Packages in China

I’m heading to China: let’s go through everything before departure

Before you fly — because after departure your options narrow

China allows visa-free entry for 30 days, and this trips everyone up. People fly in ’get the lay of the land,’ find a job or a school, go to register — and discover that that a visa-free stay does not convert into a status: you must leave, obtain a visa at a consulate abroad and return. That means two flights and months of waiting. We map out your journey before you buy your first ticket.

• We calculate your path from the visa date, not the arrival date: converting visa-free 30 days into a status do not convert; residence permits are issued only to those who entered on Z, X1, Q1 or S1 — and this visa is obtained abroad, before departure
• We identify which path is yours: Z for work, X1 for study, Q1 to join a Chinese citizen or permanent resident, S1 to join a foreigner with status
• We verify the employer and invitation letter before submission: from 15 September 2026 the inviting party is responsible for the accuracy of the information, and false details the application results in an entry ban of 1–5 years
• We calculate the timeline honestly: obtaining work status from abroad takes over three months of procedures plus two months for documents
• and also 3

China3 500 ¥ ($521)

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As a family

Flat rate for up to four people, not per head

Family life in China is asymmetric — and that is exactly where people stumble. Status one person receives it — the one who works or studies. The others are added accompanying dependants on S1, and this visa does not permit work. We charge a flat fee per family of up to four people; we register status for everyone at once and well in advance going to tell you which adults need their own path.

• We calculate your path from the visa date, not the arrival date: converting visa-free 30 days into a status do not convert; residence permits are issued only to those who entered on Z, X1, Q1 or S1 — and this visa is obtained abroad, before departure
• Work or study status for the primary applicant
• S1 accompanying visas for spouse and children, residence permits for all family members
• We register you with the police within the first 24 hours of arrival — a hotel handles this this yourself, a rented flat cannot, and without registration the documents for a residence permit will not be accepted
• and also 3

from · Chinafrom 19 800 ¥ ($2 946)

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First week in China

The first day makes more of a difference than the first week

In China the clock starts not at one week but at 24 hours: that is how long for residence registration at the police station. The hotel handles it automatically, a rented flat — no. Without this document, applications will not be accepted for a residence permit, and the whole timeline shifts. Next comes the number, account and payment apps without which you can’t buy anything in China.

• We register you with the police within the first 24 hours of arrival — a hotel handles this this yourself, a rented flat cannot, and without registration the documents for a residence permit will not be accepted
• A Chinese phone number: without one, you cannot set up a bank account or a payment app
• Account at a Chinese bank with WeChat Pay and Alipay linked
• Medical examination for work status: appointment, escort, and receipt of results
• and also 2

China4 200 ¥ ($625)

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First documents: residence permit

30 days after entry — and your passport spends a week at the bureau

The residence permit (居留许可) is the Chinese equivalent of a for residence. It must be filed within 30 days of entry on a Z, X1, Q1 or S1 visa. While it is being processed, your passport stays at the bureau and leaving the country is not permitted — this must be known in advance, not discovered the day before the purchased flight.

• Application to the exit-entry bureau within the thirty-day window after entry
• We register you with the police within the first 24 hours of arrival — a hotel handles this this yourself, a rented flat cannot, and without registration the documents for a residence permit will not be accepted
• Medical certificate, standard-format photos, registration certificate from the local station, form completion
• Accompaniment and interpreter at submission and collection
• and also 3

China5 500 ¥ ($818)

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Staying long-term: work status

Work permit, Z visa, and residence permit

Work status in China is built from three parts: a work permit, visa Z and residence permit. Each depends on the previous one, and the order must not be violated. A separate conversation applies if you are already in China visa-free — in that case, first exit and the consulate, and we map out the route so that the trip is one, not three.

• We calculate your path from the visa date, not the arrival date: converting visa-free 30 days into a status do not convert; residence permits are issued only to those who entered on Z, X1, Q1 or S1 — and this visa is obtained abroad, before departure
• We verify the employer and invitation letter before submission: from 15 September 2026 the inviting party is responsible for the accuracy of the information, and false details the application results in an entry ban of 1–5 years
• We verify the employer: right to hire foreign nationals, track record, readiness to manage the process
• We calculate your points under the A/B/C system and tell you which category you fall into
• and also 4

from · Chinafrom 3 000 ¥ ($446)

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Your own business in China

Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise (WFOE)

WFOE — a company where 100% of the capital is yours and a local partner is not required is not required. Registration costs a clear, fixed fee — but the market has its own dislikes naming: accounting, audit, annual re-registration and social contributions for each employee. We calculate the first year in full before you sign the first document.

• Name reservation and verification, selection of business activities and legal structure
• Company registration, business licence, seals, and tax registration
• Opening a corporate account at a Chinese bank
• ⚠️ Estimated annual running costs: accounting 12,000 ¥ per year, audit and re-registration around 3,500 ¥, employee contributions around 24,000 ¥ — the first year including setup comes to roughly 49,000 ¥
• and also 2

China9 500 ¥ ($1 414)

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Buying my own place: starting with the city

One property, for yourself only, and only where your status

A foreigner in China may purchase one apartment, for personal use only, residence, it cannot be rented out — and only in the city where the holder has esidence permit with the right to work or study, after one year of living there. There is no longer a single rule here: cities are diverging, and we first we check yours first, then search for a property.

• ⚠️ We check your city and your specific situation: Shanghai requires one year of taxes or social insurance, and allows a second property after three years of taxes; Beijing requires five years of social insurance and still limits you to one property
• We calculate whether you have completed a year of residency under a work or study permit
• Developer check, land title and land-use term verification
• Transaction support with interpreter and contract review
• and also 2

China6 000 ¥ ($893)

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Urgent: overstay, refusal, deportation

500 ¥ per day, and that’s actually the better outcome

In China, overstays are counted by the day and cost ¥500 per day up to a ceiling 10,000 ¥, and departure is blocked until the fine is paid. After a month it becomes not a fine: detention for 5–15 days, deportation, and an entry ban up to ten years. The sooner you call, the less it costs.

• Same-day situation review with an honest breakdown: how many days, how much the fine is, and what can still be fixed
• Accompaniment with an interpreter to the exit-entry bureau and police
• Preparing explanations and documents, and restoring status where possible
• We verify the employer and invitation letter before submission: from 15 September 2026 the inviting party is responsible for the accuracy of the information, and false details the application results in an entry ban of 1–5 years
• and also 2

China6 500 ¥ ($967)

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A child born in China: getting the documents in order

There is no citizenship by birth here — but all the paperwork is still required

China follows the principle of blood, not soil: a child born here foreigners, does not obtain Chinese citizenship. However, they do receive Chinese birth certificate, which needs to be translated, legalise and convert into a Russian passport and personal esidence permit. That is exactly what we handle.

• Choosing a hospital and reviewing the estimate: public — up to ¥15,000 for prenatal care and delivery, private and international — up to ¥80,000 for delivery alone
• Accompaniment with an interpreter at appointments and during childbirth
• Chinese birth certificate, translation and legalisation
• Russian foreign passport for the child through the consulate
• and also 2

China9 000 ¥ ($1 339)

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Five-star card — permanent residence

The top of the ladder — and in China there is nothing above it

The five-star card (五星卡) is China’s permanent residence: the indefinite right to live and work without being tied to an employer and without annual renewals. It does not and will not lead to citizenship: naturalisation in the PRC is possible under the law and is nearly impossible in practice, while dual citizenship prohibited. We say this upfront, because otherwise the conversation will end up there anyway o this point — just later and at greater cost.

• We walk through all four paths and tell you which one is yours: employment, investment, marriage, or exceptional contribution
• Through employment: four years of work, a salary of at least ¥886,104 per year, and income tax of at least ¥177,221 per year — the Shanghai standard, which varies by city
• Via investment: from $500,000 in western regions, $1M in central China, $2M on the coast — held for three years in an active business
• Through marriage: five years of marriage to a Chinese citizen, five years of residence for at least nine months per year, and ¥200,000 in a Chinese bank account
• and also 3

China28 000 ¥ ($4 167)

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The child is starting school

The range runs from zero to ¥360,000 a year — and the choice of structure matters more than the registration itself

State schools in China are free and admit foreign children on equal terms with locals: a passport, a residence permit and a parent who works or lives in that city. International costs 140,000–360,000 ¥ per year. The difference between these options more than in any other country in our network, which is why our work here it starts with the choice, not the paperwork.

• We review the options honestly: state schools are free, bilingual schools in Shenzhen cost 140,000–230,000 ¥, international schools in Shanghai 205,000–320,000 ¥, in Shenzhen 220,000–360,000 ¥
• We check what you have for the state option: the child’s passport, residence permit, and a parent’s employment or residence in the same city
• School search by area and curriculum, enrollment, and interview support
• Translation and recognition of grades and vaccination records
• and also 2

China4 500 ¥ ($670)

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Renewing status and tracking the clock

Renewal 30 days before expiry — and breaking the cycle before it is too late

Residence permit renewal is submitted 30 days before expiry, and for a week the passport travels to the bureau again. But the key part of this package not a renewal, but a counter: six years at 183 days without a single trip longer than 30 days — and from the seventh year China taxes your entire worldwide income. The count starts from 2019, and the first applicants have already reached the threshold.

• Residence permit renewal: submission 30 days before expiry, support throughout, collection
• We run the six-year tax counter: 183 days a year for six consecutive years without a single trip longer than 30 days — and from the seventh year Chinese tax on your entire worldwide income, including Russian
• We calculate your days year by year and name the date after which a gap will no longer help
• We plan any trip longer than 30 days so it resets the counter without jeopardising your status
• and also 2

from · Chinafrom 2 500 ¥ ($372)

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Getting my child a US high school diploma

American online school · grades 1–12

Texas private school: curriculum and lessons in Russian, fully online from any country. The result is a High School Diploma and an Official Transcript.

• Daily lessons with teachers or your own schedule
• Assessments twice a year on Homeschool
• Final exams online and in Russian
• Knowledge testing and trial days — free of charge

per year · worldwidefrom €700

What is included →

Prices are in Chinese yuan and are all-inclusive — nothing is added on top. The dollar figure in brackets is for reference, based on a rate of $1 = ¥6.72. Chinese government fees are paid separately and directly: residence permit 400 ¥ for up to one year and 800 ¥ for one to three years, medical examination 480–500 ¥, permanent residence application 1,500 ¥. Russian consular legalisation costs approximately 8,540 ₽ per document. Prices are listed by the country where the rate has been confirmed: in China composition, documents and rules of their own, and the cost is calculated separately.

SVOY initial consultation — 600 ¥ ($89), credited toward the cost support. It is paid from the first minute, and we explain why: Chinese agencies offer a free call, but free call is a walk-through of the services. For that fee, we analyse your specific situation and deliver a route with a calendar and budget, even if the conclusion is ’don’t fly.’

How China differs from the twelve countries where we already work

• Entry is easy; staying is not. Since 15 September 2025, Russian citizens enter without a visa for 30 days, and the scheme has been extended through December 31, 2027. No other country joining our network is not free. But visa-free entry is not turns into a status from within: a residence permit is granted t only those who entered on a Z, X1, Q1 or S1 visa, which is obtained abroad. That means departure, the consulate visit, and return — and we count all of it this calendar before you buy your ticket.
• Chinese citizenship will not be granted. We say this in the first line, not in a footnote. Naturalisation in China is permitted by law and nearly impossible in practice; dual citizenship is prohibited. The top of the ladder is permanent residence — a five-star card: permanent right to live and work with no ties to o an employer. Over two decades, around 15,000 such cards, but the pace is growing — in Shanghai alone, by early 2026 exceeding 10,000.
• The first day matters more than the first week. You have 24 hours to register your residence with the police after of arrival. A hotel handles it automatically; a rented apartment does not. Without this paper, they won’t accept documents for the permit for residence, and the entire plan shifts by a month.
• Six years without a long trip abroad — and you’re taxed on worldwide income. Almost no one writes about this in China, yet it costs more everything else. Having spent 183 days a year for six consecutive years without ithout a single trip exceeding 30 days, from the seventh years you pay Chinese tax on your entire worldwide income — including Russian rental income and dividends. The count starts from 2019. A single trip longer than 30 days resets the counter. We keep track of it.
• From 15 September 2026, a registered intermediary submits the application. State Council Regulation No. 841 introduces the first nationwide registry immigration intermediaries and explicitly prohibits foreign companies to provide such services in China. For false information the application results in an entry ban of one to five years, and the inviting party is responsible for the accuracy of the invitation. That is why we honestly we split the work: review, documents, translations and the folder are on us, and the application is submitted by a registered practitioner whose name you know from day one.
• One apartment, for personal use only. A foreigner may purchase one property and must live in it personally; renting it out not allowed, and only in the city of your residence permit after years of work or study there. Cities diverge on this point: Shanghai lowered the threshold to one year of taxes and, after three years, allows a second apartment, Beijing requires five years of social insurance. And most importantly: property in China grants no status, no extension, and no permanent residence.
• State schools are free. All primary and secondary schools accept foreign children on equal terms with locals: a child’s passport, a residence permit are required and a parent who works or lives in that city. International costs 140,000–360,000 ¥ per year. The range spans from zero to three hundred sixty thousand — the largest in the network, which is why our work here it starts with the choice, not the paperwork.
• There is no birthright citizenship here. A child born in China to foreign parents does not receive PRC citizenship does not receive it. We do not sell ’birth tourism for a passport’ — it simply doesn’t exist here. Instead, documents are required: a Chinese birth certificate, its legalisation, Russian passport through the consulate and a personal residence permit hild. This is legal, necessary, and costs 9,000 ¥.

Looking for a supplier, factory, or logistics from China? That is our other service — SVOY China: sourcing, production checks and delivery. Here — on the status and relocation.