Last updated: 17 October 2026
Direct answer. A residence permit lets a foreigner live in China beyond the stay a visa allows. Apply at the exit-entry department where you live, within 30 days of entry, with your passport, application form, photo and proof of the purpose of residence. Fees run from CNY 400 to CNY 1,000.
Who needs a China residence permit, which visa leads to which permit, the documents required, how to extend it, and the official fee schedule.
Every figure on this page is read from one page published by China's National Immigration Administration: the "Service Guide on Issuance of Residence Permit for Foreigners", retrieved on 17 October 2026. The guide is NIA's own English rendering and carries its own notice — the English version is for reference, and the authoritative version is the Chinese one.
A China visa governs your entry. A residence permit governs your stay. They are separate documents with separate rules, and the confusion between them is where most first-time applications go wrong: people read the visa rules, arrive with the right visa, and then discover that the visa itself required them to convert to a residence permit after landing.
The NIA guide states the dividing line directly. Foreigners who enter China and need to reside in the country for reasons other than diplomatic or official purposes "shall file an application at the exit and entry departments of public security organs for the issuance, extension, change and re-issuance of a residence permit". The legal basis it names is the Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China together with the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners.
Two routes into a permit are called out separately, because they work differently from the ordinary one. Professionals or investors who meet the State's relevant requirements, and foreigners who need to change from a stay permit to a residence permit for humanitarian reasons, may apply "with the approval of exit and entry departments of China's public security organs of cities at the prefecture level or above". In other words, that second group is applying for a permit without having entered on a permit-linked visa.
If your question is whether you need a visa at all rather than how to convert one, start with the visa-free entry schemes and the routes open to US passports. If you are already inside China and the stay on your current visa is running out, the extension, change and reissuance guide is the process document to read first.
The permit you get is determined by the visa you entered on and the reason you are staying. The guide sets out five categories, each with its own supporting documents and its own ceiling on how long the permit may run.
| Visa you entered on | Permit type | What the guide requires you to submit | Longest validity stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Z (work) | Work-type residence permit | A work permit issued by the local human resources and social security authority or foreign expert administration authority, plus a letter of certification from the employer | 5 years for high-level talents, urgently-needed professionals and investors; 2 years for people working in registered entities with a good track record; 1 year for other personnel |
| X1 (study) | Student-type residence permit | A letter from the school or university indicating the term of study, and a letter of admission or enrolment | A residence period consistent with the term of study the school states |
| J1 (journalist) | Journalist-type residence permit | A letter issued by the foreign affairs authority of a provincial-level people's government, and a duly issued Press Card | 1 year |
| Q1 (family reunion) | Reunion-type residence permit | The identity certificate of the person being visited, and a letter explaining the relationship between family members | 3 years for those under 18 or at or above 60; 2 years for everyone else |
| S1 (visiting family) | Private-affairs-type residence permit | A letter explaining the kinship from, and the residence permit of, the person being visited | Consistent with the residence permit of the person being visited; 1 year for other private-affairs cases |
Read the last column as a ceiling, not an entitlement. The work row is the clearest example: the same visa, the same employer letter and the same office can produce a one-year permit or a five-year permit depending on which of the three applicant groups you fall into. The guide prints three different ceilings and no application form distinguishes them for you.
Two of the rows carry conditions the table cannot hold. A student permit runs for the school's stated term, but a student who wants to work part-time or take an internship outside the school or university must get the school's approval and then apply to the exit-entry department for remarks on the residence permit "indicating the location and duration of the part-time job or internship". The guide is explicit about the consequence of skipping that step: foreigners holding student-type residence permits "without the required remarks shall not be allowed to work or take internship outside the school/university".
A reunion permit has a similar clause for one specific case. For a foreign child of a Chinese person of foreign nationality, or of an overseas Chinese, who is under 18 and in custodial care in China, the exit-entry department in the custodian's place of permanent residence or main place of residence may issue a permit of no more than three years — and its expiry must not fall later than the date the child turns 18. The same 18th-birthday ceiling applies to any reunion permit issued to a person under 18.
Underneath the category-specific papers sits a common set that every applicant brings. The guide lists four items, and the fourth is the one most often misread.
| Item | What the guide says |
|---|---|
| Travel document | A valid passport or other international travel document |
| Form and photograph | A completed Visa/Stay Permit/Residence Permit Application Form, and a photograph that complies with the Guidelines for Exit-Entry Documents Photographs |
| Supporting materials | Materials related to the reason for the application — the category-specific list above |
| Originals | Other formalities to be completed and supporting materials to be submitted; the original of relevant materials is required for verification, and photocopies are submitted |
That last row is a practical one. The original is presented and checked; the photocopy is what the file keeps. Applying with copies alone is not the same application.
One rule sits above all of them and is easy to miss because it depends on what is printed inside your visa: where a foreigner's visa indicates that an application for a residence permit is required after entry, the application "shall be filed at the exit and entry departments of public security organs in the intended place of residence within 30 days after entry". Thirty days is a deadline, not a guideline, and it is tied to the place you actually intend to live rather than to your port of entry.
The health certificate is conditional, and the condition is the validity being applied for rather than the visa category. Where a foreigner applies for a residence permit with a validity period of above one year, the guide requires a health certificate issued by the local health and quarantine authority or by a health and medical institution above county level, certifying that the applicant does not have "serious mental disorder, tuberculosis or other infectious diseases which may potentially cause substantial hazard to public health".
Two consequences follow from how that is worded. A one-year permit sits below the threshold as written, so the certificate is not part of that application on the face of the guide. And the certificate is a certification of absence of a named set of conditions, not a general medical report — the three items the guide names are serious mental disorder, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases that may pose a substantial hazard to public health.
A residence permit is not renewed automatically, and the guide gives the deadline before the deadline.
| Matter | What the guide requires | When |
|---|---|---|
| Extension of the residence period | Apply to the exit-entry department of the public security organ under a local people's government at or above county level, in the place of residence, with the materials required for the application | 30 days before the validity period of the residence permit expires |
| Change of registered items or purpose of residence | Submit supporting materials for the change of personal information or purpose of residence; the residence period may then be extended and a new permit issued | As the change arises |
| Re-issuance after loss, damage or theft | A certification for a passport loss report, or a note from the embassy or consulate of the country of residence in China, or the damaged passport together with the new passport or other international travel document | After the loss, damage or theft |
The extension row has a stated outcome for refusal, and it is worth reading before relying on an extension. The period of stay is extended "provided that the reasons for extension are reasonable and sufficient". If the extension is denied, the guide says the foreigner "shall leave China before the expiry of the residence certificate" — that is, the original permit's expiry date still governs, and a refused application does not buy time.
The guide describes four stages: application, acceptance, review and verification, and decision. Two of them carry rules a first-time applicant should know in advance.
At the application stage the default is that you appear in person at the exit-entry department. The guide then carves out an exception, and the exception is broader than it first looks: for foreigners who are high-level talents or urgently-needed professionals, or who are under 16 or over 60 years old, or who are disabled due to illness or other reasons, the application "may be filed by the inviting entity/individual, families or relatives or a professional service agency on behalf of the applicant".
At the review and verification stage the exit-entry departments verify the authenticity of the application reasons "through interviews, telephone inquiries, field investigations and other means", and confirm whether the applicant is of foreign nationality. The guide attaches a hard consequence to ignoring a summons: where an applicant or a relevant entity or individual is notified to take an interview but fails to attend at the agreed time without justifiable reasons, the application "may be denied by law".
The timing rule is stated in terms of the receipt rather than the permit. Once your materials satisfy the conditions for acceptance, the application is accepted and an acceptance receipt is issued. The decision on whether or not a permit will be issued is made within the validity period of that receipt, and the receipt itself "shall not exceed 15 working days after the date of acceptance". The same receipt is what you use to collect the permit: an issued residence permit "shall be collected by the applicant in person at the exit and entry departments of public security organs with the acceptance receipt".
The guide also records a faster track. For foreigners coming to China for key construction, important cooperation and major projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, together with their spouses and minor children, the relevant exit-entry departments may, on the basis of supporting materials and the applicant's request, reduce the time limit for issuing the documents "from 15 to 5 working days".
Charging is set out as a basis plus a schedule. The basis named in the guide is the Notice of the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance on Charging Standard and Issues Relating to Residence Permits for Foreigners (Fa Gai Jia Ge [2004] No. 2230).
| Matter | Amount as printed |
|---|---|
| Residence permit valid for no more than 1 year | CNY 400 |
| Residence permit valid for 1 year and above to 3 years | CNY 800 |
| Residence permit valid for 3 years and above to 5 years | CNY 1,000 |
| Each accompanying person added to the residence permit | The same three standards above apply |
| Removing an accompanying person | CNY 200 per person, per time |
| Information change | CNY 200 per person, per time |
The structure is worth noticing: the amount tracks the validity being granted rather than the number of applicants, and the accompanying-person row applies the same three standards again rather than adding a separate fee. The broader NIA fee schedule, including visa and permanent-residence rows, is set out on the China visa fees page.
The guide lists the grounds on which a permit will not be issued, referring to Article 31 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China.
| # | Ground as stated in the guide |
|---|---|
| 1 | The category of visa held by the applicant is not allowed for the application of a residence permit |
| 2 | The applicant commits deceptive or fraudulent acts in the process of application |
| 3 | The applicant fails to submit relevant supporting materials in accordance with the relevant requirements |
| 4 | The applicant is not fit for residence in China for violation of the relevant law or administrative regulations of China |
| 5 | Other circumstances in which the competent authority deems it inappropriate to issue a residence permit for foreigners |
The first ground is the one to check before you travel rather than after you land: whether your visa category supports a residence permit application is decided by the visa you hold. The guide adds that a decision to refuse to issue a stay or residence permit, or to refuse to extend a residence permit, is final under Article 36.
Three definitional sections in the guide decide practical questions, and they are easy to overlook because they sit at the end.
Who counts as a family member. The guide defines the term as spouse, parents, spouse's parents, children, siblings, paternal grandparents, maternal grandparents, paternal grandchildren, maternal grandchildren, and children's spouses. The Q1 and S1 rows above use narrower lists for specific documents — spouse, parents, spouse's parents and minor children below 18 — so the two lists should not be swapped.
How a relationship is evidenced. A marriage certificate, birth certificate, adoption certificate or other kinship certificate issued by the competent authorities of the relevant country, together with notarial authentication, will serve. A document issued by a competent authority or notary public of a foreign country "shall be authenticated by the Chinese embassy or consulate in that country". Where the document is issued by the embassy of the applicant's own country of residence in China, the guide accepts that route as well.
What must be translated. Relevant supporting materials in a foreign language "shall be translated into Chinese". Identity documents follow their own definitions: for Chinese mainland residents, a household register certificate or a certificate of residence issued by the actual place of residence for more than six months plus a resident ID card; for overseas Chinese, a Chinese passport plus a certificate of overseas residence; for Hong Kong and Macao residents, the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents; for Taiwan residents, the Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents; and for foreigners, the Foreigners' Permanent Residence Card. Overseas Chinese and residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan must in addition submit a certificate of residence issued by their actual place of residence for more than six months.
A visa governs entry and the initial stay it permits. A residence permit governs residence, and the NIA guide directs foreigners who enter China and need to reside there for reasons other than diplomatic or official purposes to apply at the exit-entry departments of the public security organs for the issuance, extension, change and re-issuance of a residence permit. The permit is what carries the longer validity and what must be extended before it expires.
Where your visa indicates that a residence permit must be applied for after entry, the guide requires the application to be filed at the exit-entry departments of public security organs in the intended place of residence within 30 days after entry. The clock is tied to the place you intend to live, not to the port where you entered.
The visa category and your purpose of stay determine it. A Z visa leads to a work-type permit, an X1 to a student-type permit, a J1 to a journalist-type permit, a Q1 to a reunion-type permit and an S1 to a private-affairs-type permit. Each has its own supporting documents and its own ceiling on validity, from one year in the private-affairs case up to five years for high-level talents, urgently-needed professionals and investors under the work category.
The guide prints three amounts under Fa Gai Jia Ge [2004] No. 2230: CNY 400 for a permit valid for no more than one year, CNY 800 for one year and above to three years, and CNY 1,000 for three years and above to five years. Adding an accompanying person applies the same three standards again. Removing an accompanying person is CNY 200 per person per time, and an information change is CNY 200 per person per time.
The default is that you apply in person. The guide allows the inviting entity or individual, family members or relatives, or a professional service agency to file on your behalf only where you are a high-level talent or urgently-needed professional, are under 16 or over 60 years old, or are disabled due to illness or other reasons.
All sources retrieved 17 October 2026. This page is an independent reading of the sources listed; the official pages themselves are the specification.
| Fact used on this page | Source |
|---|---|
| S1 — The complete guide used on this page: the legal basis (Exit and Entry Administration Law; Regulations on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners); the accepting authorities; the conditions for application and the in-person rule with its exceptions; the common document set and the 30-day post-entry deadline; the conditional health certificate; the five visa-to-permit categories with their supporting documents and validity ceilings (Z, X1, J1, Q1, S1); the student part-time-work remarks rule; the under-18 and 18th-birthday ceilings; extension, change and re-issuance rules with the 30-day pre-expiry deadline and the leave-on-refusal rule; the four processing stages, the interview consequence and the 15-working-day acceptance receipt; the Belt and Road reduction from 15 to 5 working days; the charging basis Fa Gai Jia Ge [2004] No. 2230 and the amounts CNY 400, 800 and 1,000 plus CNY 200 for removing an accompanying person and CNY 200 for an information change; the Article 31 refusal grounds and the Article 36 finality rule; the family-member definition; the authentication and translation requirements; and the guide's notice that the English version is for reference | National Immigration Administration, "Service Guide on Issuance of Residence Permit for Foreigners", page dated 1 April 2021; retrieved 17 October 2026 https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147423/n147478/n147715/c158270/content.html |
| S2 — The location of the guide under NIA's own English "Guidelines for Foreigners" section, alongside the visa extension guide and the fee schedule used elsewhere on this site | National Immigration Administration, "Guidelines for Foreigners"; retrieved 17 October 2026 https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147423/n147478/index.html |