People’s Republic of China Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card
TypePersonal identification document
Expiration10 years (18 years old and above)
5 years (under 18 years old)
Cost¥300/card (for the first application and renewal upon expiration)
¥600/card (for lost replacement and damaged replacement)
Sample of the old version of the Permanent Residence Permit for Foreigners
On June 16, 2017, the Ministry of Public Security issued the “People’s Republic of China Permanent Resident Identity Cards for Foreigners” to foreigners who have been approved for permanent residence in China, and stopped the issuance of “Foreigners Permanent Resident Certificates”. The new version adds the word “identity” to the name; the new version of the ID card is more recognizable. It is designed and produced with reference to the standard of the second-generation resident ID card , and has an embedded non-contact circuit chip, which can be read by the second-generation resident ID card. machine read. From June 1, holders of valid foreign permanent residence permits can apply to the original acceptance authority or the public security authority of a city divided into districts where they live to apply for a new version of the certificate. After the new version of the Chinese green card is activated, the current permanent residence permit for foreigners that is still valid can continue to be used, and the holder can also apply for a new version of the certificate .
Nationality code
The code of the first acceptance authority
Date of birth code
Sequence code
Check digit
Article 21 of the “Measures” stipulates: “The “Permanent Residence Permit for Foreigners” is valid for five or ten years. Foreigners under the age of 18 who have been approved for permanent residence in China are issued with a validity period of five years. Foreigners over the age of 18 who have been approved for permanent residence in China will be issued with a “Permanent Residence Permit for Foreigners” valid for ten years.”
It is said that Chinese green card is extremely difficult to be granted. Let’s see if you have a chance to get it.
Category of applicants
(1) Have made direct investment in China with stable operation and a good tax paying record for three successive years;
(2) Have been holding the post of deputy general manager, deputy factory director or above or of associate professor, associate research fellow and other associate senior titles of professional post or above or enjoying an equal treatment, for at least four successive years, with a minimum period of residence in China for three cumulative years within four years and with a good tax paying record;
(3) Have made a great and outstanding contribution to and being specially needed by China; (you may visit our post to know more：What’s the Points-based System?)
(4) Being the spouse of a Chinese citizen or of a foreigner with permanent residence status in China, in a marriage relationship for at least five years, with 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;
(5) Being an unmarried person under 18 years old turning to his parent; or
(6) Being a person who is or above 60 years old, who has no direct relative abroad and is to turn to any directive relative in China, and has stayed in China for at least five successive years with at least nine- month residence in China each year, and has stable source of subsistence and a dwelling place.
Documents required
(1) Copy of his/her valid passport;
(2) Health certificate;
(3) Certificate of no criminal record in the country concerned;
(4) Four recent full-face color photos; and
(5) Other materials (elaborated as below).
Family reunion green card
However, the government may cancel the green card if the holder has stayed in China without approval for a period less than three cumulative months a year or less than a cumulative year in five years, or has threatened the national security and interests of China, or has been expelled from China by the people’s court, etc.
Application for Couples Reunion
Since most of our readers are intended to apply for their green cards under this “Couples Reunion” category, we are going to mainly discuss here how to prepare the documents as required and other issues people feel concerned about:
1) Preparation of application
ID card and Household Register (户口簿, hukou bu) in local city for spouse with Chinese nationality, or valid passport and Permanent Resident ID Card for spouse with foreign nationality. Marriage status in the spouse’s Household Register should note married or indicate the same English name as the applicant’s valid passport.
Marriage certificate
If this certificate was issued abroad, a verification from the Embassy/Consulate General of China will be needed, which has a validity of up to 6 months.
III. Evidence of stable income and housing
Evidence of stable income, under most situations, such evidence can be applicants’ or their spouse’s Certification of Deposit in domestic banks of certain amount of RMB (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.
As to how much money need to be deposited, it varies from city to city. For example, in Qun Ming of Yunnan Province, it’s explained that the evidence of stable income refers to disposable property as the applicant’s living security, the amount of which is equivalent to more than 10 years of deposit, based on the local monthly minimum living security, or any certificate of stable monthly income source no less than the local monthly minimum living security for up to five years starting from the acceptance of the application. But no specific amount is specified.
However, we can check other cities for reference. For most cities, such as Guangzhou, Beijing (both are the first-tier cities of China) or some remote city in the Northwest of China, for example Xi’an, 100,000RMB will be good. However, the deposit needs to be no less than 200,000RMB in Shanghai.
On the other hand, the pension of the applicant or the applicant’s spouse can be treated as “stable income” in Shanghai. If the pension is received from 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.
Evidence of stable housing
Talking about stable housing, some of our clients feel frustrated. Some of them claimed that they never have a plan to buy any real estate. Some of them regret that they haven’t bought a house before the two decades of real estate boom in China. But don’t worry, stable housing doesn’t mean you have to own the house yourself, no matter where you are. Those who are renting a house should submit the rental contract with more than one year’s renting period from the application date with notarization by a notary office.
If the house is owned by the applicant and spouse, the house property certificate should be submitted. In some cities such as Beijing even the house property certificate needs to be notarized. But there are no such requirements in Guangzhou or Shanghai. So, it’s highly recommended to consult with local authorities for updated information before you proceed with the preparation of all documents.
Health certificate
The Health certificate should be issued by a domestic entry-exit inspection and quarantine agency (or by foreign medical institutions verified by the Embassy /Consulate General of China). The health certificate should be issued within the validity of the last 6 months.
Certificate of no criminal record
A Criminal Record/ Background check which shows no criminal history of any kind must be verified by the Embassy/Consulate General of China. The name on the record 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 more than/for two years consecutively after he/she is 18 years old, a criminal record from that country/region is also needed.
2) What’s the consequence of a divorce?
It seems that divorcing is not one of the reasons to cancel the green card, but no explicit provisions says that once applicants obtain their green cards based upon marriage with Chinese citizens, their green card will be renewed even after couples get divorced. We expect an explanation to be given by the competent authority in the near future.
Kind reminder
(2) The applicant can assign lawyer or other institution to help to prepare the application, but the applicant should visit the local authority in person for interview. An application form will be filled by the applicant under the instruction of the interviewer.
(3) In case the applicant has changed nationality, certificate of naturalization is required. In case the applicant was once of Chinese nationality, the former mainland Chinese 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), former Taiwanese shall also provide a residence deregistration certificate; former Hong Kong/Macau people shall also provide an ID cancellation certificate. 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) All the above-mentioned certification or verification documents should both be issued within 6 months before the application date.
According to the state-own news agency – Xinhuanet, 1576 foreigners got China Green Card in 2016.
Getting a China green card is a time consuming process, you may want to know what are the benefits of China green card?
We list some of the benefits below:
China Green Card FAQs
Go back to our main page of getting a Chinese Green Card.
Why do you want to apply for a green card?
A1: Having a stronger legal basis in China, residence not tied to my job;
Having a Chinese spouse, my wife is Chinese, and my son is Belgian, the green card gives a much more healthy legal balance.
Do you have any concern before doing so?
A2: The time commitment for getting all the necessary documents;
The initial step to apply with the PSB can be a bit intimidating(they are actually super helpful and friendly);
The financial commitment(easiest way prove funds is to lock 200k CNY in a bank account for 1 year with a certificate from the bank that the money is locked in a 1 year time investment);
The very low success rate.
By concern, I mean were you worried that such identity will set any restriction on your life or your freedom to move around.
A3: In that regard I didn’t have much reservations. There were at the time a lot of myths(I think, cannot substantiate this) about the Chinese government going as far as interviewing every neighbour you have ever lived near to inside China. There is a certain kind of fear mongering also regarding your traceability but I found this mostly to be either nonsense, or not something that couldn’t be done with the passport as well. I had at that point decided that while China may not be an open democracy, it certainly isn’t repressing ideas in ways that Western media likes to describe. I actually feel that individual freedom(provided you don’t engage in illegal activities) is better then in many other countries.
Talking about success rate, did the PSB mentioned that you are lucky, because there are quota for each category of application, or anything similar?
A4: Regarding the success rate, when I received my PR card I was congratulated and welcomed as a Shanghainese person, never heard about luck, or quota to fill(this again floats around when people discuss these things but I haven’t actually seen any evidence proving that theory).
From which source you know about green card?
A5: I knew about the existence through my wife.
Who have helped you during the procedure?
A6: I get quite a bit of help from the PSB, I feel they get some gratification out of successful applicants and I was very pleasantly surprised by their willingness and even support for my individual case. I’m very grateful towards those people.
I get a lot of help from the Belgian consulate, without them it would have been virtually impossible, there have been times that the consul general himself had to write additional letters to clarify certain matters.
What’s the most difficult part in this procedure?
A7: It’s actually reasonably straightforward IF, all the documents that are expected are obtainable, there is a lot of variance in how this is done by country, some things are pretty hard to obtain;
If you are from Belgium for example, some years ago they decided to abbreviate everything after the second first name on the passport, this was causing me the biggest problems, ultimately I managed to resolve them but it required interference from the department of justice in Belgium and the consulate general in Shanghai. For the Chinese government, I had essentially 5 names, for the Belgian government I only have 1, the unabbreviated one. This part could have not been advanced without direct pressure from the consulate on the DOJ, and even then it was a grey area.
What impress you the most?
A8:The call that I was expected to go to the PSB for the inauguration ceremony and accept my green card in two days, that was quite surreal.
Q: Haha, did your wife went there with you?
Q9: How long did it take in total?
A9: From the application date, exactly 6 months. To prepare for the application together with the Shanghai PSB add another month or two.
Any tips you want to share with other applicants?
A10:There are no shortcuts, you may find yourself tired of the application procedure and want to give up, persistence is key here. If you continue to produce every piece of paper they require of you, no matter how “silly” you may think they are, I actually think you stand a reasonable chance of obtaining the PR. Also, ensure you work closely with the people from your local PSB, they can help you a lot, all applications are eventually sent to Beijing where they will not know you or your background(this may be different for expats stationed in Beijing), and make a decision based on the information they have in front of them. If any of that information is incorrect, or otherwise incomplete you can expect to be rejected.
Thank you Benjamin for sharing with us your story, I love it and I love your positive comment on China.
A11: I loved the experience actually. I don’t like how western media tries to paint China as some third world country with people that are repressed. It’s just not true, all countries have their problems but some people make really stupid comments or do half work. That’s disappointing but that’s how most media works–looking for clicks and attention.
Get a China Green Card or Permanent Residence in China
With the approval of China’s State Council, the Minister of Public Security, Zhou Yongkang, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Li Zhaoxing, jointly endorsed Decree No.74 and officially issued the Regulations on Examination and Approval of Permanent Residence of Foreigners in China for implementation on August 15.
According to this regulation, foreigners with eligibility for permanent residence in China will be granted a certificate of identification commonly known as China Green Card.
Who can get China Green Card ?
Check more specific requirements at Who Can Apply For Chinese Permanent Residence Certificate? in our FAQ Section.
Required documents for China Permanent Residence Certificate application
Government fee of China Permanent Residence certificate are:
A Chinese green card is not equivalent to Chinese nationality. Presently China does not recognize dual or multiple nationalities. Thus, if one wants to become a Chinese national, original nationality status would have to be cancelled.
Those who obtain a Chinese green card should not stay in China less than three months in a year or less than a year in five years. Special causes will need approval from city level public security bureaus.
Expats with a Chinese green card will still need to observe rules concerning traveling, temporary living in other cities, and visiting areas closed to the public.
In this article, you will learn about Chinese Green Card involving the history, benefits and limitations of Chinese Green Card, how to apply and some tips.
Here are the primary benefits of a Green Card
1. Employment: Foreigners with China permanent residency can accept a job without needing to apply for China work permits and residence permits. Another benefit of having permanent residency is the privilege of endless and better career opportunities. Unlike work visa holders who need sponsorship from their employers, as a Green Card holder, you have legal rights to work in any company of your choice.
2. Domestic residence: Permanent residents can travel abroad and re-enter China with a valid China green card You do not need to go through time consuming visa procedures.
3. Family Reunion. You can sponsor other family members for a green card. Spouses and immediate family members can apply for China Green Card in accordance with relevant regulations.
4. Education: The Green Card holder’s accompanying children can enjoy the Nearby Enrollment Policy on Compulsory Education. Meanwhile, they are entitled to tuition-free Compulsory Education.
5. Social Security: You are eligible to participate in China social security. Social Insurance including basic old-age insurance, basic medical insurance, work injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance.
6. Investment: As permanent residence holder, you may set up a foreign-invested enterprise by means of technology investment or investment in capital, and you can make foreign direct investment in China with the legally obtained income.
A green card provides many advantages, you can enjoy most of the same benefits as a China citizen.
About Chinese Green Card
With the approval of China’s State Council, the Minister of Public Security, Zhou Yongkang, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Li Zhaoxing, jointly endorsed Decree No.74 and officially issued the Regulations on Examination and Approval of Permanent Residence of Foreigners in China for implementation on August 15.
According to this regulation, foreigners with eligibility for permanent residence in China will be granted a certificate of identification commonly known as a “Green Card.”
History of Chinese Green Card
In 1986, for the first time China granted a German the permanent resident permit, which was looked upon as China’s first “Green Card” for foreigners.
In 1991, four foreigners got the certificate from the Tianjin Public Security Bureau for their outstanding contribution to Tianjin’s economic development.
By the end of 2001, China had devised a plan to regulate a “Green Card” system. Subsequently, major cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou issued related regulations.
The Law of the People’s Republic of China on Control of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners adopted by the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress in November 1985.
The Enforcement Regulations on Law of the People’s Republic of China on Control of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners revised in July 1994.