Exit and entry administration: the public security office that handles visas and residence permits inside China
Unofficial entry · Sources checked
Exit and entry administration of the public security organ (公安机关出入境管理机构) refers to the offices of public security organs under local people's governments at or above the county level that handle foreigners' residence permits and certain administrative penalties. The Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China names these offices in Articles 30, 32 and 70. For the visa side of this topic, see Visas and residence.
Definition
In this entry, the term means the exit/entry administrations of public security organs under local people's governments at or above the county level. Articles 30 and 32 of the Law use this wording for residence permit applications. Article 70 uses it for penalty decisions. The National Immigration Administration's Chinese service guide uses the Chinese name 公安机关出入境管理机构 for the same offices.
What the official text says
| Document | Provision | What it states |
|---|---|---|
| Exit and Entry Administration Law | Article 30 | Foreigners whose visas specify that a residence permit is needed after entry shall apply within 30 days of entry to the exit/entry administrations in the proposed places of residence. The office shall examine and decide within 15 days of receipt. |
| Exit and Entry Administration Law | Article 32 | Foreigners who apply to extend residence shall file within 30 days before their residence permit expires, with the exit/entry administrations under local governments at or above the county level. |
| Exit and Entry Administration Law | Article 70 | Penalties in this Chapter shall be decided by public security organs under local governments at or above the county level, or by exit/entry border inspection authorities, unless this Chapter provides otherwise. Warnings or fines of not more than RMB 5,000 may be decided by exit/entry administrations of public security organs under local governments at or above the county level. |
Article 30 requires that applicants submit their passports or other international travel documents and provide biometric information such as fingerprints.
The Chinese text of the National Immigration Administration's service guide on residence permits sets out which offices accept applications. English renderings of the Chinese texts in this entry are this site's translation. Section III of that guide says that exit and entry administration offices of public security organs at prefecture-level city and above, including districts and counties under municipalities directly under the central government, accept residence permit applications. It also says that, after the provincial-level exit and entry administration requests approval and the National Immigration Administration approves, county-level offices may accept applications under the Administration's entrustment.
Section VII, item 1, of the English-language service guide says that foreigners applying for a residence permit, or its extension, change or re-issuance, shall apply in person at the exit and entry departments of China's public security organs. It says that an inviting entity or individual, the applicant's family or relatives, or a specialized service agency may file on the applicant's behalf for a high-level talent or urgently-needed professional, a person under 16 or over 60 years old, or a person disabled due to illness or other reasons.
Article 36 of the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security) provides that, where an international student's study visa states that a residence permit must be applied for after entry, the student shall apply within 30 days of the date of entry to the exit/entry administration department of the public security organ at the intended place of residence, for a study-type foreigners' residence permit. This provision sets the time limit for students in Order No. 42. The 30-day limit in Article 30 of the Law is a separate provision.
Related terms
- Residence permit for study
- X1 and X2 visa
- Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China
- Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42)
- Public security organ
Sources
- Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China (English text), National Immigration Administration
- National Immigration Administration service guide on residence permits for foreigners (Chinese), National Immigration Administration
- Service Guide on residence permits for foreigners (English), National Immigration Administration
- Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42), Ministry of Education of the PRC
Checked 11 October 2026.
This entry is an unofficial summary. It is not legal or immigration advice, and it is not published by the bodies named. If the official text or the instructions of the body handling your case differ from this entry, the official text and those instructions prevail.