should be:

l            two inches in size

l            taken recently, showing current appearance

l            show full face and front view with a plain white or off-white background

l            taken in normal street attire (do not wear a hat or headgear that obscures the hair or hairline);

4.        Official letters and Admission Notices issued by your host institution. The letters and Admission Notices should specify your studying period;

5.        If you are above the age of 18 and this is the first time for you to apply for the residence permit that is valid for more than one year, you should provide original Certificate of Health Examination Report for Foreigners issued by  Healthcare Center of Jiangsu International Travel;

6.        If you entered China with a L-visa or F-visa and you are applying for residence permit because you are studying, you should provide Admission Notices issued by your host institution, JW201 form or JW202 form, as well as official letters that specify your studying period.

Foreign students’ spouses with foreign nationalities, foreign students’ children under the age of 18, and parents or guardians abroad of those foreign students who are under the age of 18 can apply for zero-entry, single-entry, double-entry or multi-entry L-visas that are valid for six months or valid for one year. They can apply as many times as they prefer, however, the valid period of their visas should not exceed the valid period for foreign students’ visas or residence permits.

Applicants should answer related questions if asked and provide the following documents:

1.            Applicant’s original and valid regular passport and L-visa, as well as copies of the applicant’s passport and visa;

2.            Temporary Residence Registration Certificate;

3.            Official letters issued by the host institution of the foreign student, and the original and the copies of the foreign student’s passport or residence permit;

4.            Spouses of foreign nationalities should provide marriage certificates. Children of foreign nationalities should provide kinship certificates;

5.            Guardians should provide certificates of entrustment of the foreign student’s parents.

Note: Documents issued to applicants previously by institutions abroad must be authenticated by Chinese embassies or consulates abroad.

In addition to the above-mentioned required documents, applicants holding new passports and re-applying for visas or residence permits should also provide the following documents:

1.        If you hold a new passport because your previous passport was lost, stolen, or damaged, you should provide certificates of passport loss report issued by the departments in charge of administration of exit and entry under the public security organs or provide documents issued by relevant foreign embassies and consulates in China;

2.        If you hold a new passport because your previous passport was expired or your visa pages had run out, you must provide the previous passport that you used when you entered China;

3.        For foreign infants born in China and holding separate passports, their parents should provide original birth certificates of the infants and copies of the parents’ passports.

1.        If there are any changes in the residence permit holder’s purpose of staying, passport number, or the number of accompanying persons, the residence permit holder must come to Nanjing Exit-and-Entry Administration Division of Public Security Bureau within 10 days to apply for a new residence permit.

2.        If there are any changes in the residence permit holder’s address, host institution, etc, the residence permit holder must come to Nanjing Exit-and-Entry Administration Division of Public Security Bureau within 10 days to apply for the changes.

3.        Foreigners holding Residence Permits can reside in China within the valid staying period. They can also enter and exit China as many times as they prefer.

4.        Foreigners applying for visas or residence permits must pay application fee in accordance with the relevant regulations of competent organs of Chinese government.

5.        Applicants’ valid residence period and the total entry times of their visas should be based on the result of approval by the departments in charge of administration of exit an entry under public security organs.

6.        Those foreigners who used “study” as their reason of residence while applying for a residence permit are forbidden to work. The public security organs will impose punishment in accordance with law on those foreigners or responsible persons who unlawfully reside or stay in China or break law in China.

7.        The departments in charge of administration of exit and entry under pubic security organs have the right to refuse to issue visas or documents to foreigners in accordance with law, and to revoke the issued visas and documents or declare null and void.

8.        The normal processing time, including accepting application, examination, approval and issue of visas or documents, is five business days.