This is Beijing-Beijing English blog

Foreigners have been having a tough time getting a working visa from Chinese government agencies because the process is too complex and time consuming. But a new procedure announced by the Beijing Public Security Bureau’s (PSB) Administration of Entry and Exit Department promises to make applications for visas and residence permits, or their renewals, easier if the applicants follow the regulations properly.

The new procedure, however, exposes the foreigner to some of PRC’s tax liabilities.

The November 22, 2004, announcement applies to all types of Chinese visas (“F” Business Visit Visa, “Z” Working Visa”, etc.) and both to foreigners and their family members. Since the PSB has not issued a written guideline, an applicant has to depend on the verbal instruction of the bureau officials, all of who may not come up with the same interpretation of the regulations.

Additional documents

Foreigners working in China generally need a “Z” working visa and a residence permit, issued normally for one year, after which it can be renewed. It’s mandatory for the foreigner’s family members living with him/her in China too to have these documents – though they are no permits for them to hold a job in the country, unless they have got a Working Card or an Employment Permit. Apart from the usual travel papers, such as passports, needed to apply for the “Z” working visa and residence permit, an applicant now has to furnish a number of other documents too.

1) Proof of residence in China – Applicable both to expatriates and their accompanying family members
A letter confirming the residential status – whether permanent or temporary – of the foreigner with his employing company’s official stamp has to be issued by the hotel or apartment he/she is staying in. The letter should clearly spell out the full names of the foreigner and his/her family members, if any.

If the foreigner has been occupying a government-approved international estate, a copy of the official approval should be attached with the application, otherwise it has to be notarized by the local police station.

In cases in which a police station’s notarization is necessary, the lawkeepers may have to furnish proof that the landlord has paid the tax on his income from rents. But the lack of guidelines may prompt the policemen into seeking information from one another. The police, however, should know that if the landlord has not paid his tax, the visa application process may be delayed or jeopardized. Also, PRC tax regulations say that if the landlord is an overseas enterprise or individual, the tenant automatically becomes his withholding agent, and has to pay the tax on his behalf.

2) Proof of family relations

The family members of a foreigner applying for a visa or residence permit in China need to furnish official documents proving their relationship. These documents have necessarily to be issued by their home country. The spouse has to prove her/his relationship by providing a marriage certificate, and children’s kinship can be proved through their birth certificates. All the documents have to be submitted in the original with the application to the PSB. Duplicates/photocopies have to be notarized by the Chinese Embassy in the applicant’s home country.

No residence permit booklets

Instead of issuing a separate residence permit booklet, the PSB will now give out a residence approval card, to be attached to the applicant’s passport. Residence permits are renewed along with the Z visas and work permits.

Since the State Public Security Bureau has not revised its regulations, the new procedure applies only to those foreigners living and working in Beijing, though some other cities such as Shanghai also demand proof of residence. Rules and regulations for visa and residence applications may, however, differ from city to city and district to district.

“L” visa extension

Travel

Travelers come to Beijing with “L” visa, if couldn’t leave within the expiry of visa, may apply one extension with his/her valid passport, for the period not exceed one month.

Come to Beijing for visit relatives

Foreigners (persons having foreign nationalities) come to Beijing for visit relatives with “L” visa, should stay within the valid period of visa, if need to stay after this period, must process extension procedures to Exit & Entry Administration, Public Security Bureau in Beijing before the expiry of visa, with his/her passport and the following evidential materials:

Persons visit their parents of their spouse(maternal) grandparents children full brothers (sisters)uncles and aunts etc., should provide originals and copies of inhabitant registration cards ID cards of persons being visited, can extend for twice, each shouldn’t exceed 3 months.

Children under 16 years must provide copies of foreign passport (resident evidence) of both or one of their parents.

Dependents

Holding official letters of office of students abroad students’ passports and residence permits, process it within the valid period of residence permits of students, for 90 days per extension.

Critical patients

Bring with medical certificates of critical condition provided by hospitals to apply for extension.

Foreigners among intermarriage between Chinese and foreigners.

Chinese citizens’ foreign spouses must provide marriage certificates originals and copies of inhabitant registration cards ID cards of their Chinese spouses, can extend for three times, and not exceed 3 months each time. Continuing apply for extension after stay over one year, must submit a written application (state the situation of house marriage and economy etc.), and can extend for twice, and not exceed 6 months for each time. If stay in Beijing over 2 years and still apply for extension, through approval can apply foreigners’ temporary residence permits, the expiry of which not exceed one year, the temporary residence permits can apply twice extensions, each time can not exceed one year. After expiry of extension of residence permits, if continually extension is required, can reissue the residence permits.
Dependents of embassy officials

The dependents of embassy officials, must provide the letters of embassy to apply visas.

Extension of “F” visa

Foreigners being invited to Beijing for undertake activities like short term visit investigations lectures business scientific & technological and cultural exchange and short-term advanced studies practice etc., should holding “F” (visiting) visa for entry, and stay within the resident period of visa, which countered from the date of entry, if still need to stay when exceed the resident period, should process visa extension application procedures to Exit & Entry Administration, Public Security Bureau in Beijing before the expiry, the times of extension is not limited, but each time extension shouldn’t exceed 3 months, the accumulated resident period not exceed one year. When request visa extension application, must provide the following evidential materials:

1. One’s valid passport and visa;

2. Host units’ official letters (if hosted by independent investment joint venture and foreign investment enterprises the whole-people collective and joint stock companies etc., must also provide originals and copies of duplicate of “Business License”);

3. Adding the official seal of the unit when fill out “Application Form for Visa Residence Permit”, and stick a recent, two in., bareheaded, full-faced photo.

[#3: Edit Options>MightyAdsense>Adsense Code]

Employment of foreigners in Beijing refers to the act of those who have not obtained the right of permanent residenc, work and receive remunerations for their work in accordance with law within the Chinese territory. Those foreigners who have not obtained residence permits (holders of F, L, C and G visas), and those who are studying or having a internship in China, and dependents of foreigners holding a working visa should not have illegal employment in China. In special circumstances, the foreigner who is to be employed should have his visa status changed with the public security bureau by his employer and apply for Foreigners’ Employment Permit and Residence Permit before employment.

A foreigner should apply for a working visa at a Chinese embassy or consulate abroad with the permit and other documents he is to work in Beijing. After he enters into China, the employer can apply for Foreigner Employment Permit at the Municipal Bureau of Labor and Social Security along with the Permit, valid passport and residence permit.

(Telephone number of the Beijing municipal Bureau of Labor and Social Security. 63167924)

If you want to rent apartments, villas, and courtyards, offices in Beijing, you can log in this web http://www.qmhouse.com.cn.

They provide 24- hour service with their professional property consultants term (English, Korean, German，Russian). And they have established business cooperation with the International enterprises , NOKIA , Mercedes-Benz, Elcoteq and so on. They’ve already served more than 100 foreign clients for renting the apartments and villa. They provide the free services if you rent the apartments and villa for one year contract.

Contact information”

TEL:+86-10-87757852
　　 +86-10-87750948

24 HOT LINE:
　　+86-13661368566　　

E-mail:

Foreign couples planning to adopt Chinese children need to have stable marriages, sound physical and mental health and comfortable finances and must not be overweight.

The new guidelines, which go into effect on May 1, give preference to more suitable applicants, a Ministry of Civil Affairs official said yesterday.

A key criterion is that applicants should have a Body Mass Index (BMI) a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women of less than 40.

A BMI of 40 means extreme obesity, for example, in a person who is 1.7 metres tall and weighs more than 115 kilograms.

Xing Kaimin, director of the ministry’s China Centre of Adoption Affairs, said obese people are more likely to suffer from diseases and might have a shorter life expectancy.

The applicant couple must be married for at least two years; and those who were earlier divorced should have been currently married for at least five years.

Xing said a complete family is essential for adopted children.

The current law allows single foreigners to adopt Chinese children, but requires the father to be at least 40 years older than the adopted girl.

Another change is that couples must also have less than four children and be in the 30-50 age group, according to Xing. The current law does not specify the number of children of adopting parents, but they should be at least 30 years old.

He stressed the guidelines are temporary and might be revised.

“We will continue to deal with foreign adoption according to law,” he told China Daily, referring to the Law of Adoption and a Registration Regulation on Foreign Adoption.

“The priority criteria are meant to protect children’s interests and shorten the waiting time for more qualified applicants,” Xing said. “It does not mean we are prejudiced against less qualified applicants, who can still apply.”

Xing said the centre, the only institution authorized to deal with foreign adoptions, has received a soaring number of applications to adopt Chinese children in recent years.

Prospective adopters now have to wait for 14 to 15 months on average from the time of their applications till they receive an initial match, Xing said.

“We want to pick the most qualified so that our children can grow up in even better conditions,” Xing said, noting there are fewer abandoned or orphaned children because of social progress.

Xing said more than 100 licensed adoption agencies in 16 countries have been informed of the revisions.

More than 50,000 Chinese children are reported to have been adopted by foreigners in the past 10 years, of which US families make up four in five.

About 8,000 Chinese children were adopted by US families last year. The figure was 5,000 in 2001.

How to buy a Beijing subway ticket? It is very useful when you visit Beijing. Traffic jam here is very terrible especially in rush-hour. No matter what you take ,bus or taxi, you will meet the traffic jam in Beijing. Take subway is a good choice. Let’s know the subway system first. In Beijing Traveling via the subway is quick and clean. There are 5 subway Lines in Beijing now. They are Line 1, Line 2, Line 5, Line 13 and Line Batong . Line 1 is the horizontal line and “2″ is the loop line that follows the inner ring road. Line 13 is a semicircular line runs the north of Beijing from Xizhimen to Dongzhimen (both are also stations on the loop Line 2). Line Batong is a extesional line from Line 1 extending eastward from Sihui to Tuqiao in Tongzhou District. Line 5 has opened at 2:00 PM on Sunday, Oct 07,2007 . It runs through the heart of the city from north to south,first north-south underground line. It Big news for those people who work in North but live in South. Now, I will tell you how to buy a Beijing subway ticket. In Beijing subway stations, somewhere you will find a counter which is selling tickets. Nowadays it conveniently states “Tickets” along with the Chinese. Since October 7th,2007, it only cost you 2 RMB to buy a ticket. In the past,3 RMB only take you anywhere on the main two subway lines(1&2),but now 2 RMB take you anywhere on 5 Lines. After buying your ticket you then proceed down the stairs to the platforms. Some officials will ask you for your ticket at this point. There is a bus Most people in Beijing give them the whole ticket, as no-one will ever ask you for it beyond this point. Outsiders may feel uncomfortable without half of this ticket so if you insist, they will rip it in half for you allowing you to proceed with your proof. Once you’re on the platform you then have the joy of figuring out where you are and where you’re going. You usually only have two directions to choose from and there will only ever be a 2 line transfer station, so you shouldn’t have too many difficulties from thereon.

 What will you arrange your schedule if you have less than a week to travel to Beijing. Below is the tradition Beijing tour arrangement. You can take reference for your visit.

DAY01 Arrive in Beijing. Check in. have a short rest. Quanjude Roast Duck established in the 1860’s will be arranged as dinner.

DAY02 Visit the largest square in the word Tian’anmen Square. And then enjoy the Forbidden City which is historically and artistically one of the most comprehensive Chinese museums. Lunch is imperial dishes. In the afternoon, you will be arranged in a rickshaw and visiting old Beijing Hutongs (including pay a short visit at traditional Beijing Quadrangle). After dinner enjoy the Beijing Opera.

DAY03 Pick you up from your hotel in the morning by the English guide and driver, and then depart to the Badaling Great Wall. After walking along the Great Wall, you will be served a Chinese lunch. In the afternoon visit the Ming Tombs (Emperor Wangli’s Tomb) Return to the downtown.

DAY04 In the morning visit the famous imperial park, the Summer Palace. Drive you to Gaobeidian the nearest villager form Tian’anmen Square. Visit the traditional furniture street. Learning how to make Chinese dumplings in the villager house. And enjoy folk shows of the villager in the evening (stilt dancing). Their stilt dancing is very famous and sometimes they are a busy schedule. So if you want see the stilt dancing please make a reservation in advance.

DAY05 Check out. And depart for the airport. See off.