Bringing Family to Guangzhou: Personal-Matters or Reunion Residence Permit, the Kinship Proof Guangzhou Asks For, and Two 30-Day Dates

Checked on 21 October 2026. We are an interpreting and translation company in Guangzhou (Guangzhou Guanri Translation Services Co., Ltd.). We are not an immigration agency, not a law firm and not a government office, and the service this article ends up recommending, document translation and interpreting, is one we sell ourselves. This is not legal advice. Every rule below comes from an official text that is linked in the sources; whether a particular application is accepted or approved is decided by the exit-entry administration of the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau, not by us.

A foreign employee who has a work-type residence permit in Guangzhou usually wants the family to come too: a spouse, children, sometimes parents. China's rules split those family members into two different residence permits, and Guangzhou's own application lists ask for more than the national guide does. This article reads the official texts in that order: the regulation, the national guide, then Guangzhou's lists.

1. Which line is yours

Every row above is a summary. The application is decided by the exit-entry administration, which may ask for documents these lists do not mention.

2. What the regulation says

The Regulations on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (State Council Order No. 637 of 2013, revised by the State Council decision of 7 August 2025) set out five types of residence permit in Article 15. Two of them are about family. This is the official English of items (4) and (5); the article has an opening sentence and five items:

(4) The residence permit for reunion is issued to family members of Chinese citizens and family members of foreigners with permanent residence status in China who need to reside in China for family reunion, and to persons who need to reside in China for fosterage or other purposes; and

(5) The residence permit for personal matters is issued to spouses, parents, children under the age of 18 or parents-in-law of foreigners residing in China for work, study or other purposes, who apply for long-term visit to China, as well as for persons who need to reside in China for other personal matters.

The official English is a translation of the 2013 text. We compared Articles 15 to 19 of the 2013 Chinese text with the 2025 revised text, and the 2025 revision did not change their wording.

Two things follow from these two items. First, the line is drawn by who the family member in China is, not by which visa you hold: the family of a foreign worker or student goes to "personal matters", the family of a Chinese citizen or permanent resident goes to "reunion". Second, item (5) names exactly four relations for the long-term family visit: spouse, parent, child under 18, parent-in-law. A grown-up child, a brother or sister, or a grandparent of a foreign worker is not on that list. The same item matters for a child who already holds a personal-matters permit and turns 18: the item covers a child only while under 18, and neither the regulation nor the guide says what happens at the next renewal. Ask 12367 well before that date. The item ends with "persons who need to reside in China for other personal matters", and whether that covers a particular relative is a decision for the exit-entry administration; the regulation does not answer it, and neither do we.

Article 16 says what each type must bring. Items (4) and (5) read, in the official English:

(4) To apply for a residence permit for reunion, the applicant shall submit proof of family relationship and certification documents relating to the purpose of application; if the applicant needs to reside in China for fosterage or other purposes, he or she shall submit such certification documents as a power of attorney; and

(5) To apply for a residence permit for personal matters, in the case of a long-term visit, the applicant shall, as required, submit such certification documents as proof of kinship and the residence permit of the foreigner to be visited; to apply for entry to deal with personal matters, the applicant shall submit the documents certifying the need to reside in China.

Both items say "proof". Neither says what form the proof takes. That is in the national guide.

3. Personal matters: Guangzhou asks for the kinship proof even on an S1

The National Immigration Administration's Service Guide on Issuance of Residence Permit for Foreigners has a Chinese page dated 5 September 2019 and an English page dated 1 April 2021. The two are not the same length: the English page has sections the Chinese page does not, such as fees for adding accompanying persons. For the rules quoted in this article, the two say the same thing in substance, with two differences in wording: where the Chinese says an embassy of the country the applicant belongs to, the English says "the applicant's country of residence", and where the Chinese says 60 and over, the English says "over 60". The English page says it is for reference only and that the Chinese version is authoritative. The official English of the personal-matters paragraph begins:

For foreigners entering China with S1 visa for the purpose of visiting family, the applicant shall submit a letter explaining the kinship (spouse, parents, spouse's parents, minor children below 18) from and the residence permit of the person being visited. A residence permit with a validity period consistent with that of the residence permit of the person being visited in China may be issued.

For foreigners entering China with other categories of visa, the visiting person shall submit a letter from and the residence permit of the person being visited and certificate of the kinship (spouse, parents, spouse's parents, minor children below 18). A residence permit with a validity period consistent with that of the residence permit of the person being visited in China may be issued.

Read side by side, the national guide makes a distinction: with an S1 visa, it asks for a letter from the person you are visiting explaining the kinship; with any other visa, it also asks for the certificate of kinship. The guide does not say why.

Guangzhou's list for the same permit does not make that distinction. It is one of the downloads on the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau's page of exit-entry service guides (the page shows 6 September 2026). Item 6 is "materials related to the reason for residence", and its first sub-item reads, in our translation:

(1) Those coming to China to visit a foreigner who lives here must also provide copies of the valid passport and residence permit of the person visited (originals checked), and a letter of certification issued by the place of work or study, and proof of kinship;

There is no "unless you hold an S1" in it. There is also a document the national guide does not list: a letter from the employer or school of the person you are visiting. So in Guangzhou, whatever visa you came on, plan on at least these: copies of the passport and residence permit of your family member who works or studies here (with the originals to be checked), a letter from that employer or school, the kinship proof, and, because the national guide asks for it, a letter from your family member explaining the relationship. If your family member's passport is being held for their own application, ask the window how to show the originals.

"May be issued consistent with" the residence permit of the person visited is a ceiling, not a promise. Because the guide ties the length of your permit to theirs, a change to theirs can affect yours. Article 33 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law gives a holder 10 days to apply when the registered items on a residence permit change; whether a change on your family member's side counts as a change on yours is for the window to say. When their permit is renewed, changed or cancelled, ask 12367 what you need to do and by when.

The national guide covers people who came on an S1 visa and people who came "with other categories of visa". It does not mention people who came in without a visa. If that is you, ask 12367 before your permitted stay ends whether you can apply in Guangzhou or need a visa first, and do not let the stay run out while you wait. If you came on another short-term visa, such as a tourist or business visa, the guide's paragraph on "other categories of visa" is the one that applies, but Article 31 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law says a residence permit is not issued when the visa held is of a category that should not lead to one. Ask 12367 before your permitted stay ends.

If your family member is changing employer, read our article on changing employers in China together with this one.

4. Reunion: the same pattern on a Q1

The reunion paragraph of the national guide has three sentences in Chinese. Here it is in the official English, which splits the third Chinese sentence into three:

Foreigners entering China with Q1 visa shall submit the identity certificate of the person being visited and a letter explaining the relationship between family members.

Foreigners entering China with other categories of visa shall also submit proofs of family member relationship.

For those under the age of 18 or at or above the age of 60, residence permit with a validity period of not more than 3 years may be issued. The date of expiry of the residence permit for a person under the age of 18 shall not be later than the date on which he/she turns 18. For other persons, a residence permit with a validity period of no more than 2 years may be issued.

Guangzhou's reunion list again asks everyone for the proof of family relationship (item 6), with no exception for a Q1 visa, and it defines family members in brackets: spouse, parents, spouse's parents, children, siblings, paternal and maternal grandparents, paternal and maternal grandchildren, and children's spouses. That is ten relations, much wider than the four in the personal-matters permit, because it is a different permit for a different group of people: family members of Chinese citizens and permanent residents.

Two smaller lines sit next to these. A foreign child under 18 of a foreign national of Chinese origin or of an overseas Chinese, who is being fostered in Guangzhou, can apply for a reunion permit; Guangzhou's list then asks for further documents, among them a notarised letter in which the foster carer accepts the parents' entrustment and the responsibility for bringing up and looking after the child. And Guangzhou has a separate guide for foreign nationals of Chinese origin (people who once held Chinese nationality and their children, and foreign children of Chinese citizens), which says a personal-matters permit for purposes such as a family visit, buying a home or medical treatment can be applied for directly for up to five years. "Up to" is again a ceiling.

5. What counts as proof, and the translation

The national guide's "other matters for attention" define the proof. In the official English (the Chinese of the first item is one sentence; the official English puts a full stop in the middle of it; item 4, on identity documents, is left out):

2. Certification of family relationship and kinship: marriage certificate, birth certificate, adoption certificate and other kinship certificate issued by competent authorities of relevant countries and related notary public authentication. marriage certificate, birth certificate, kinship certificate and certification on the change of name or other personal information issued by the embassy of the applicant's country of residence in China.

3. A marriage certificate, birth certificate, kinship certificate, or certification on the change of name or other personal information issued by the competent authority or notary public of a foreign country shall be authenticated by the Chinese embassy or consulate in that country.

5. Relevant supporting materials in foreign language shall be translated into Chinese.

Four practical points come out of these three items.

• Two kinds of proof are listed. One is issued in your home country (marriage, birth, adoption certificates, with notarisation). The other is issued by your country's embassy in China. Item 3 names only the first kind as needing authentication. Whether an embassy-issued certificate needs anything further, the guide does not say; ask the window.
• The authentication step has changed since the guide was written. China joined the Apostille Convention, and since 7 November 2023 a public document from another member state needs an apostille instead of consular authentication. The guide still says "authenticated by the Chinese embassy or consulate". The apostille replaces the consular authentication step; it does not replace the translation. If your country is not a member, or the Convention does not apply between your country and China, consular authentication still applies; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes the list of contracting states. An apostille is issued in the country that issued the document, and consular authentication is done at the Chinese embassy or consulate in that country, so neither can be done at the Guangzhou window: arrange it before your family leaves home, because the 30 days start on the day of entry. Which one the Guangzhou window wants for your document is its call.
• Name changes are listed on purpose. If the name on your passport does not match the name on the marriage or birth certificate, the guide lists a certificate of change of name as part of the proof. If your country issues one, bring it; if it does not, ask the window what it accepts. A translation renders each document as it is written; where spellings differ, it is the name-change proof that links them, not the translation.
• The guide says "translated into Chinese" and nothing else. It does not say by whom, and Guangzhou's residence permit lists do not mention translation at all. In our experience translating documents for clients in Guangzhou, the exit-entry administration asks for a notarised translation, and our certificate translation page says the same. Ask the window when you book, and do not pay for a translation until you know which kind it wants. If the marriage or birth was registered in China, the certificate is a Chinese document; items 3 and 5 are about foreign documents, so ask the window what it wants before paying for anything.

6. Three other items on Guangzhou's list that catch people out

The accommodation registration form. Both Guangzhou lists ask for a valid Guangzhou accommodation registration form. If your family is staying in your flat rather than a hotel, the registration has to be done within 24 hours (Article 39, second paragraph, of the Exit and Entry Administration Law); see our article on accommodation registration for foreigners.

The health certificate. Three texts say three slightly different things. Article 16 of the regulation has an opening paragraph, five items and a closing paragraph of two sentences. The closing paragraph reads:

When applying for a residence permit valid for more than 1 year, a foreigner shall, in accordance with relevant provisions, submit his or her health certificate. A health certificate is valid for six months beginning from the date of issue.

The Chinese text says "1年以上" and the official English says "more than 1 year"; for a permit of exactly one year the two can be read differently. If yours is a one-year permit, plan on the health certificate and ask the window. Guangzhou's two lists say something else again: the health certificate is submitted on the first application, and people aged 70 or over do not need one. The regulation itself has no age exemption and does not limit the certificate to the first application; if you are 70 or over, or renewing a permit of one year or more, ask 12367 or the window before you decide not to get one. The window decides. The issuing body named in those lists is the pre-2018 name of the inspection and quarantine service, which is now part of China Customs; our article on the health certificate in Guangzhou explains where to go now.

In person. The regulation and the guide say the applicant applies in person; a child under 16, a person aged 60 or over, or a person who cannot get about because of illness may have the application made for them by the inviting organisation or person, a relative or a specialised service agency; whether the window accepts it in a particular case is its decision. See who can apply on your behalf. The guide also says the permit is collected in person with the acceptance receipt; if the applicant cannot come, ask the window.

7. The dates

• 30 days from entry. Article 30 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law: if your visa says a residence permit must be applied for after entry, apply within 30 days of the date of entry.
• The processing time. Article 18 of the regulation gives an acceptance receipt valid for not more than 15 days, and Article 36 says that period is counted in working days, excluding public holidays. Guangzhou's lists say 7 working days. The date on your receipt is what counts; do not book travel that needs your passport before you have it back. While your passport is held, the receipt lets you reside lawfully (Article 18, third paragraph).
• Extension: no later than 30 days before expiry. This is the one to watch. Article 32 of the law is one sentence followed by a second sentence on the decision; the first sentence reads, in Chinese:

在中国境内居留的外国人申请延长居留期限的，应当在居留证件有效期限届满三十日前向居留地县级以上地方人民政府公安机关出入境管理机构提出申请，按照要求提交申请事由的相关材料。

"届满三十日前" means "30 days before expiry": the application has to be in at least 30 days before the date on the permit. The official English on the National Immigration Administration's site, the same text as the bilingual edition on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular site, translates it as "within 30 days prior to the expiry of the validity period", which can be read as "during the last 30 days", the opposite. The National Immigration Administration's English guide says "30 days before the expiration of the validity period". Go by the Chinese: put the extension in at least 30 days before the date on the permit. For a family member whose permit is tied to yours, that means planning both renewals together.

• A baby born here. Article 40 of the law: the parents or an agent of a foreign baby born in China register the baby's stay or residence within 60 days of birth, with the birth certificate, at the exit-entry administration where the parents stay or reside. See our article on a foreign baby born in Guangzhou.
• The fee. The national guide lists 400 yuan for a permit valid for less than one year, 800 yuan for one year up to less than three, and 1,000 yuan for three to five years, based on a charging notice from 2004. The English guide puts a permit of exactly one year in the 400-yuan band, while the Chinese puts it in the 800-yuan band; the Chinese version is the authoritative one. Pay what the window charges on the day.

8. If you have already missed a date

If your permit is still valid but you are inside the last 30 days, you have not gone past the date on the permit. Go to the window as soon as you can; whether it accepts and grants the extension is its decision.

If the date on the visa or permit has passed, the law's provision on illegal residence may apply. Whether it does is decided by the public security organs. Article 78 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law has two paragraphs, one sentence each. In the official English:

Foreigners who reside in China illegally shall be given a warning; where circumstances are serious, they shall be imposed with a fine of RMB 500 yuan per day, with a cap of RMB 10,000 yuan in total, or be detained for not less than five days but not more than 15 days.

Where guardians or other persons responsible for guardianship fail to perform the guardian obligation and result in foreigners below 16 years of age residing in China illegally, the said guardians or other obligated persons shall be given a warning and may also be fined not more than RMB 1,000 yuan.

For a child under 16, the second paragraph provides for a warning, and possibly a fine, for the guardian. What applies in a particular case is decided by the public security organs.

What counts as "serious" is decided by the public security organs, not by us. Article 21 of the regulation also lets the exit-entry administration refuse an extension to someone who cannot provide the required documents. If a date has already passed: go to the exit-entry administration as soon as you can with everything you have. If a penalty is possible and you want legal advice, contact a practising lawyer at the same time; do not let looking for one delay you. We do not give legal advice.

9. Where to go

Guangzhou's foreigner exit-entry reception hall is at 155 Jiefang South Road, Yuexiu District; enquiries on 12367. Its listed hours are 9:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 17:00 on weekdays, and the same hours on Saturdays for urgent matters. District service halls are listed, with addresses, in the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau's list of foreigner exit-entry service points. Hours and the documents asked for can change, so call 12367 before you go.

10. What we do

Most of the paper in this article is foreign-language paper: marriage certificates, birth certificates, adoption papers, name-change certificates, a school's or employer's letter. We translate these into Chinese, quoted per job, laid out to match the original. In our experience the Guangzhou window asks for a notarised translation, and our certificate translation page says the same. Before you order from us, ask the notary office whether it accepts a translation prepared by a translation company or does the translation itself; if it does its own, you do not need ours for that document. Whether the notary office and the window accept a translation is their decision. We can also send an interpreter with your family to the appointment; whether the interpreter may come up to the counter is decided by the window on the day.

To ask about a document, write to us on WhatsApp (+86 139 2416 6640) or WeChat (Saralee93), or use our contact page. We do not give legal advice, and we do not apply for permits on anyone's behalf.

Sources

• Regulations on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners, official English (2013 text): National Immigration Administration; 2025 revision as published by the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau
• Exit and Entry Administration Law: Chinese and official English, National Immigration Administration
• Service Guide on Issuance of Residence Permit for Foreigners: Chinese, 2019-09-05; English, 2021-04-01
• Guangzhou Public Security Bureau, exit-entry service points and guides (residence permit lists, guide for foreign nationals of Chinese origin, list of service points): page
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Apostille Convention takes effect in China on 7 November 2023: notice