As China's economy continues to boom, getting a business visa is much easier than it used to be, as Kevin Ng and April Liao of Deloitte & Touche explain.

Recently, the People's Republic of China (PRC) Ministry of Public Security (MPS) made a series of changes to exit and entry permits that make it easier for Chinese nationals and foreigners to cross the Chinese border, paving the way for China’s further economic development.

The changes are part of a nationwide effort to speed up the two-way traffic for professionals, experts and businessmen who are coming to China since it joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in December 2001. Detailed rules for some of these changes have yet to be issued.

Visas to Hong Kong and Macao

According to the notice released by the Bureau of Exit & Entry Administration (BEEA) under MPS, since 1 December 2001, Chinese nationals leaving for Hong Kong or Macao for business purposes have been able to apply for one-year or three-year multiple business visas.

Previously, the Chinese authority only granted business multiple visas to Hong Kong or Macao for a maximum period of six months. Now, Chinese nationals can apply for one-year or three-year business multiple visas depending on the applicant’s qualifications.

The three-year multiple business visa: Senior management such as legal representative, chairman, vice chairman, general manager, deputy manager, chief accountant, chief economist, and chief engineer of high-tech enterprise, enterprise with tax exemption, or enterprise with export revenue or tax paid more than RMB 500,000 in the proceeding year; or chief representative of foreign representative office in China.

The one-year multiple business visa: Middle-level managers or technicians (ie, positions below deputy manager) of high-tech enterprises, enterprises with tax exemption, enterprises with export revenue or tax paid more than RMB 500,000 in the proceeding year, or deputy manager or above of enterprise with export revenue or tax paid between RMB 100, 000 to RMB 500,000 in the proceeding year; or Chinese employee of foreign representative office in China.

Applicants other than those listed above can apply for a 15-day single business visa or a three-month multiple business visa.

Visa grants at Chinese ports

From 1 January 2002, every entry and exit port in China is authorised to grant foreign group tourist visas. In the past, only 21 ports in China were authorised to grant visas to foreign tour groups.

Now, when foreign tour groups reach the territory of China at these ports, they can get tourist visas from the relevant department at all Chinese ports instead of lodging the application with the Chinese embassy in their home countries before departing for China.

Exemption for overseas invitation letters

As of 2002, Chinese nationals are allowed to go abroad for private purposes without being "invited" by an overseas host. In the past, in order to ensure the applicant met the standard of living in foreign countries, overseas invitation letters and sufficient financial guarantees were prerequisites for visa applications.

'Chinese National Only' special airport passage

  To keep in line with the international airport and business standards, major Chinese airports have been required, as of 2002, to build 10 special entry passages for Chinese nationals returning to China. However, it is not uncommon that such entry passages are not exclusively used by Chinese Nationals. In some locations, the special entry passages can be used by both Chinese and foreign nationals.

Chinese 'green cards' for foreigners

Since 2003, China has started granting long-term residency permits (up to five years), or so-called "green cards" to senior executives of foreign invested companies, which allows them to enter and exit China freely. The approval is given on an extremely limited basis, depending on factors such as the investment volume of the foreign companies, the home country of the applicants and the position and work responsibilities of the applicants.

Simplified application procedures for Chinese passport

China will mainly examine the household registration and personal identification card when issuing passports in major cities before 2005.

This decision was made following the successful implementation of the measure in Guangdong Province. The new policy will be implemented first in major cities like Shanghai, Zhuhai, and Shunde and then extended to other cities.

In the past, Chinese nationals had to go through complicated procedures to get passports, including obtaining permission from the individual’s work unit and collecting many supporting documents from other places. The goal of this new simplified procedure is to ensure that passport can be issued within 15 working days after the application.

Updated in June 2004

Kevin Ng is a tax partner and April Liao is a tax manager with Deloitte & Touche in Beijing.