Terms for Application

Those people who are married to a Chinese citizen (having registered Chinese permanent citizenship), or to an expat who has the qualification for permanently staying in China can apply for permanent residence in China, if they meet all of the following four requirements.

(1) They have been married for 5 years.

(2) They have lived in China for 5 consecutive years and staying in the Chinese mainland for no less than 9 months every year.

(3) They have stable life security and accommodations in China.

(4) They abide by Chinese laws, have good health, and have no criminal records.

Documents Required

(1) Complete Application Form for Permanent Residence in China, and provide 2 copies of two-inch recent photos (Read the Notice for more details).

(2) Valid passport and valid visa (or residence permit), and provide 2 copies of each.

(3) Marriage certificate, and provide 2 copies of this. If this certificate was issued abroad, a verification from the Embassy/Consulate General of China is also needed, which has a validity of up to 6 months. Two copies of ID certificate used for marriage registration are also required.

(4) ID card and Household Register in Shanghai for spouse with Chinese nationality, or valid passport and Permanent Resident ID Card for spouse with foreign nationality, and provide 2 copies of this. Marriage status in the spouse’s Household Register should note married or indicate the same English name as the valid passport. Copies of issuance page and spouse’s information pages of Household Register should be submitted.

(5) Proof of financial security or financial sources, and provide 1 copy of this.

Proof of financial security is applicant’s or their spouse’s Certification of Deposit in domestic banks of no less than RMB 200,000 (The freezing period must be more than 6 months after the application date), and this should be verified by a notary office. If the deposit is under the name of applicant’s spouse, the declaration that the spouse is willing to guarantee security should be notarized and submitted as well.

The proof of financial sources is the proof of pension of the applicant or the applicant’s spouse. If it was issued abroad, verification by the Embassy/Consulate General of China is required. If such proof is owned by the applicant’s spouse, the declaration that the spouse is willing to guarantee security should be notarized and submitted. The proof and the notarization should both be issued within 6 months before the application date.

(6) House property certificate or house renting contract, and provide 2 copies of this.

If the house is owned by the applicant, the house property certificate should be submitted, and the name indicated on this must match the English name on the valid passport.

If the house is not owned by the applicant, the declaration that the house owner is willing to accommodate them should be notarized and submitted.

If the house is jointly owned by the applicant’s spouse and other people, the declaration that the joint owner is willing to accommodate them should be notarized and submitted.(The relationship between the applicant and the property owner should be clearly stated in the declaration letter.) If there are owners who are under 18 years old, a photocopy of their ID card or household registration book and a declaration letter that states the consent of the guardian, which is notarized by a notary office should also be provided.

Those who are renting a house should submit the rental contract for the property leased by the applicant himself/herself with more than one year’s renting period from the application date with notarization by a notary office. The notarization certificate and 1 copy of this should be submitted.

(7) A Health check certificate which was issued by a domestic entry-exit inspection and quarantine agency (or by foreign medical institutions verified by Embassy /Consulate General of China), and provide 1 copy of this. The health certificate should be issued within the validity of the last 6 months.

(8) A Criminal Record/ Background check which shows no trace or history of any kind must be verified by the Embassy/Consulate General of China, and 1 copy should also be provided. The Record Check must be issued by relevant national-level competent authority, and shall specify the verification result of the applicant criminal record. The name on the Record Check must match that on the valid passport. In case the applicant has changed names, the former names should be noted in the Record, In case the applicant has lived in a country/region outside the passport-issuing country for successively two years or longer after he/she is 18 years old, a clear Criminal Record check from that country/region is also required. The Record(s) should be issued within the validity of the last 6 months (In case the duration of validity noted on the Record Check is less than 6 months, then the note on the Record Check shall prevail).

(9) The original and one photocopy of the Certificate of No Criminal Record in China (which should cover all passport numbers used by the applicant during their stay in China).

★Notice

(1) The applicant should come to apply in person.

(2)The applicant should have their electronic ID photo taken at the social service photo station at the Immigration Service Center of Exit-Entry Administration department. In addition, they need to provide two ID photos taken recently. The photo should be taken in color with a white background. No hats or other obscuring items are permitted, and the full face must be visible. The photo size must be 48mm*33mm, with a facial width of 18mm±1mm, and head height (top of head to top of photo) between 1.5mm～2.5mm. The shirt collar or collarbone should be visible.

(3) In case the applicant has changed nationality, certificate of naturalization is required. In case the applicant was once of Chinese nationality, the former Chinese mainland citizen shall also provide their previous private passport and overseas permanent resident certificate (Chinese nationals who join another nationality when holding an official/service passport must renounce Chinese nationality first). If necessary, certifications issued abroad must be verified by the Embassy/Consulate General of China.

(4) In case the applicant has changed their name, relevant certifications and 2 copies of these are required. Certifications issued in a foreign country should be verified by the Embassy/Consulate General of China.

(5) The Criminal Record/Background check, Marriage certificate, Birth certificate, relationship certificate, adoption paper, name changing proof or other relevant documents issued by overseas authorities must either be verified by the Embassy/Consulate General of China, or be certified by his/her country’s Embassy/Consulate General in China (personal statement is not acceptable).

(6) Certifications in foreign languages should be translated into Chinese and stamped by an eligible domestic translation agency, and a copy of the business license of this translation agency is required.

(7) The applicant can mark down “Need to print Chinese name” in “Others” column of the application form, if he/she hopes to have a Chinese name printed on Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card.

(8) Exit-entry administration of public security organs may, as they deem necessary, require applicants to attend an interview or submit additional supporting documents. Applications which fail to provide the requisite information within the required time will be rejected, unless caused by a force majeure event.

Time and Place to Apply:

Immigration Service Center of Exit-Entry Administration Bureau of Shanghai Public Security Bureau (No 8-9, Lane 36, Xuelin Road, Pudong New District):

Monday - Friday, 9:00 am to 11:30 am, 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm（except holidays and festivals）

Exit-entry administration offices of each branches of the Shanghai Municipal PSB:

Read the list of “Branch Offices Information” for detailed address and working hours.

Time for Processing:

The application shall be handled and reported to the Ministry of Public Security in 90 working days after all the required documents are submitted (Time for investigation is excluded if some items need to be investigated by the Public Security Bureau).

Payment:

1. Processing fee RMB 1,500

2. Card fee: RMB 300

Service Tel: 021-12367

Supervision Tel: 021-68547109

E-government Platform: https://gaj.sh.gov.cn/crj/

Public WeChat: Shanghai Public Security Exit-Entry Administration

(All contents of the guideline are authentic in Chinese, English is for reference only.)

Source: gaj.sh.gov.cn