On June, 1st, Shanghai was the first city to begin to offer a new Permanent Resident ID Card to foreigners, and this policy will make the lives of expats staying in China much easier.
According to a release from the Shanghai Exit – Entry Bureau, this month, June 2017, the office will begin accepting applications for the new 2017 Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card. This card is registered in Chinese government databases in the same way that Chinese national citizens are and will provide easier access to many services that previously were not available to foreigners in China.
The police department officially announced cards will begin to be issued out as of the 16th of June. After this date, the Exit-Entry Bureau will also discontinue issuing the permanent residence permit that normally would be placed inside your passport as it will be replaced by this new ID card. For foreigners who already have qualification to stay in China permanently, they will be able to apply for a card renewal (changing from a resident permit to a resident ID card).
Between June, 1st and December, 31st, Shanghai foreigners who have a permanent resident permit can go to any exit-entry police office in Shanghai and apply for a new permanent resident ID card, regardless of whether their current resident permit is close to expiring or not. It takes about 20 days for the police department to issue the new card after the application has been accepted. For renewal applications after December, 31st, permit holders will need to apply within a month before expiry, or within a month after changes made on their permit information.
The permanent resident ID card is a legal document enabling foreigners to prove their identity in China, it certifies foreign permanent residence status in the country, and can be read by Chinese second generation ID card reading machines. This means that ID card holders will be able to simply scan their card at train stations rather than having to line up every time to have a ticket printed out. Also, many of the bike rental services and other applications require a Chinese ID number to be able to use their service; this will mean that foreigners can also register on this kind of applications and services too. Most of all, it will be nice not to have to tote around your all-to-precious passport everywhere with you while you are traveling within China. Now the only question that remains is when will this new policy be available in other cities within China…
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