Visa, residence permit and permanent residence permit are three different types of documents for foreigners to stay and live in different countries or regions.
VISA
Visa is a document issued by a country's immigration authority (such as the Immigration Bureau or its embassies and consulates abroad) to approve the entry of a foreign citizen. It includes a variety of short-term visas and long-term visas.
Common Chinese visa types:
C visa: International train attendants, international aircraft crews, crew members of ships on international voyages and their accompanying family members, and car drivers engaged in international road transport
D Visa: Entry for permanent residence
F Visa: Entry for exchange, visit, study and other activities
G Visa: Transit through China
J1 Visa: Resident foreign journalist (resident for more than 180 days) for a Chinese news organization
J2 Visa: Foreign journalists entering the country for a short period of time (stay not more than 180 days)
L Visa: Entry tourist
M visa: Entry for business and trade activities
Q1 Visa: Family members of Chinese citizens who apply for residence in China for family reunion, and persons who apply for entry and residence for foster care and other reasons
Q2 Visa: Relatives of Chinese citizens living in China and relatives of foreigners with permanent residence status in China who enter China for short-term (no more than 180 days) visits
R visa: Foreign high-level talents and specialized talents urgently needed by the country
S1 Visa: Spouses, parents, children under the age of 18, parents of foreigners residing in China for work, study and other reasons for long-term (more than 180 days) visits, and persons who need to reside in China for other personal matters
S2 Visa: Family members of foreigners who stay or reside in China for work, study or other purposes for short-term (no more than 180 days) visits, and persons who need to stay in China for other personal affairs
X1 Visa: Long-term (more than 180 days) study in China
X2 Visa: Short-term (less than 180 days) study in China
Z visa: People working in China
RP
Residence permit is a permit that a foreigner applies to the Chinese exit-entry administration department after entering China with a relevant visa.
It is a foreigner's residence certificate in China, or a legal identity document for foreigners who have obtained residence qualifications in China to reside in China.
The validity period of the residence permit is usually one to five years, and the holder can enter and exit China multiple times during the validity period of the residence permit without applying for a return visa.
There are many types of residence permits, such as work, reunion, private affairs, study and journalism.
PR
The Chinese Permanent Residence Permit, also known as the "China Five-Star Card", is a long-term residence identity document issued to foreigners, allowing the holder to stay in China for a long time and enjoy corresponding rights and convenience in residence, entry and exit, employment and investment, education and social security, property and finance and travel.
