Marriage Visa Questions

[anonymoose]

After all, they're going to want you back in to check you aren't divorced.

To get another 800 kuai, more like.

So, 3 month tourist visa from Hong Kong (as far as I know, the only place that issues three month tourist visas to the mainland)

I got one from London, about 5 years ago.

[yialanliu]

3 Month L visas aren't hard to get. I only get 3+ months per entry 1 year multiple.

But back to investment D visa. Since your getting married to get an L. What visa do you get to start a company and invest into China? An F Visa or do you need to get a Z?

With regards to quantity of money, the reason I ask is because what is considered investment is really important for me. For instance, in China the amount of startup cash is often much lower than the actual worth of the company. For isntance, my family runs a company with revenuues over 10 million RMB a year but the startup cash certificate is only for 500,000 RMB(already very high). If the investment only counts for what the Bureau says is the applied for money, then some figures are much harder to get. In all honesty, 200-300K RMB only makes sense if this is how it's counted.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/refusal.htm

Here it says 500k, 1mil, 2mil depending on what type. The thing is this is USD and if this is 工商局 certificate number valuation, then that's near impossible.

[roddy]

Chiangmai has also been known to hand out L visas with 2 90 day stays quite liberally.

I'm really not sure what the OP is trying to achieve - you've gone from getting married to investing. Just do Hong Kong visa runs and dodgy F visas like everyone else.

[jkhsu]

I'm really not sure what the OP is trying to achieve

I think at the end of the day, the OP just wants to be able to live in China (and keep his US citizenship) without having to do visa runs like everyone else. That's why he's asking about the D visa, which requires foreign investment in China. Why can't China just have a Green Card system like the USA?

Adding: To the OP, you might want to check out this article (below) about US citizens giving up their citizenship because of tax reasons. If you're not planning to visit the US often or live in the US, perhaps there's no need to keep your citizenship.

http://blogs.wsj.com/hong-kong/2011/03/10/red-white-and-through/

[yialanliu]

@Roddy, yea I just want to keep US citizen without doing visa runs after marriage. Because online sources seemed to contradict each other, I was hoping for some insight from this community.

While taxes is somewhat of a concern, it's not something I am that is at the top of the list. At the same time, people might give it up in Hong Kong, but I don't think most are willing for China. A Chinese passport is a huge hassel where pretty much every foreign country needs a visa to visit whereas with a US passpot, I can do go to a lot of countries without a visa. What I plan to do is making income that isn't taxed by China so definitely won't be taxed by the US, approx 2k a month RMB and then live off of an expense account tied to a corporation.

[jkhsu]

What I plan to do is making income that isn't taxed by China so definitely won't be taxed by the US, approx 2k a month RMB and then live off of an expense account tied to a corporation.

That is pretty cool. I always learn something new here.

[roddy]

You don't do visa runs once you're married, you just go to the local PSB, no? A couple of hours doing that a couple of times a year is not going to kill you, and makes a lot more sense than setting up a business or buying an apartment for the sake of the visa. 'Course, if you need an apartment or have a profitable business in mind, go ahead and do that anyway, but the L visa for being married is surely the least hassle in terms of paperwork.

If this is an immediate issue, and you're sure you're getting married, you could do the legal registration bit in advance and have the ceremony whenever. That's hardly unusual, and I can't see the in-laws objecting.

[WangYuHong]

Wow, and I thought trying to navigate the US government was confusing...

I never even considered the thought of different places using different "variations" on the written law...

I've tried to read up on this thread and the others written in the forums, and from what I can surmise, getting married in China doesn't grant one the right to work? Does it not give you an avenue for getting a residence permit at least? (I'm not quite clear on what this permit is, if you still have to use an L "Tourist" visa, and still can't work, it doesn't seem like it does a whole lot...)

Or I guess to turn it around, is the only way to work in China to find a company willing to sponsor me (and then I'd only be able to work for that company)?

[yialanliu]

@roddy

It's slightly more complicated for me. I know about that but there are political sensitivities that can change and I want to be prepared as a D visa is a lot stronger than an L. I am referring to if China sudden;y changes policies and strictly enforce some of the laws they have limiting work and what not such as cracking down on english teachers without the right visa and or reducing the quota of Z visas. You might think I think too much but the US has had a long history of changing quotas and still change them now so I want to be best prepared for that and a D visa is a lot better than an L if that happens. And lets not even talk about the foreign expulsion that China has done.

I also ask about investments because I/my family has investments in China so I don't need to buy more property. We already own multiple units and was wondering if that ownership could be counted as investment. The main problem is about half is residential while the other half is commercial. I was just wondering if maybe only commercial counts and what are the rules.

And Roddy, would you happen to know what visa you need to start your own corporation?

The legal marriage is not something I am worried about as that's easy enough to do and something I have planned for this year prior to the ceremony.

[roddy]

I never even considered the thought of different places using different "variations" on the written law...

And at different times, don't forget.

I see the point about making yourself proof against future changes, but for my money these are so unpredictable I'm dubious about how much time it's worth putting into guarding against them. And I'd imagine spouses are one of the safer groups - property and businesses have indeed seen some ups and downs over the last sixty years, but the institution of marriage has survived relatively unscathed.

If you're setting up a business I'd imagine you get started on whatever visa you have / can get at the time, then when you're set up get yourself a working visa. Your local ex-pat mag will have listings for consultancies doing this.

[Sam Reeves]

You Z visa is work related right?

I must have gotten really unlucky with the 6 month deal... sucks!

[ironman510]

HI Guys

hey hey hey guys, relax on all the L Visa marriage talk and the so called China Green card, I've got your perfect solution. Just come into china on whatever visa you want and have your wife apply for a "Dependency-Visa", this is where your wife will go down to the PSB and she will make you her dependant and you'll get a "Resident Permit" no its not a Z visa and no you can't work on it, BUT BUT BUT you can start your own business with your wife under her name.

The visa will have to be renewed every 3 months for 1 year and after 1 year then the visa will be good for 6 months and then after 2 years the visa will be good for 1 year. Pain free, youy don't even have to go to the PSB. But Loads of paper work the first time applying.

I'm American and I got. Easy for U.S and England guys.

Yes yes yes, you can also get the Marriage Family L Visiting Visa if you want. But At least with a Dependency Visa I don't have to leave china do visa runs. Nope, Its easy, just go back to the PSB and renew again and forever. Never have to leave.

Try it my way.

[WangYuHong]

I know anything coming from a first post should be taken with a grain of salt...

Has anybody had any experience with this so-called "Dependency Visa" though?

/wishful thinking

[roddy]

It doesn't sound any different to what's always been the case, bar that they've started handing out 'dependent' residence permits instead of long-term L visas. You still can't work, and I'm dubious about being able to start a business 'in your wife's name' - you could have done that anyway. I'll wager there aren't any rules that say you can do it and give you any legal rights over said business.

[jasoninchina]

In case this helps anyone, I will post what I had to do to get my residences permit in Haikou.

1. Marriage certificate (original)

2. Certified by the secretary of state (California for me)

3. Authorized and translated by Chinese embassy (SF for me)

I then brought these documents with me to China. Here, I was required to have the following seven items.

1. Passport

2. Marriage Certificate

3. House certificate (Deed) 房产证明

4. Physical exam certificate 首次申请需提供健康证明

5. Family register book (for my wife's family) 户口

6. Accommodation registration (from the local police) 住宿登记证明

7. Bank statement (Chinese bank) 银行存款证明

As far as I can remember, this is it. That got me a 1-year renewable residence permit. I don't know what letter it is, if that sort of thing interests you. I've had most other visas, including L and F, and it's not those. Whatever it is, it calls itself a residence permit. I'm fairly sure it does not permit me to work.

On a side note, I have looked into a green card. They are real and from what I'm told, I have to be married and live in China for five years to start the application. When the time comes, I think I'll do it just for kicks.

[carlo]

AFAIK green cards imply taxation on worldwide income. This is not consistently enforced now (em, like other things) but it may be so in the future. Hence I wouldn’t look at green cards (or D-visa, assuming there is a difference) as something you’d get just in order to be spared a few hours of red tape every year. There are likely to be other implications, eg rights and obligations, that should be understood better. I have a more or less clear notion of what rights and obligations I’d get by becoming a HK permanent resident. With mainland PR, apart from bragging rights on Chinese-forums, I have no idea (and btw, if it’s to be renewed every five years, or ten, then it’s not “permanent” by any stretch of the word).

I did get a marriage L-visa in the past. Within China, 1-year duration, multiple-entry, no limit as to much time you can stay (ie. no visa runs). No bank statements or health checks either. Maybe regulations have changed, or enforcement varies from place to place, or both.