Changing address - procedure?

[joshuawbb]

Sorry to rush in here with a question again.

I've just moved with my girlfriend into a new apartment here in Xiamen, and the process is now complete - a new tenant has moved into the previous apartment, and all contracts have been signed. I have a residence permit for study and I understand I should now do the following within 10 (?) days:

-Go to local police station/paichusuo and get a new "temporary residence form"

-Go to university with form, fill out a new residence form (university already accepted my address change)

-Copy again pretty much everything important, like passport, residence permit, contact, etc

-Go to PSB with temporary residence form, photocopies and address change application from university, and have the PSB update my address in their system

Can I confirm that the above procedure is correct? I have a few important questions I need help with, many thanks for your answers:

-Firstly, my landlord's contract was printed out from somewhere (computer maybe?), with I presume all the text of a normal contract. My girlfriend inspected it thoroughly. On the contract are the phone numbers of the landlord, my girlfriend and myself, as well as all our phone numbers, before of course our signatures. However, the contract is not pink-coloured, doesn't have the usual red stamp and is not watermarked with a red number in the top corner. Will this contract be acceptable to bring to the police station? I raised this issue directly before, and the landlord and my girlfriend seem to feel it is perfectly fine. But I'm not really sure.

-Regarding the "temporary residence form" (the little slip of paper with your address, etc), I got one of these when I first moved into China and registered. However I read no information anywhere about whether it had any particular importance after all my resident permit formalities were over. I thought it was just a temporary confirmation that one is a resident and student, and that it was a temporary permit until the real resident permit in my passport took over. Therefore, I no longer have it - my residence was in their system, the permit in my passport, so what need did I apparently have for it? I'm wondering, will I need this at all now? I have moved into a new address which would have made it invalid, hence the need to obtain a new one now. Since I've discovered it may be needed, I'll keep it safe this time.

Once again, many thanks for helping me today. Things just seem so much more simple at first than they actually are.

[imron]

Go to local police station/paichusuo and get a new "temporary residence form"

This is pretty much the only one you need to do, and technically you need to do it within 24 hours, but it's sometimes pretty flexible. It should only take a few minutes to do, just take your contract with you. It will probably help if you can get your landlord to go with you to the paichusuo when you do this, and you might also need proof that your landlord is paying rental tax on the property.

These temporary residence permits are important, and you do need to keep them. That being said, if they ask you where your old one is you might be able to get away with saying that your old paichusuo took it back. This might work assuming your new place doesn't have the same paichusuo as your old place as you are supposed to hand the form back when you switch residences.

[Mouseneb]

I have a rant about this procedure here:

http://mouseneb.livejournal.com/10868.html

The upshot is, you may need to bring some kind of "proof of residence" from your building management, as well as some passport size photos.

[imron]

The "temporary residence form" should suffice as your proof of residence. Didn't you get one when you first registered with the PSB?

[Mouseneb]

For me, they wanted proof that I STILL lived there. Something with a current date.

[roddy]

There's any amount of potential for variation across different places. Even here in Beijing, the paichusuo registration alone can vary from [exaggeration] mentioning you've moved to any policeman you happen to see on the street, and having to bring in your landlord, his hukou, all the people on his hukou, and three character references[/exaggeration].

At this point the only thing you can do is start the process and see what you get told to do - sounds like you have everything you need and it really shouldn't be that difficult - a time-consuming hassle maybe, but not actually difficult.

[joshuawbb]

Sorry to come back rather late, the formalities and tidying the apartment up have kept me extremely busy. Thank you for the help and advice.

Thankfully I got really lucky with the registration procedure yesterday, it went more simply than I imagined and I guess the police lady was in a good mood. She didn't ask for the landlord or my girlfriend, nor did she ask me for the original Temporary Residence form which I had lost. I just brought the non-stamped contract and passport photocopies and needed nothing else. Your entry was good to read Mouseneb, thanks for sharing your experience - and sorry to hear how much inconvenience you went through. I had instructions from the university on my first registration on which documents to bring, but I tripped up when the PSB wanted two copies of my passport and visa, not the single copies that the instructions said. Thankfully there is a photo and copy place right outside the Entry-Exit Bureau with staff waiting outside who know perfectly well you're missing documents.

If there's something I've learned more and more here, it's never to underestimate the importance of flimsy sheets of paper. I'll be keeping this new residence slip safe. That said, I have a folder in which I keep safe each and every little important document - except the previous residence, naturally.

Now the PSB side of things after the police station, that's different. Not difficult of course, but naturally to change that little address line in their system they appaently need a written letter from the university, a brand new visa/res. permit application filled out (only the address-related sections), as well as new passport photocopies and finally the residence slip, because supposedly the contract and residence slip isn't enough to prove I live there. Ah well, I've come to expect it all now anyway.

I did have an original temporary residence form when I first registered with the PSB, however I threw it away after I got my residence permit. I misunderstood the importance of the form and thought the meaning of "temporary" on the form meant "temporary form" until I get the permit in my passport. I presumed the full permit would take place of the form, since they have my address in their computer records. Ironically, this is the only official form I have ever thrown away since I got here, and it turned out to be important - everything else is stored in my nice black folder. I guess I had just arrived in China, and so didn't realise the mafan losing a form could cause.

Thanks again for the replies! Hopefully tomorrow every last procedure will be finished.

[imron]

I'll be keeping this new residence slip safe. That said, I have a folder in which I keep safe each and every little important document

Technically I believe you're supposed to keep it on you at all times. I used to just carry a photocopy in my wallet.