Applying for a mainland China green card, officially called a Foreign Permanent Resident Identification Card, is a very complicated process partly because very few foreigners have ever attempted to document their experience. Each province has its own specific rules and handling, but overall the process is set by the central government for processing once approved by the locality and province. As of the 2020 census results, there were a reported 1.4 million people in the Chinese mainland from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, or Foreigners – representing about 0.1% of the total 1.4B population. By my own estimates, more than half of these individuals left from 2020-2021 due to COVID-19, and another half of the remaining in 2022 due to the lockdown events in Shanghai. Perhaps less than half of the remaining individuals are eligible for PR, and even less than half that have submitted an application. I would estimate that less than 0.005% of the total mainland China population have ever received a green card. Here are some details that may help others trying to understand what this card is, why you may want to apply, how to apply, and expectations on the challenges involved.
What is it?
Unlike a USA Permanent Residence (PR) “Green Card” (GC) which is seen as a step towards citizenship through naturalization, China has no immigration process and this document instead provides a permissive form of a visa and a form of identification while inside China. However, you are and will forever still be a citizen of your existing country. As such, obtaining China PR status may provide additional benefits, visa simplification, and convenient proof of identity. Foreigners normally have a choice of “tax residency in China” depending on how long they stay each year in China. Obtaining a PR will force you to be declared a tax resident, but if you already stay in China at least 183 days/year, you already have this obligation.
Similar to other countires, a China PR card is not truly permanent as the name suggests. It expires after a maximum of ten years (can be reissued), or five years if a child, and can be rescinded if you are deported or do not spend at least 3/12 months and 1/5 years in China without prior permission. It does not provide residence registration. You will still need to register a temporary address with the local police with your passport regardless if you purchase a house or rent a home. You still sometimes need to use your passport for identification.
So why on earth would any person bother getting a “Foreign” (Sorry HK/TW/MO) “Permanent” (Nope) “Resident” (AI cameras not working?) “Identification” (No State ID?) when none of the words provide the full registration and capabilities they suggest. Maybe you just enjoy a challenge, but there are some benefits.
Why get one?
China PR provides many upside abilities such as:
- Work and change jobs without an employer sponsoring a visa. A spousal visa does not provide this ability.
- Multiple entry into China for up to 10 years. A normal work visa is limited to your employment contracts which often are capped at 3 years and are tied to your employer.
- Entry into China even if a crisis often cancels other visa types. (COVID-19…. WW3-22, Zombies-23)
- Automated checkin at many airport, train, hotel and other terminals/IT systems (not all do)
- Open accounts (Bank, Cellphone, Wechat, Alipay, others) (not all do)
- Travel around China without a passport (police registration may still require a passport for ID number)
- Open to pay into housing and social security benefits
For myself personally, it made sense to apply because I needed to ensure I could stay with my family if I ever lost my job, a crisis canceling visas, peace of mind of traveling in China with a Chinese issued ID to avoid a passport loss/theft/ or a requested seizure in Xinjiang (yes, that happens). It would be great if the Chinese IT systems also start allowing to do microloan payments for vending machines, bikes and cellphone battery rentals, or Taobao/JD for handling purchase from abroad, but I think those use cases are still not fully supported.
For my son, it made sense to have a China PR because it will allow him to remain in China without requiring a multiple entry visa. Even during the COVID19 pandemic, he technically was required to do visa runs to another country, even though he is a child of a Chinese citizen. This caused a lot of hassle in having to go to deal with the unfriendly Exit Entry Build officers to obtain visas, sometimes for only a 30 day extension. Having a PR ID avoids this situation.
How to apply?
Each province has its own exact rules, paperwork, and process. There are multiple categories in which you can attempt to apply. I applied in Guangzhou in 2022.
Here is the 2022 form you will have to fill out, but you should go to the Exit Entry Building and obtain the latest version as it will likely update periodically.
You must provide three identically completed applications in original form, as copies are not accepted of the application form itself. You must show the officer the original of the supporting evidence, and three photocopies for the submission – one for each application. I believe one application goes to the city (Guangzhou), another to the province (Guangdong), and another to the central government. Each is approved in order, and will take up to six months to complete from time of successful submission. The submission and all evidence is not provided online, so expect to have a mountain of printed paperwork.
The exact documents required will depend on the type of category you choose. Certain categories, such as the High Talent category, will have their own applications and approvals at company, local, province, and central government levels. As such, you can expect even the pre-conditions to take considerable time and cost to complete. I tried to ask the PSB for a digital copy of a book they gave me on the application process, but they said they did not have one because of “maybe national security concerns.” Here is a copy of the book I took with my cellphone (apologies) as there appears to be no restrictions on the material. There is an exact Chinese version of the book at the end, which should be used in case the English is confusing, as the Chinese provides the exact regulations.
End to end, from time of starting the process to completion it took me about 10 months. I already had many of the documents fully ready previously due to other visa applications. My China PR ID approval process took nearly exactly six months, as they advertised. Once you apply successfully, you will receive a submission confirmation paper with the application number. They assigned me a very courteous officer to handle the process, and was able to keep in touch via WeChat to check on the status.
Once ready, my case officer notified me to come to the office with my original passport used during the application and the confirmation piece of paper. You must personally physically show up at the office to pick up the PR ID Card, unless it is for a child, in which case one of the parents can pick it up without them present as long as they have the child’s original passport used and original submission confirmation paper. They won’t mail it under any circumstance, even if involuntarily locked down in another province for an undetermined amount of time.
How much does it cost?
As of 2022, the submission is 1500 RMB non-refundable payment that must be paid at a local bank. If you are approved, you will also have to pay 300 RMB at the counter using WeChat once they issue the card.
Gathering the supporting evidence is the real cost and complexity. If the document is from a foreign country, it must be apostille for use outside of the country by first the state of issuance’s Department of State (Examples: If a birth certificate is from Illinois, it must be apostille by Illinois. If the FBI Background Check report, it must be apostille at the federal level – US Department of State).
Once apostille allows the document to be used abroad, you then submit the document to the China Consulate in your country for approval for use in China, and then mailed back to yourself. Always use a mail service that can provide a tracking number and never rely on any domestic postal service anywhere. If the document is not in Chinese, you must then use an official Chinese notary to translate and notarize this document. As you can imagine, this can add up to a lot of cost – easily a few hundred to thousand RMB per document due to apostille, consulate, shipping, translation, notary, and copying costs. Each document only needs one original which you must show to the officer and then can retain, but you should have three copies made to be submit with each of the three original applications.
I personally completed the process by myself (some help from my wife, thank you), while residing in China, with limited ability to speak and write Chinese. While it is possible to hire an agency to ensure all the steps are completed, I hope the documents and advice I have provided may help others complete the work themselves. Best of luck.