Permanent residency for China

For foreign citizens, it is theoretically possible to apply for Chinese permanent residency permit for the so-called D visa for China holders through family relations with a Chinese citizen, after having lived and worked in China for a required and mandatory number of years, or thanks to “outstanding and necessary contributions to China”. In order to get the necessary Confirmation Form for Foreigners for Permanent Residence Status from the Ministry of Public Security, a variety of requirements must be met and various supporting documents handed in, depending on the category of the applicant.
The Certificate of Permanent Residency of Aliens is usually valid for five or ten years. For those who are under the age of 18 is often issued for five years. Aliens over the age of 18 years are granted permanent residence permit in China or 10 years. Valid passports and a Certificate of Permanent Residence of Aliens will allow them to enter and exit China without a visa.
Additionally, among the standard documentation, a Health Insurance Certificate and proof of a lack of criminal record are required for this permanent Chinese residence permit of China. The application needs to be issued at the local Public Security Bureau or at the nearest Chinese embassy if you are not living in China while a person apply for permanent residency of China.

PERMANENT RESIDENCY THROUGH INVESTMENT

Foreign investors who have a direct investment in PRC for three years in a row and have a sound taxation record and meet any of the following terms and conditions can easily apply for Permanent Residence.

1. Holding an investment of over USD 500,000 in industries of encouraged type as it is mentioned in the Catalogue of Industries of Foreign Investment issued by the State,
2. Maintaining an investment of over USD 500,000 in counties in the western part of the country or in counties which are major targets of poverty relief work undertaken by the State,
3. The total investment makes up over USD 1 million in the central part of the country,
4. Having a total investment amount of over USD 2 million in PRC.

Requirements:

1. Finished Application Form of Aliens for Permanent Residence in PRC,
2. Four recent 2-inch color full face photos against blue background,
3. Valid international passports or identification capable of exchanging passports,
4. Health Certificate valid for 6 months since it is issued,
5. A document proving the absence of a criminal record abroad recognized by Chinese embassies or consulate offices.
6. Certificates which approve foreign-funded enterprises, certificate of the registration, proof of combined annual inspection, report of assets valuation and prove personal tax payment. As it goes to foreign-funded enterprises of encouraged type, a letter of confirmation of the foreign-invested projects encouraged by the State should also be presented.

Citizenship for China:

● The Nationality Law of the People’s Republic of China regulates the citizenship system of the People’s Republic of China. The main options that Chinese nationality is usually obtained are either by birth when minimum one parent is Chinese by their nationality or by naturalization.
● In the constitution of the People’s Republic of China states that all persons holding the nationality of China are considered citizens of China. It is important to mention that the two special administrative regions which are Hong Kong and Macau have their own rules and regulations on the rights of abode in these territories. They have created a separate class of Chinese nationality unique to those two SARs, which differ vastly, particularly with the acquisition and loss of nationality.
● However, in theory, the Chinese Nationality Law is de jure applicable to Chinese nationals residing in all three regions of the People’s Republic of China, particularly Hong Kong SAR, Mainland China, and Macau SAR.

Brief information about the main options by which Chinese citizenship can be obtained:

1. CITIZENSHIP OF CHINA BY BIRTH

● Birth inside the territory of the PRC does not automatically confer citizenship of China. A child born to unknown or stateless parents is an exception.

2. CITIZENSHIP OF CHINA BY DESCENT

● A child with at least one parent being a Chinese citizen, regardless of the country of birth.
● A child born abroad, whose parents have settled abroad and the child has received the nationality of his/her parents’ new country, is not considered a citizen of the PRC.
● Macao residents having a Chinese blood relationship, born on the territories of China (also Macao), as well as other persons of Chinese nationality, whether or not they have Portuguese travel certificates or ID (identity cards), are all Chinese citizens.
● Residents of the Macao Special Administrative Region who have both a Chinese blood relationship and a Portuguese blood relationship may pick either the nationality of the People’s Republic of China or Republic of Portugal nationality, in accordance with their personal wishes. Selection of one of the nationalities shall mean the forgoing of the other nationality.

3. CITIZENSHIP OF CHINA BY NATURALIZATION

PRC citizenship of China may be granted upon accomplishment of one of the following conditions:

● Person has close relatives living in China.
● the person has settled in China.
● the person has different legitimate reasons.

Foreign nationals who previously held Chinese nationality may apply for restoration of Chinese nationality if they have legitimate purposes.

Once the application for citizenship of China is approved the person may not hold the foreign nationality.

Foreign nationals or stateless people who are willing to live by China’s constitution and laws and who satisfy one of the following requirements may be naturalized upon approval of their applications:

● Is a near relative of Chinese nationals,
● Has “settled” in China (particularized as having permanent residency in either Mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau),
● Must be legally an adult for citizenship for China.
● Must be of “good conduct” (i.e. not a subject to any past criminal either Chinese or international criminal law or have a criminal record of foreign countries).
● Must have the skill to integrate into Chinese society, maintain a living based on their own assets or skills, or be a dependent of a family capable of it.
● Must have fundamental knowledge befitting a Chinese national, such as an understanding of the Chinese language, customs, traditions and culture.
● Has other “legitimate reasons”. (The term “legitimate reasons” is not further defined in the Nationality Law, since each constituency has diverse requirements)

Work Permit for China

Chinese work visa, also known as, Z visa for China, is issued to foreigners who are going to China for a paid job offer or to undertake commercial entertainment performances in China.

This Z visa of China only allows stay duration of 30 days from the date of arrival in China, during that time you and your employer must seek and issue a Temporary Residence Permit to China for the term of your contract, to at least 90 days and a maximum of 5 years. Note that usually, the work visa of China gives the opportunity of a single entry.

The age limit for all applicants is 18 – 60. However, there is some flexibility and exceptions in these requirements, for example, if you are not in this age range but can find a willing employer, they may still be able to get approval for Z visa for China. The process usually lasts 4 working days. For example, you submit an application on Monday and then you can pick up your visa for China on Thursday.

An additional US$ 30 is priced for one working day processing and US$ 20 for 2-3 working day processing.

China Work Visa Requirements & Documents required:

1. A passport with at least one blank page and valid for at least six months for work permit for China
2. Carefully and honestly completed China Work Visa for China Application Form
3. One recent and photo with passport standards
4. There might be a need for some Supporting Documents on a case-by-case basis. These documents may include a medical form and a criminal history check, which has been notarized and authenticated. If you are not asked to submit the medical form, you still need to get a medical check for China’s Temporary Residence Permit.

How to Apply for China Work Visa?

You can go to the Chinese embassy, consulates or other diplomatic missions for application in person, or have a friend, a travel agency or visa agency to act on your behalf.

There is no mandatory to make an appointment, but mailed applications are not acceptable. If there is a Chinese Visa Application Center (CVASC) in your country, you can go there to submit the application, in this case, mailed applications are accepted in some CVASC`s of China.

Visa for China

Apply for Chinese visa

Following is the main package of documents that is necessary to provide for a visa application:

• A current passport with at least 6 months validity.
• Completed formal application for Chinese Visa.
• A recent passport photo.
• If applicable a letter of invitation from your host institution or company.
• Certificate of required medical examinations.

The above-mentioned documentation depends on the type of visa you apply for China, some of these are subject to constant change, because based on one’s personal condition additional documents may be asked to provide. Besides these documents, a fee for visa application has to be paid, the amount of which also depends on the visa category.

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Taxes In China

Taxes provide the main and biggest revenue source for the Government of the People’s Republic of China. Tax is a key component of macro-economic policy, and greatly affects China’s economic and social development. China has preliminarily established a streamlined tax system geared to the socialist market economy.

Individual Income Tax

In China, the Personal Income Tax is collected from individuals and is imposed on various sources of income like labor, interest, and pensions, and dividends. Revenues from the Personal Income Tax Rate are an essential source of income for the government of China.

With the latest changes made in Chinese Tax Law, Chinese and foreign taxpayers are increasingly treated similarly, nevertheless, important differences remain, for example, Chinese citizens pay Individual Income Tax on their income sourced both domestically and overseas (there can be exceptions stipulated in tax treaties), while in most cases foreigners are only required to pay on income derived in China.

IIT in China is levied at a progressive rate, changing from three percent for monthly taxable earnings of RMB 1,500 (US$240) or less to 45 percent for taxable incomes more than RMB 80,000 (US$12,725). Besides the Individual Income Tax, employers and employees in China generally must contribute social insurance payments. In some jurisdictions, foreign employees can opt out of social insurance payments, such as in Shanghai

Other Important Taxes

• Capital Income Tax in China: After some deductions, the standard rate for capital income tax in China is 20%. However, this percentage might get lower if the expat is a citizen of a country with which China has a special tax treaty. This tax is imposed on the owners, users or custodians of houses and buildings. The tax rate is 1.2% of the original value of the buildings.
• Business Tax in China: Businesses in China are also get charged with taxes, including corporate income tax to capital gains tax, but primary business tax in China ranges from 3%-20%. Except for a few prescribed services, business tax is imposed on services provided by enterprises, ensured that the service provider or the service recipient is within China.
• VAT in China: This is a national tax levied on the sales or importation of goods and the preparations of repairs, replacement, and processing services. The VAT is applied at two levels: small-scale VAT payers and general VAT payers. General VAT payers, who are considered to be all other taxpayers, pay at the standard VAT rate of 17 percent, except on goods considered to be necessities, such as agricultural items, water, gas and so forth, which carry the tax at the reduced rate of 13 percent. For general VAT payers, input VAT incurred may be credited against output VAT in deciding the correct amount of VAT that is payable.
• The Corporate Income Tax (CIT) Law in China: This tax law category was completely formed on January 1, 2008, consolidating two previously separate income tax regimes into a single regime, one of them applied to domestically-invested enterprises and the other levied from foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) and foreign enterprises (FEs). The standard CIT rate is 25% on the general income of a local enterprise. Non-resident enterprises are also subject to tax on income made in China and income that is connected with an establishment in China. There are enterprises considered to state encouraged, for which there are lower tax rates, such as thin-profit enterprises (20%) and new high-technology enterprises (15%).

Business Establishment in China

China M business visa is issued to those foreigners who wish to engage in commercial and trade activities, such as the participation of trade fairs, visits to clients and factories, negotiations with clients, and contracts. The validity period of China M visa is usually three months, while the permitted duration of stay is usually 30 days and can last longer depending on applicants’ personal cases. For citizens of some countries like Canada, Argentina, and the US, even a 10-year China business visa may be granted.

 China Business Visa Requirements & Documents

List of the basic documents required for M Visa application:

1. Valid passport with at least six months of remaining validity and more than one blank visa page, and information page copy.
2. A completed typewritten application form with a recently-taken color photo glued to or stapled on.
3. A document proving the legal stay or residence if you are applying from a third country.
4. China Business Visa Invitation Letter.

China M visa rules require one of the following:

1). An invitation letter issued by a Chinese business or trade partner.

2). Invitation or confirmation letter of invitation issued by duly authorized Chinese institutes or relevant units.

3). An Invitation letter from the organizers of the Trade fair.

 China invitation letter for a business visa should cover:

1. Personal information about the applicant including full name, birth date, passport number, etc.
2. Information about the purpose of the intended business visit, arrival and departure dates, place(s) to be visited, etc.
3. Personal data about the inviter such as name, contact number, address, signature, official stamp, etc.

The application for Chinese business visa has to be submitted to the consular office of Chinese embassies or consulates in your country of residence by yourself, or you can ask someone else (such as your friends, relatives) or trust an agency to do so on your behalf. The power of a lawyer is not required. For citizens of certain countries such as the UK, Singapore, India, and Australia, submission of the application is asked to the CVASC (Chinese Visa Application Center). The processing regularly takes 4 working days, however, there is the option of express service and rush service if you want to pick up your M visa earlier. Extra USD 30 should be paid for the same-day collection, an additional USD 20 for the second or third-day collection.

Disclaimer for Immigration, China

We DO NOT provide consultancy for illegal immigration to China and do not promote illegal immigration for China, including, illegal residency for China or illegal work permit for China. Also, we do not entertain agents for illegal immigration for China.

Information provided on https://www.millionmakers.com regarding China cannot be taken as legal advice in any way, please consult immigration lawyer in China for expert legal advice for China.

We don’t support or provide any of our services to below mentioned Individuals or category(s) of business in China for immigration:

• Any device for China that might result in abuse of human rights in China or be utilized for torture in China.
• Trade in China, distribution in China and/or manufacturing of arms in China, weapons in China, ammunition in China, mercenary or contract soldiering in China.
• Espionage in China or technical surveillance in China or bugging instrumentation or equipment in China.
• Any illegal activities in China or criminal activities in China or company(s) or individual(s) that are black listed in China under The Law of China.
• Genetic material in China.
• Hazardous or Dangerous or risky biological, chemical or nuclear materials which also includes, instrumentation or machinery accustomed for disposing or manufacturing or handling of any such material(s).
• Trading in China, storage in China or transportation of Human or animal organ(s) in China, use of animals in China or abuse of animals in China for any scientific or product testing.
• Adoption agencies in China, as well as, surrogate parenting procedures in China or any kind of abuse of human rights in China.
• Non-secular cults in China and their charities.
• Pornography in China.
• Drug paraphernalia in China.
• Pyramid sales in China.