MAKING THE MOVE - Living Abroad in Beijing - page 130

who wants to live here permanently. It's most typically given to people who have married a
Chinese citizen.
Transit Visa (C— 乘务 , chéngwù)—Especially for crewmembers on international avi-
ation, navigation and land transportation missions and their accompanying family members.
Transfer Visa (G— 过境 , guòjìng)—Given to people who need to transfer through
Beijing but not qualifying for or needing more time than permitted with the 72-hour visa-
free period.
Family Reunion Visa (Q1/Q2 —探亲 , tànq ī n)—The Q1 visa is for family members of
Chinese citizens or permanent residents, while the Q2 visa is for foreigners visiting Chinese
citizens and permanent residents short-term. The Q visa allows up to 180 days of stay. Q1
holders must apply for residency within 30 days of arrival. When applying for a Q visa, you
will need a letter of invitation as well as documents verifying your relationship.
Talent Visa (R1/R2— 人才 , réncái)—The R1 visa is for highly skilled foreign profes-
sionals or those whose skills are urgently needed by China, and those who will be residing
in China for a long time. The R2 visa is for similar professionals who need to be here for
only a short time. R1 visa holders must apply for residency within 30 days of arrival.
Personal Matters Visa (S— 私人 , s ī rén)—Given to foreigners coming to China for
private activities, such as marriage, inheritance, adoption, or medical services.
Residency Permit and Health Check
The Residency Permit needs to be applied for within 30 days for all people carrying a Z, X,
or J visa, aged 16 and over. To get your hands on this prized document, you'll need to go
through a fairly detailed process first. The paperwork required for each visa type is slightly
different, but in all cases you'll need to take an official health check.
The health check can actually be done from your home country, but it's recommended
that you do it in Beijing at the Beijing International Travel Healthcare Center in Haidian.
It's an interesting but slightly baffling procedure. Within just about an hour you zip around
to about 10 different examination rooms, having such things as a blood pressure test, an eye
test, an ECG, a chest X-ray, and a blood test (testing for HIV and syphilis). Not every health
condition will rule you out from the permit, but conditions such as HIV will.
Some simple tips for the day: 1) Fast for at least 12 hours before you go; 2) Do not try
to go in an orderly manner from room 1 to 10; just look for an empty door without a queue
and go in. All that matters is that all boxes are checked off; and 3) Keep the receipt ( f ā piào )
for both this and the cab fare, as your company should be able to reimburse you. The exam
will cost around RMB650.