Start with the legal route
Sponsor, purpose, relationship, and duration come first
China's family routes depend on who the applicant is joining, the qualifying relationship, the purpose of the stay, and whether the stay is long-term or short-term. Use the national rules to identify the likely route, then confirm the live checklist with the Chinese mission and local exit-entry authority responsible for the application.
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Identify the family's legal route
Q-family routes concern family or relatives of Chinese citizens and foreign permanent residents, while S-family routes concern family members of foreigners staying or residing in China for work, study, or other purposes. Long-term and short-term routes are separate.
Write down who each applicant is joining in China and whether that person is a Chinese citizen, foreign permanent resident, or foreign national staying or residing for work, study, or another purpose.
Record the exact relationship for each applicant; the qualifying relationships are not identical across Q1, Q2, S1, and S2 routes.
Compare the intended stay with the official long-term definition of more than 180 days and the short-term family categories.
If an adult family member plans to work, ask the responsible authority which work-authorized route is required rather than assuming family status covers employment.
Confirm the application venue and live checklist
When a visa is required, application steps, appointment arrangements, identity collection, payment, and supporting-document instructions are administered through the Chinese mission or official visa service responsible for the place of application.
Find the official Chinese embassy, consulate, or visa application service responsible for the place where each applicant will apply.
Open that authority's current instructions and the official COVA form rather than relying on an agent's copied checklist.
Confirm whether an appointment, in-person appearance, fingerprint collection, interview, or additional local form applies to each applicant, including children.
Save the checklist, submission address, appointment confirmation, processing notice, and contact method with the date checked.
Build the invitation and sponsor packet
Family applications generally connect the applicant to an inviter or principal resident in China through identity, status, invitation, and relationship evidence.
Prepare the invitation or relationship letter in the format requested by the responsible mission or exit-entry authority.
Collect the inviter's or principal resident's current identity document and the relevant Chinese residence, work, study, or permanent-residence evidence.
Create a separate folder for each applicant while keeping shared sponsor evidence in a clearly named family folder.
Check that names, birth dates, passport numbers, relationships, addresses, and signatures agree across every form and supporting record.
Prepare relationship documents for cross-border use
Birth, marriage, adoption, kinship, custody, and name-change records may need cross-border formalities and Chinese translation, depending on where the document was issued and what the receiving authority requests.
Ask the receiving mission or exit-entry authority which original, certified copy, apostille or legalization, issue-date, and translation rules apply to each relationship record.
For a public document from an Apostille Convention member country, confirm the competent authority and obtain the apostille when required for use in Chinese mainland.
For a document from a non-member country, confirm the local authentication step and subsequent legalization by the responsible Chinese embassy or consulate.
Keep the original, apostille or legalization pages, translation, and high-quality scans together; do not detach attached certificates or stamps.
Submit the entry application and protect the originals
A visa application uses the applicant's travel document, application form, photograph, and purpose-specific supporting materials, with additional requirements set by the responsible authority.
Submit each family member's application through the current official process and retain the submission receipt or tracking record.
Keep a secure copy of every form and supporting item exactly as submitted, including the invitation and relationship evidence.
Avoid non-refundable travel commitments that depend on an approval or a particular processing date.
When the passport is returned, check the visa category, number of entries, validity period, duration of each stay, and any post-entry residence instruction before traveling.
Register accommodation after arrival
Hotels register foreign guests through hotel procedures. At a home or other non-hotel address, the foreign national or host generally completes accommodation registration with the local public-security authority within 24 hours after arrival at that address.
At a hotel, present the valid travel document and confirm check-in registration was completed.
At a non-hotel address, ask the host or local authority which online or in-person registration channel is available for that address.
Use the NIA online accommodation service only where the current pilot or later rollout covers the address; otherwise use the local police or public-security service channel.
Keep the approved record and repeat registration when the local rules require it after a move or address change.
Apply for a residence permit when the visa requires it
When the visa indicates that a residence permit must be obtained after entry, the application is filed with the exit-entry authority in the intended place of residence within 30 days after entry.
Confirm the responsible exit-entry office, appointment method, and family-specific document list for the intended place of residence.
Prepare the valid passport, application form, compliant photo, purpose evidence, accommodation record, sponsor evidence, and requested originals and copies.
For a permit requested for more than one year, confirm whether the published health-certificate requirement applies and where the examination is accepted.
Plan for an in-person application unless the authority confirms that an allowed representative may apply, and retain the acceptance receipt while the passport is held.
Track expiry dates, extensions, and document changes
A visa stay extension and a residence-permit extension use different published lead times, and changes to passports or registered permit information can trigger additional action.
Record each family member's passport expiry, visa validity, permitted stay, residence-permit expiry, and sponsor-document expiry separately.
If a visa stay must be extended, review the NIA route and apply at least seven days before the permitted stay expires.
If a residence period must be extended, prepare to apply 30 days before the residence permit expires.
Use the NIA office directory or call +86-12367 when a passport, address, family status, purpose, or other registered detail changes and the required next action is unclear.
Put these on the calendar
Published timing at a glance
These national timing rules are useful planning anchors. The visa, permit, local authority, and circumstances still determine the exact action for each family member.
The regulations define long-term residence as exceeding 180 days; the correct route still depends on purpose and sponsor status
General accommodation-registration timing after arrival at that address
Apply after entry when the issued visa indicates a residence permit is required
Published lead time before a residence permit expires
Published lead time before the stay shown on a visa expires
NIA immigration service hotline with English and other language support
How to use this guide
Official rules first, route-specific confirmation always
This free guide organizes official information and practical setup suggestions; it does not replace immigration, legal, medical, tax, school, insurance, or housing advice. Requirements change and vary by person, route, provider, district, and address.
Open the linked source beside any formal requirement and confirm the current process before submitting documents, paying fees, signing a lease, or relying on a deadline.
Content and official links checked 15 July 2026.