Who may file for you at the exit-entry office: the cases the rules list

Sources checked 11 October 2026 · After arrival

As a general rule, the applicant has to apply in person. The service guide on residence permits says a foreigner shall handle the procedure in person, and it lists the groups for whom the inviting entity or individual, a relative or a specialized service agency may apply instead. Article 19 of the Regulations lists the circumstances in which those same kinds of parties may apply on the applicant's behalf, and it does so in a set order.

Which documents this answer rests on

Two official documents govern this question:

The Regulations on the Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners, English text published by the National Immigration Administration. Article 19 is quoted below in the English original.
The National Immigration Administration service guide for issuing, extending, replacing and reissuing foreigners' residence permits. This guide is written in Chinese. The English wording below is this site's translation of the Chinese text, and the article and section numbers follow the Chinese original.

Article 19 of the Regulations, in order

Article 19 opens with this sentence (English original):

"In one of the following circumstances, the inviting entity or individual, the relative of the applicant or the specialized service agency concerned may apply for extension, change or reissuance of a visa or residence permit, or apply for a stay permit on behalf of the applicant:"

The three circumstances in paragraph 1 are these, in the order the article gives them:

"The applicant is under the age of 16 or over the age of 60 or it would unduly inconvenience the applicant due to illness or other reasons;"
"The applicant's current entry is not his or her first entry into China and the applicant has a good record of stay or residence in China; or"
"The inviting entity or individual has guaranteed to cover the necessary expenses of the applicant incurred in China."

Paragraph 2 of Article 19 reads (English original):

"If the applicant is a person of high talent who is needed, or a specialist who is urgently needed, by the State, or is in the circumstance prescribed by subparagraph (1) of the preceding paragraph, the inviting entity or individual, the relative of the applicant or the specialized service agency concerned may apply for a residence permit on his or her behalf."

Paragraph 2 is the sentence that names applying for a residence permit on the applicant's behalf. It refers to the first circumstance in paragraph 1 and adds the high-talent and urgently-needed-specialist groups.

The service guide: in person as the rule

Section 4 of the service guide, "申请条件" (application conditions), sets the rule in its third paragraph. In this site's translation:

A foreigner who applies for a residence permit, or for its extension, replacement or reissue, shall handle the relevant procedures in person at the exit-entry administration authority of the public security organ. For the following groups, the inviting entity or individual, the applicant's relatives or the relevant specialized service agency may apply on their behalf:

(a) high-level talent needed by the State and urgently needed specialized talent; (b) a person under 16 years of age, or 60 years of age or over; (c) a person with mobility difficulties due to illness or similar causes.

The guide uses different wording from Article 19. Each document should be read on its own terms.

Procedure: who files at each stage

Section 7 of the service guide, "办理基本流程及办理方式" (basic procedure and methods), sets out four items. This is this site's translation, with the item numbers kept as printed.

Item (一), application. The item repeats the rule from section 4. A foreigner applying for a residence permit, or for its extension, replacement or reissue, shall handle the procedure in person. The inviting entity or individual, the applicant's relatives or a relevant specialized service agency may apply on the applicant's behalf for the groups the item lists.

Item (二), acceptance. The office should collect all materials in one go and review the content in one go. If the application meets the acceptance conditions, the office shall accept it and issue a receipt, and it shall decide whether to issue the document within the receipt's validity period. If the procedures or materials are incomplete, the office shall tell the applicant once which procedures to complete and which materials to supplement.

Item (三), review. The office verifies the reason for the application through interviews, telephone inquiries or on-site investigation. It confirms that the applicant holds foreign nationality. It may notify the applicant, or a relevant unit or individual, to attend an interview. If the applicant does not attend an agreed interview without good reason, the office may, in accordance with law, decline to issue the visa document.

Item (四), decision. If the conditions and standards are met, the decision-making body makes an administrative licensing decision and issues the corresponding category of residence permit.

A suggestion, not a rule

If you expect someone else to file for you, check which category in Article 19 or in section 4 of the service guide your situation falls under before you rely on it. Then check the current notice from the office that handles your case, because local offices may publish their own procedures.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not published by or affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council, the National Immigration Administration, any embassy or any university, and it is not legal advice. If the official text and the current notice of the office handling your case differ, the official text and that notice prevail.