I found that for me, once I obtained the certificate, it was easier and cheaper to get an agent to the admin.
The process in the UK (I assume US is similar) is as follows.
1/ Get certificate
2/ Send certificate to be validated (proven to be real) by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (UK equivalent of State Dept). Only notorization by FCO is recognised by China embassy in UK.
3/ Send notorized/validated document to Chinese Embassy to be certified (certificate is attached to rear of doc by Chinese authorities) and stamped (chop).
4/ Send this document with other required documents with Visa application.
I used an agent as it saved me a trip to London and 5 days of running around. Like I said, I assume (but could be wrong) that a similar process is universal.
Wow! What a messy procedure. I will let you guys know if I get it done and what hell I had to go through when and if I do this. Thanks for your input.
From: China Daily News
Residency rules get revised
Updated: 2012-10-17 01:18
By Zhang Yan and Zhao Yinan ( China Daily)
A draft regulation on China's permanent residency permits, which lowers requirements for applicants, is to be issued soon, a senior official with the Ministry of Public Security has said.
The Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are working together to draft the document, which could result in more permanent residency permits being issued, said Qu Yunhai, deputy director of the Exit and Entry Administration Bureau under the Ministry of Public Security, during a visit to Washington on Monday.
"The new regulation will be issued in the near future, and I believe it will bring many changes (to existing rules)," Qu was quoted as saying by the China News Service on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Public Security told China Daily that the draft document is being prepared, but would not give further details due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Although no details have been provided, overseas Chinese are widely expected to benefit from the changes, experts said.
China started to issue permanent residency permits to foreigners in 2004. With Chinese "green cards", foreigners can enter or leave China without a visa and stay in the country freely.
Official figures show that by the end of last year, more than 4,700 foreigners had received the permits.
In Beijing, a total of 852 foreigners have applied for the permits so far, and 783 applications have been approved, according to figures provided to China Daily by Beijing police on Tuesday.
Under existing laws and regulations, only four kinds of foreign citizens are allowed to apply for a green card.
Qu said many foreigners, including overseas Chinese, have put forward opinions and suggestions about China's green card system, and the majority of them want to lower the application threshold and expand the issue of the permits.
He said the new Law on the Exit and Entry Administration, passed in June and which takes effect in July 2013, also clears legal hurdles for the new regulation.
The law — the first of its kind in China to collectively manage exit and entry affairs of Chinese citizens and foreigners — pledges to streamline the procedures for permanent residency permits as an incentive to attract foreign expertise.
The law allows foreigners who have "contributed significantly to China's social and economic development and others who meet the standards of a green card" to apply for a permanent residency permit.
Meanwhile, it requires the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work out detailed management measures for handling the permanent residency applications.
Wu Xinming, a professor of police affairs related to foreigners with the Chinese People's Public Security University, said China's green card policies have facilitated international personnel flows in the past years, but that the requirements are high compared with some neighboring countries.
He said that the Republic of Korea has issued about 1 million green cards and Japan has issued 1.5 million green cards for foreigners, compared with China's about 5,000 green cards.
Wu said that with an increasing number of foreigners coming to China thanks to the rapid developing economy and society, it's inevitable that the demand for green cards will continue to increase.
Contact the writers at [email protected] and [email protected].
@JJ and Janice Thanks for the info. but again, this is for the 'green card'. What I'm applying for is for the 'resident visa' (green book). Forget about the 'green card' because as of now that way out of my league.
I receive a reply from the Justice Dept. (New York State) concerning the criminal record request and they can send me the application directly to me here in China or to my sister in Philly. I'll keep you posted guys.
I have been married for LESS than 5 years so I am NOT eligible for this program. I went o the PSB (14th floor) to inquire because I was with a freind who was trying to do this so I got a copy of the regs for both of us.
Oh, I thought you got the booklet. Was your friend able to get it?
I just spent 2 hours on the 14th flr down at Bejing Lu office. I have a friend there who is the cheif officer there. We both went to talk to the officer in charge of the "green" cards, rm 1408.
The latest info as of today is this......
There is no "Green Book" any longer. If you qualify for a "green Card" you can do so at a cost of 1800 RMB. It takes almost 2 years to get. If accepted, you get a 10 year card, basically a Chinese ID card. You can exit/enter China at will, no more need for entry or departure card forms.
If you stay outside China more than 3 months, your Green Card is invalidated. Otherwise you operated as a normal Chinese citizen. I didn't ask about working as I do not have this interest. But I did read elsewhere that with this card you can work with no need for additional visas. You are treated as a citizen, taxes and all.
I will start the process now myself. They told me I am sure to get one. They will give you a several page instruction book on the 14th flr if you are interested.
There is also a 5 year card, but I didn't understand the difference with that one.
@Bucko Thanks for the update. Keep us posted what is the most difficult hurdle. Thanks.
Thanks bucko,
Too restrictive for me, but good to know and will save me a trip to the 14th floor.
When you say 2 years to get, does that mean you have a 2 year wait upon application or you need to have been in the country 2 years before applying?
Hopefully the changes coming through the pipeline that JJ&J mentioned earlier will loosen things up further.
