Residence Permit (D Visa) for Long-Term Stay in China

Permanent visa to China, why and how to get it?

You have been in China for a long time, got to know this country and its people and fell in love with them? Permanent visa, also known as residence visa, gives you the opportunity to permanently or for a long period move to China. In the visa application, a visa for permanent residence is designated as D-visa, but usually it cannot be requested from Germany. Below we will look at alternatives to the D-visa.

Long-term visa to China

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Changes in the visa application procedure

For those planning to stay in China, a new visa application procedure has been introduced. For the first visa to China, submitted from December 16, 2019, fingerprinting is required. You will need to visit the official embassy or visa center to submit your fingerprints. They will be stored for 5 years. For all subsequent applications during this period, you will not need to submit fingerprints again. Exception: if you are applying for a new passport. Find out what else you need to know and how we can support you in applying for a visa here.

Permanent Visa Requirements for China

In order to obtain a permanent visa, you need to demonstrate prior, longer stays in China or special merits to the country. Applying for an immigration visa is considered lengthy, expensive, and - as assumed - intended for a limited group of individuals.

If you have a D category visa, you must within 30 days register with local security authorities in China and obtain a visa for conversion to permanent residency. In addition to the official invitation, a health certificate and HIV test are usually required. In China, this applies to all cases of staying in the country for more than six months.

Since there are many myths circulating on the internet about permanent visas in China, we recommend getting information on site from the police or at border control.

Alternatives: Long-term and Multiple Entry Visas

As an alternative to a residence visa, there are visas valid for several months and multiple entries. In most cases, obtaining such visas on favorable terms is not difficult. Often, you have the opportunity to extend the visa or apply for a new visa after a short trip to a neighboring country. Depending on the purpose of your stay, private visa, work visa, cultural visa or business visa may be an option for longer trips to China. Please refer to the individual visa types for more details. Our visa service will be happy to help you find a suitable alternative to a permanent visa to China.