Foreign Employees and their Family Members, How to apply for Residence Permits in Nanjing

Foreigners who come to Nanjing due to employment and their accompanying family members (spouses, parents, and minor children) are required to enter China with Z-visa. 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. Investors and enterprises’ legal representatives are eligible to apply for residence permits that are valid for 1-2 years. Other people can apply for 1-year-valid residence permits, however, the valid residence permits’ period should not exceed the valid period of the applicant’s  passport.

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

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

2. Temporary Residence Registration Certificate;

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

•two inches in size

•taken recently, showing current appearance

•show full face and front view with a plain white or off-white background
•taken in normal street attire (do not wear a hat or headgear that obscures the hair or hairline);

4.  If you are employed by an enterprise, you should provide the original duplicate and the copies of the Business License, Employment Certificate for Foreigners or Foreign Expert Certificates;

5. If you are a representative of a foreign enterprise’s office in China, you should provide Registration Certificate of Foreign (Area) Enterprise, Working Identification of Foreign (Area) Enterprise, and Employment Certificate for Foreigners;

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

7. If you are an investor, enterprise’s legal representative, senior management  staff or professional technician and you are holding L-visa or F-visa, you should also provide certificate of approval of the enterprise;

8.  If you are an accompanying family member of a foreign employee, you should provide official letters issued by the employer. If you are a spouse of a foreign employee, you must provide marriage certificates. Parents and children must provide kinship certificates.

Ⅱ.  Re-applying for Residence Permit

In addition to the above-mentioned required documents, applicants  holding new passports 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 certificates issued by relevant foreign embassies or  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 are required to provide original birth certificates of the infants and copies of the parents’ passports.

Ⅲ. PROVISIONS

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, employer, 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. You can ask your employer to apply for residence permits for you. However, if you are applying for residence permit for the first time, you must apply by yourself.

5. The public security organs will impose punishment in accordance with law on those foreigners and responsible persons who unlawfully reside, stay, or break law in China.

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

7. Applicants’ valid residence period should be based on the result of approval by the departments in charge of administration of exit an entry under public security organs.

8. 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.

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

Nanjing Exit-and-Entry Administration Division of public Security Bureau