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Q: Why cant I get a residence permit??
I am currently in Guangzhou Baiyun district.I live close to the Yongtai metro station in a small place called yuanxiatian.
I went to apply for the residence permit and I got rejected because I was not living in a Garden or small district. I live in a small apartment privately owned. what should I do?? I am from the Uk Birmingham and hold a one year travel visa. Why do I feel it is not fair. Just because I don't live in a garden I cannot get a residence permit.
Welcome to China! That's just how things work here. All foreigners need to be housed in "gardens" with security guards (bao an) crawling all over before you can get a permit. Why? We don't know, just do it and you'll get your permit. Fair? Forget fair in China. You fight the system, you won't get it. Get it? Lol! Hope that helps.
your employer should help you with this
dom87:
if he is on a 1 year travel visa he doesnt have an employer i guess
I have had friends refused even a driving license for the same reason. You can't live in "local" housing, you need to be in a garden. Yes it is unfair but as you will quickly learn China IS unfair, to everyone regardless of nationality, even their own citizens. Easiest thing to do is move to a garden OR find a friend and use their address.
Question: is that what the PSB told you or someone else? I lived very near to where you are now and never had a problem.
Sorry for the ignorance, but what's a garden? Is this a rule specifically for Guangzhou?
thanks for the answers you guys. Seems like its time I moved to garden to live. btw. the PSB did tell me that I have to be in a garden to be able to get the residence permit. Seems like I need to fork out on more money now for an apartment in a garden with guards.
A garden in china is something like huayuan （花園）or（小區）。
They do not allow you to live in a privately owned apartment house (公寓）。
It means that you have to pay more money to live in a nice fancy guarded place with a big gate.
louischuahm:
Marc, they call each condominium complex something like 春景花园 which means spring view garden. We called it garden (a pun) because it's a direct translation. For 小区，it means condominium complex surrounded with walls/fences, with security guards and all the bells and whistles.
There is more to it than being in a secure area.
When you go for your temp residence permit, you need to take your rental agreement with you. For a landlord to have a rental agreement to give you, he needs to be registered with the local tax office. Because the Government want to tax his income from the rented property. Most landlords try to avoid the tax. There is also stuff about "buy to let mortgages" being more expensive, so that's another thing to be avoided.
Landlords "in the know", don't rent to foreigners because they know they will be asked to produce the rental agreement. And that's why rental for foreigners can be more expensive. Because the landlord is passing the tax onto you.
The stuff I have written above can apply to every developed country in the world. It's no different here. Protection against slum landlords and all that.
What is different though is the threat of burglary. It is a sad fact of life that many Chinese think all foreigners are loaded. If you are not living behind a gate there is a very real chance someone will try to rob you. The local coppers would prefer not to have to deal with that. Crime prevention and all that. It's their job.
ScotsAlan:
Adding a note for the OP.
If the residence is privately owned, has the owner went to the PSB with you? He needs to take his property ownership book to the PSB.
He will also probably need his own GZ residence permit if he is not a local.
Is this a real story of "how bad China is", or is it just another tale of people trying to buck the system for whatever reason?
ou812:
ScotsAlan, Sorry, but now I am a bit confused. If my wife owns the house/apartment then does it have to be walled, gated, and guarded or not? I have told her I couldn’t legally live with her. Was I wrong? Her apartment is very nice, but the actual building and neighborhood are both just avg. in the center of a tier 4 city. Is there any officially published information that you know of? I have looked, but not finding anything close to what I am looking for. Of course in China rules are like lines in a coloring book, but I have no desire to live or work illegally in China.
ScotsAlan:
It's because your a foreigner, and this is a developing country.
Your friends may be world wise, but there is still a lot of Bandits about. They will rob you blind. Your 10 year old laptop is worth a years wages to some. The police would rather not have some western guy running off to his embassy claiming unfair treatment because the Chinese police are not investigating crimes well enough.
This is China friend. Until you marry a Chinese there will always be unpleasant surprises. Once you marry one - VOILA! Things go a lot smoother.
Nessquick:
marrying chinese does not give us nothing easier in a case of visa making ... all is same/.
Mateusz:
Once you marry a Chinese, there will be different unpleasant surprises.
This is China friend. Until you marry a Chinese there will always be unpleasant surprises. Once you marry one - VOILA! Things go a lot smoother.
You can get a residence permit, all you need to do is to take your landlord with you to the local police office that control/supervise your region. If he got connection or something like that it will be done without you lifting a finger, probably in one text message (happens to me once).
Lord_hanson:
Me too, my landlord's son was a football player for Tianjin. When the local police station knew that I was amazed how helpful they were.
you are rejected because you are holding travel visa ...............
you need to apply work permit. then you can apply for the resident permit.
before work permit, you have to apply invitation letter then back to UK to get z visa to China to apply for the work permit and resident permit.
Chester
