Good News for Expats in Beijing!

If you’re an expatriate working in Beijing then this week brings some good news. A new immigration regulation has been announced by the government that promises to make a significant difference to obtaining a Resident Permit.

In recognition of the fact that a 15 working day processing period for Resident Permits was inconvenient for many foreign employees in Beijing, who had to give up their passports for the entire period, the Public Security Bureau has reduced the processing time from 15 working days to 10 working days for the Residence permit applications. (This applies to both first time applications and renewals). This new regulation took effect from 1st August 2015.

The application period for a Work permit remains 5 working days for new application, and 1 working day for renewal application.

Not only will this new regulation reduce the length of time working expatriates and their families are without their passports (and therefore cant travel internationally) , but it may also help new arrivals get their household goods shipments a little sooner - since most moving companies will not ship household goods until the Resident Permit has been obtained.