(Adopted at the 13th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the
Sixth National People's Congress, promulgated by Order No. 31 of
the President of the People's Republic of China on November 22,
1985, and effective as of February 1, 1986)
Chapter I
General Provisions
Article 1 This Law is formulated with a view to safeguarding the
sovereignty of the People's Republic of China, maintaining its
security and public order and facilitating international exchange.
This Law is applicable to aliens entering, leaving and transiting
the territory of the People's Republic of China and to those
residing and travelling in China.
Article 2 Aliens must obtain the permission of the competent
authorities of the Chinese Government in order to enter, transit or
reside in China.
Article 3 For entry, exit and transit, aliens must pass through
ports open to aliens or other designated ports and must be subject
to inspection by the frontier inspection offices. For entry, exit
and transit, foreign-owned means of transport must pass through
ports open to aliens or other designated ports and must be subject
to inspection and supervision by the frontier inspection
offices.
Article 4 The Chinese Government shall protect the lawful rights
and interests of aliens on Chinese territory. Freedom of the person
of aliens is inviolable. No alien may be arrested except with the
approval or by decision of a people's procuratorate or by decision
of a people's court, and arrest must be made by a public security
organ or state security organ.
Article 5 Aliens in China must abide by Chinese laws and may not
endanger the state security of China, harm public interests or
disrupt public order.
Chapter II
Entry into the Country
Article 6 For entry into China, aliens shall apply for visas
from Chinese diplomatic missions, consular offices or other
resident agencies abroad authorized by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. In specific situations aliens may, in compliance with the
provisions of the State Council, apply for visas to visa-granting
offices at ports designated by the competent authorities of the
Chinese Government. The entry of nationals from countries having
visa agreements with the Chinese Government shall be handled in
accordance with those agreements. In cases where another country
has special provisions for Chinese citizens entering and transiting
that country, the competent authorities of the Chinese Government
may adopt reciprocal measures contingent on the circumstances.
Visas are not required for aliens in immediate transit on connected
international flights who hold passenger tickets and stay for no
more than24 hours in China entirely within airport boundaries.
Anyone desiring to leave the airport temporarily must obtain
permission from the frontier inspection office.
Article 7 When applying for various kinds of visas, aliens shall
present valid passports and, if necessary, provide pertinent
evidence.
Article 8 Aliens who have been invited or hired to work in China
shall, when applying for visas, produce evidence of the invitation
or employment.
Article 9 Aliens desiring to reside permanently in China shall,
when applying for visas, present status-of-residence identification
forms. Applicants may obtain such forms from public security organs
at the place where they intend to reside.
Article 10 The competent authorities of the Chinese Government
shall issue appropriate visas to aliens according to the purposes
stated in their entry applications.
Article 11 When an aircraft or a vessel navigating international
routes arrives at a Chinese port, the captain or his agent must
submit a passenger name list to the frontier inspection office; a
foreign aircraft or vessel must also provide a name list of its
crew members.
Article 12 Aliens who are considered a possible threat to
China's state security and public order shall not be permitted to
enter China.
Chapter III
Residence
Article 13 For residence in China, aliens must possess
identification papers or residence certificates issued by the
competent authorizes of the Chinese Government. The term of
validity of identification papers or residence certificates shall
be determined according to the purposes of entry. Aliens residing
in China shall submit their certificates to the local public
security organs for examination within the prescribed period of
time.
Article 14 Aliens who, in compliance with Chinese laws, find it
necessary to establish prolonged residence in China for the purpose
of investing in China or engaging in cooperative projects with
Chinese enterprises or institutions in the economic, scientific,
technological and cultural fields, or for other purposes, are
eligible for prolonged or permanent residence in China upon
approval by the competent authorities of the Chinese
Government.
Article 15 Aliens who seek asylum for political reasons shall be
permitted to reside in China upon approval by the competent
authorities of the Chinese Government.
Article 16 ?Aliens who fail to abide by Chinese laws may have
their period of stay in China curtailed or their status of
residence in China annulled by the competent authorities of the
Chinese Government.
Article 17 For a temporary overnight stay in China, aliens shall
complete registration procedures pursuant to the relevant
provisions.
Article 18 Aliens holding residence certificates who wish to
change their place of residence in China must complete removal
formalities pursuant to the relevant provisions.
Article 19 Aliens who have not acquired residence certificates
or who are on a study program in China may not seek employment in
China without permission of the competent authorities of the
Chinese Government.
Chapter IV
Travel
Article 20 Aliens who hold valid visas or residence certificates
may travel to places open to aliens as designated by the Chinese
Government.
Article 21 Aliens desiring to travel to places closed to aliens
must apply to local public security organs for travel permits.
Chapter V
Exit from the Country
Article 22 For exit from China, aliens shall present their valid
passports or other valid certificates.
Article 23 Aliens belonging to any of the following categories
shall not be allowed to leave China:
(1) defendants in criminal cases or criminal suspects confirmed
by a public security organ, a people's procuratorate or a people's
court;
(2) persons who, as notified by a people's court, shall be
denied exit owing to involvement in unresolved civil cases; and
(3) persons who have committed other acts in violation of
Chinese law who have not been dealt with and against whom the
competent authorities consider it necessary to institute
prosecution.
Article 24 Frontier inspection offices shall have the power to
stop aliens belonging to any of the following categories from
leaving the country and to deal with them according to law:
(1) holders of invalid exit certificates;
(2) holders of exit certificates other than their own; and
(3) holders of forged or altered exit certificates.
Chapter VI
Administrative Organs
Article 25 China's diplomatic missions, consular office s and
other resident agencies abroad authorized by the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs shall be the Chinese Government's agencies abroad
to handle aliens' applications for entry and transit. The Ministry
of Public Security, its authorized local public security organs,
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its authorized local foreign
affairs departments shall be the Chinese Government's agencies in
China to handle aliens' applications for entry, transit, residence
and travel.
Article 26 The authorities handling aliens' applications for
entry, transit, residence and travel shall have the power to refuse
to issue visas and certificates or to cancel visas and certificates
already issued or declare them invalid. The Ministry of Public
Security and the ministry of Foreign Affairs may, when necessary,
alter decisions made by their respectively authorized agencies.
Article 27 An alien who enters or resides in China illegally may
be detained for examination or be subjected to residential
surveiance or deportation by a public security organ at or above
the county level.
Article 28 While performing their duties, foreign affairs police
of the public security organs at or above the county level shall
have the power to examine the passports and other certificates of
aliens. When conducting such examinations, the foreign affairs
police shall produce their own service certificates, and relevant
organizations or individuals shall have the duty to offer them
assistance.
Chapter VII
Penalties
Article 29 If a person, in violation of the provisions of this
Law, enters or leaves China illegally, establishes illegal
residence or makes an illegal stopover in China, travels to places
closed to aliens without a valid travel document, forges or alters
an entry or exit certificate, uses another person's certificate as
his own or transfers his certificate, he may be penalized by a
public security organ at or above the county level with a warning,
a fine or detention for not more than ten days. If the
circumstances of the case are serious enough to constitute a crime,
criminal responsibility shall be investigated in accordance with
the law. If an alien subject to a fine or detention by a public
security organ refuses to accept the penalty, he may, within 15
days of receiving notification, appeal to the public security organ
at the next higher level, which shall make the final decision; he
may also directly file suit in the local people's court.
Article 30 In cases where a person commits any of the acts
stated in Article 29 of this Law, if the circumstances are serious,
the Ministry of Public Security may impose a penalty by ordering
?him to leave the country within a certain time or may expel him
from the country.
Chapter VIII
Supplementary Provisions
Article 31 For the purposes of this Law the term "alien" means
any person not holding Chinese nationality according to the
Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China.
Article 32 Transitory entry into and exit from China by aliens
who are nationals of a country adjacent to China and who reside in
areas bordering on China shall be handled according to any relevant
agreements between the two countries or, in the absence of such
agreements, according to the relevant provisions of the Chinese
Government.
Article 33 The Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs shall, pursuant to this Law, formulate rules for
its implementation, which shall go into effect after being
submitted to and approved by the State Council.
Article 34 Affairs concerning members of foreign diplomatic
missions and consular offices in the People's Republic of China and
other aliens who enjoy diplomatic privileges and immunities, after
their entry into China, shall be administered in accordance with
the relevant provisions of the State Council and its competent
departments.
Article 35 This Law shall go into effect on February 1,
1986.
(english.gov.cn)