Ahh China, confusion rules!
I think we are talking about 2 different things here even though they have the same name! The first " Residence Permit'" below is for people who are employed by a company/school and sets out the requirements:-
For foreigners who want to stay in China for a short term will be asked to apply for a temporary or long-term residence permit,
1. Temporary residence permit
Basic application materials needed
1. A valid passport and visa;
2. Letter from the employer;
3. Certificate for accommodation registration;
4. Two recent 2-inch carnet color photos of uncapped portrait image;
For foreign experts, the following are also required:
(1) Expert Card;
(2) Certificate of health (exempted for those with validity period of temporary residence below one year).
For foreign students, the following are also required:
(1) Either JW201 or JW202 form;
(2) Certificate of health (exempted for those with validity period of temporary residence below half a year);
(3) Examination-approval form for off-campus accommodation (if applicable).
For performance staffs, the following are also required:
(1) Certificate of performance;
(2) Approval document from the Ministry of Culture.
Note: For those foreigners from the countries with mutual exemption of visa requirements, after they enter China, if they require staying for more than 30 days, they shall handle the procedures for temporary residence, the length of which shall not exceed 3 months.
2. Long-term residence permit
Application materials required
1. A valid passport and visa or residence permit;
2. Certificate of health (exempted for those foreigners with residence permit)
3. Two recent 2-inch carnet color photos of uncapped portrait image;
4. Attestation of the ID card and Work Experience of the Foreigner produced by his/her employer;
5. Certificate of honor or commendation certificate (photocopy);
Note: Depending on the different conditions of applicants, the following materials are also required
a. Applicant who has invested and established an enterprise in China shall submit the photocopy of the enterprise's business license (counterpart);
b. Urgently-needed technician or main contributor shall submit the Letter of Recommendation for Long-term Residential Qualification of Foreigners produced by competent municipal authorities or the photocopy of individual commendation certificate issued by the municipal government;
A person who is accompanied by spouse and child shall present a certificate of kinship.
Extension of temporary residence permit in China
Application materials required
1. A valid passport and the valid temporary residence permit;
2. Letter from the employer;
For experts, the following are also required
a. Expert Card;
b. Certificate of health.
For foreign students, the following are also required
a. School's official letter;
b. Certificate of health.
For performance staffs, the following are also required
a. Certificate of performance;
b. Approval document from the Ministry of Culture;
c. Certificate of health.
Now I think what Willy is talking about is:-
Temporary Residence Registration, Which allows you to live in your apartment without being subjected to fines.
All foreigners in China need to be registered with their local PSB (Public Security Bureau)
Who is affected?
Guests staying in Hotels and Serviced Apartments
Guests must be registered upon arrival with the PSB by the hotel and/or serviced apartment management company. Usually this procedure is automatic with input from the hotel being directly fed into the local PSB computer at the check-in procedure, with no additional action being required from the guest. However, daily checks are now in operation with the PSB physically visiting hotels to request copies of the hotels in-house guest list to make sure they match the PSB’s own records. If they do not, the hotel / serviced apartment will be fined RMB5,000 per missing entry. Hotel guests under these circumstances would not be fined. However it does mean that foreigners wishing to stay at an hotel in China must provide full passport and visa credentials in order to check in.
Expatriate Employees Living In Private Apartments
The apartment management company should be contacting foreign tenants / residents and requiring them to register with the local PSB. If this is not done, both the management company and the foreigner can be fined RMB5,000. It is important to note that this rule applies to any foreign person living in any apartment or private dwelling - even if it is for just for one night. If staying overnight or visiting friends in China, registration must be carried out upon arrival with the local PSB office responsible for the area within 24 hours of arrival.
Not the same thing at all.
Residence Permits as opposed to Residence registration,
It is not the visa but the residence permit that gives you the legal right to live in China. Once you arrive in China, you’ll have 30 days to secure your residence permit. Your initial visa will expire within a few months, but your residence permit will function like a multiple-entry visa, allowing you to leave the country and return without an additional visa as long as the permit is valid. Three types of residence permits can give you the legal right to live in China. Permanent residence permits, a.k.a. the new “green cards,” accompany the D visas and are renewable every 10 years. Temporary residence permits are for those staying more than six months but less than one year, such as visiting scholars or those coming for job training. The Foreigner Residence Permit, typically good for one year and renewable annually, is standard issue for the majority of foreigners working in China, though some (such as company executives, legal representatives, or investors) qualify for a permit that is good for two years. With a valid residence permit you are allowed to leave the country and return, even if your initial entry visa has expired.
Information required for a residence permit or a temporary residence permit, again this is not the registration permit that is sometimes called Residence Permit.
Guangdong Province
① One application form and three recent, bare-headed, full-faced, white-background color photos(size:32X40 cm);
② One copy of the applicant’s valid passport or other valid Travel certificates and visa( bring original certificates for inspection);
③ One valid Health Certificate(except for those under 16 years of the age) issued by the other citiy’s Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau of the People’s Republic of China.( Refered to as the same as hereinafter)
④ Temporary Accommodation Registration Form for Aliens registered with the public security station(except in hotels);
⑤ Upon the first application for an alien resident permit, the employer should provide the following: name, occupation, telephone number, fax number for the appropriate contact person, etc.;
⑥ The other requested Certificates;
⑦ Accommodation certificate: Certificate of the House Property (deed) of the applicant, or the Public Security Administration’s Permit for House Lodging or rental contract, or a rental contract for long term lodging in a hotel (bring the original certificates for inspection along with photocopies of all the required documents (A4size);
⑧ The companies dealing with foreign affairs and individuals must supply all of the following documents:
The companies dealing with foreign affairs:
a: One copy of the Enterprise Business License and Certificate of approval of invested enterprise for the Taiwan, Macao, Hongkong and Overseas Chinese by the People’s Republic of China;
b: One Valid Foreign Labor Permit or one copy of the certificate for investors who don’t need applying for Labor Permit( bring original certificates for inspection);
Foreign Enterprise Permanent Office:
a: One copy of the Foreign Enterprise Permanent Office Registration Certificate in China;
b: One Working Card of the Foreign Enterprise Permanent Office in China and one copy of the Foreigner’s Employment Permit(bring original certificates for inspection).
Aliens Working in Schools:
Institutions should provide: one copy of the Permit of Running a School issued by the Education Bureau of the Guangdong province, Senior-Education Bureau of the Guangdong Province or the Zhuhai Education Bureau
Personnel in schools:
Teacher: one copy of the foreign expert’s certificate (bring original certificates for inspection). Those who teach in an institution that does not award an official degree, a school for training or training center that can’t submit approval from the relevant provincial and municipal authorities should submit one photocopy of the Foreigner’s Employment permit(bring original certificates for inspection).
The only way I can see of getting a Residence Permit with an F visa is if you have a registered company here and have invested a lot of money. In fact if you have your F visa valid for one year and register with the police and get you Residence registration form why do you need a Residence Permit ? You can still rent an apartment just remember,
On move-in day, bring a copy of your pass-port so you and your landlord can go to the local office of the Public Security Bureau to register. The process is quick and free, and if you don’t register you could face a fine of up to RMB 500 per day. You don’t have to state how much you pay in rent when registering, so your landlord need not worry about being forced to pay taxes. It's easy to tie your self in knot over this but it's not that complicated really!
