First days in China: residence permit and registration

A visa is not yet a residence permit

The law divides visas into diplomatic, courtesy, official and ordinary. Ordinary visas of the relevant types are issued to foreigners entering for non-diplomatic and non-official purposes, including work, study, family visits, tourism, business and talent attraction. The specific types of ordinary visas and the procedure for issuing them are set by the State Council.

The key structure here is the same as in Mexico and several other countries: a visa grants entry, while status comes from a separate document. The law frames this as a condition — if the visa states that the foreign national must apply for a residence permit after entry, they are obliged to do so.

The deadline is stated explicitly: within thirty days of the date of entry, you must contact the entry and exit administration authority under the public security body of the local people’s government at county level or above in your intended place of residence.

• The visa type determines whether a residence permit is required
• The thirty days are counted from the date of entry, not from the date the visa was issued
• You should apply at the place of intended residence
• Authority — the entry and exit administration of the public security authority at county level or above

What is submitted and how long to wait

Applicants must present a passport or other international travel document, along with information relevant to the specific matter of the application, and provide biometric identification — including fingerprints.

Decision timeline: the entry and exit authority conducts a review and issues a decision within fifteen days of receiving the application.

The type of permit issued is determined by the purpose of residence — the law explicitly states that authorities issue permits of the corresponding type based on the purpose of stay.

Add the two timelines together: thirty days to file and fifteen for a decision. This means that if you file in the last days of the month, the decision will arrive after the original deadline has passed — something to understand in advance rather than discover at the last moment.

Twenty-four hours to register

This is the second deadline, and it is thirty times shorter than the first. The law distinguishes two situations.

If a foreign national is staying at a hotel, the hotel registers their stay in accordance with the rules governing public security in the hospitality industry and transmits registration details to the public security authorities in its locality. No action is required from the guest.

If a foreign national is residing or staying somewhere other than a hotel, either the foreign national themselves or the people hosting them are required to complete registration formalities with the public security authorities at the place of residence within twenty-four hours of the foreign national’s arrival.

The difference between these two paragraphs is the source of most problems. Someone who has rented a flat is not automatically registered — and finds this out when applying for a residence permit or during a check.

A separate rule applies to families: for foreign infants born in China, parents or their representatives must, within sixty days of birth, register the infant’s stay or residence with the entry and exit administration authority, based on the birth certificate.

• The hotel registers the guest itself
• Private accommodation — you or your host registers you
• Deadline — 24 hours after arrival
• Newborns — within 60 days of the date of birth

Consequences of unlawful residence

The law addresses this in a separate article, structured on an escalating scale. Foreigners residing illegally in China are issued a warning; in serious circumstances, a fine of 500 yuan per day is imposed, with a total cap of 10,000 yuan, or detention of no less than five and no more than fifteen days is applied.

Note the structure: first comes a warning, with a fine and detention reserved for serious circumstances. However, the fine accrues daily, and the ceiling of 10,000 yuan is reached after twenty days.

The law provides a separate penalty relating to children: if guardians or other persons responsible for a child’s care fail to fulfil their obligations and this results in an unlawful stay in China by a foreign national under the age of sixteen, those guardians or responsible persons shall be issued a warning and may also be fined up to 1,000 yuan.

And a rule that concerns the host side: persons who shelter or conceal foreigners who have entered or are residing in China illegally, or who help such foreigners evade inspections, or who unlawfully provide travel documents to foreigners residing in China illegally, are subject to a fine — starting from 2,000 yuan.

What this looks like step by step

Day one: entry. From this date you have thirty days to obtain a residence permit, if your visa requires it.

Within the first 24 hours at your place of stay: registration. Hotels handle it themselves; for private accommodation, you or your host must register within twenty-four hours.

First weeks: decide on a place to live and gather your documents, since you must apply at your intended place of residence, and a decision can take up to fifteen days from there.

Next: with every change of address — a new registration within the same twenty-four hours; when a child is born — sixty days to register them.

This is not a bureaucratic formality but a structure where each subsequent stage depends on the previous one: without address registration you cannot properly obtain a permit, and without a permit your stay becomes unlawful, with liability accruing day by day.

If applying through an intermediary: what changed on 15 September 2026

From 15 September 2026, State Council Decree No. 841 of the People’s Republic of China ’On Regulating Exit and Entry’ is in force. A significant part of it concerns those who assist with these procedures for payment — advising on immigration policy, handling documents under power of attorney, managing procedures on behalf of clients. The state is introducing a registration requirement for them.

Any organisation providing such intermediary services must register with the local migration authority within 15 days of being established; its employees are registered through the organisation. Those already operating before 15 September 2026 have 90 days from that date to register. The requirements for such an organisation are stated explicitly: lawful registration, no conviction for an intentional offence on the part of the director, employees with knowledge of immigration law, adequate resources and premises, and established procedures for managing personnel, documents, and data.

A separate provision in the regulation prohibits foreign companies and organisations from providing such intermediary services on Chinese territory.

Intermediaries are prohibited from spreading false information and attracting clients through exaggerated or misleading advertising, preparing or helping to prepare false documents, assisting in obtaining visas and residence permits in violation of the rules, disclosing or selling clients’ personal data, and operating beyond the scope stated at registration. Violations carry fines, suspension of operations, and licence revocation; in serious cases, responsible employees are fined separately.

• A migration intermediary must be registered with the migration authority
• New organisations — within 15 days of incorporation; existing ones — within 90 days of 15.09.2026
• Foreign companies are prohibited from providing such services on Chinese territory
• Advertising that promises a ’guaranteed outcome’ falls under the prohibition on misleading advertising
• False documents are dangerous not only for the intermediary: an applicant who provides false information risks refusal and a travel ban

Frequently asked questions

Verified September 13, 2026. The thresholds and amounts are tied to indicators that are reviewed annually — check the official source for your country before filing.