Regulations on permanent residence of foreigners in China

Responsible departments:

Applications for permanent residence in China relating to foreign nationals are received by the public security organ at the city level, checked by the municipal public security organs, reviewed by public security departments at the provincial level or by the authorities of autonomous regions and municipalities - and examined and approved by the Ministry of Public Security.

Qualifications

Foreigners applying for permanent residence in China must abide by Chinese laws, be in good health and without any criminal record, and must meet at least one of the following requirements:

1) having made direct investment in China with stable operation and a good tax paying record for three successive years;

(2) having been holding the post of deputy general manager, factory deputy director or above or of associate professor, associate researcher and other associate senior titles or above or enjoying an equal treatment, for at least four successive years, with a cumulative period of residence in China not less than three cumulative years in four years and with a good tax paying record;

(3) having made a great and outstanding contribution to and being specially needed by China;

(4) being the spouse or unmarried child under 18 years old of a person under the item(1), (2) or (3) of this paragraph;

(5) being the spouse of a Chinese citizen or of a foreigner with permanent residence status in China, with at least five years of marriage relation, at least five successive years of residence in China and at least nine months of residence in China each year, and having stable source of subsistence and a dwelling place;

(6) being an unmarried person under 18 years old turning to his parent;

(7) being a person who is or above 60 years old, who has no directly-related member of his family abroad and is to turn to any directly-related member of his family in China, and has stayed in China for at least five successive years, at least nine months of residence in China each year, and has stable source of subsistence and a dwelling place.

*The periods of time in this Article mean the successive ones till the date of application.