The short answer
The Five-Star Card — officially the Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card — has one set of baseline conditions and several independent routes. You need both: the baseline, and at least one route.
Baseline, for every applicant: abide by Chinese law, be in good health, and have no criminal record.
Then one of these routes:
| Route | Headline test | Time element |
|---|---|---|
| Employment (position or title) | Deputy general manager, deputy factory director, or above; or associate professor, associate researcher, or equivalent | 4 continuous years; 3 years’ residence within those 4 |
| Salary and tax | Salary at least 6× the local average urban wage; individual income tax at least 20% of salary income | 4 continuous years; 6 months a year in China |
| Investment | Paid-in registered capital from US$500,000 to US$2 million, depending on sector and region | 3 consecutive years of stable investment and good tax |
| Spouse of a Chinese citizen or PR holder | Marriage of at least 5 years; stable income and housing | 5 years’ continuous residence; 9 months a year in China |
| Unmarried child under 18 | Joining a parent in China | Age at the date of application |
| Parent aged 60+ | No direct relatives abroad; joining a direct relative in China | 5 years’ continuous residence; 9 months a year |
| Special contribution or state need | Significant outstanding contribution, or a role China especially needs | Case-by-case recommendation |
There is also a route for foreign nationals of Chinese origin with a doctoral degree, and a route for four years’ work in a national key development zone. Both were introduced in the 2019 facilitation policies and are explained below.
What changed in 2026
Three things matter for a 2026 application.
The national regulation has not been replaced. The draft Foreigner Permanent Residence Administration Regulation released for comment in 2020 has still not been enacted. The operative national rules remain the 2004 Measures, the 2012 equal-treatment measures, and the 2019 facilitation policies. A 2023 change upgraded the card itself; it did not create new eligibility routes.
The doctoral route tightened in Shanghai and the Yangtze Delta. Shanghai republished its foreign PhD permanent residence rules in March 2026. The old understanding — a PhD plus a job in Shanghai — is no longer enough. The applicant now needs three years of continuous work in China immediately before applying, and must satisfy one of two paths:
- Salary path: each year’s salary income at least three times the previous year’s Shanghai average wage for urban employed persons, with a good tax record.
- University path: a doctorate from a Chinese “Double First-Class” university or a university ranked in the global top 100 by the ShanghaiRanking Academic Ranking of World Universities, with current work closely related to the doctoral field.
Postdoctoral research periods do not count for this route. Suzhou and other Yangtze Delta cities have followed the same standard. Shanghai’s separate recommended-talent channel, published in March 2026, does not use these salary or degree thresholds; it depends on a recommendation from a municipal body or a key development area, with review targets of 30 to 90 working days.
Document authentication moved to the apostille default. China has applied the Hague Apostille Convention since November 7, 2023. Public documents from another member state can generally be legalized with an apostille instead of consular legalization, which shortens the preparation stage. Non-member states still require Chinese consular legalization. The local exit-entry office decides whether it accepts an apostille for a particular document.
The practical lesson: check the city, not just the country. A route that is open in Shenzhen may be closed or tightened in Shanghai, and a route described in a 2019 article may have a 2026 local addendum.
Why the headline test is not the whole test
The published condition is a summary. The file is decided on the evidence underneath it.
For the employment route, the title on the contract is not enough. The employer must be a qualifying entity: a State Council or provincial department, a key university, an entity running a national key project, a high-tech enterprise, or an encouraged, advanced-technology, or export-oriented foreign-invested enterprise. A small trading company with the right job title on paper does not satisfy Article 8.
For the salary route, the salary must be documented through payroll and individual income tax, not only through the contract. The multiple is set against the local average urban wage for the previous year, which changes annually. A salary that cleared the threshold at signing may not clear it at filing.
For the spouse route, the marriage certificate proves the marriage, not the residence. The exit-entry record must show five continuous years with at least nine months in China each year. A long stay abroad for family reasons, a posting, or a period between permits can interrupt the count.
For the investment route, the capital must be paid in and verified, and the enterprise must have three consecutive years of stable operation and tax compliance. A subscribed amount that was never contributed does not count.
Route one: employment by position or title
This is the original 2004 route. It requires:
- A position at or above deputy general manager or deputy factory director, or a professional title at or above associate professor or associate researcher, or an equivalent.
- Four consecutive years in that position.
- At least three years of cumulative residence in China during those four years.
- A good tax record.
- A qualifying employer under Article 8.
The “equivalent” language matters. A foreign expert with a senior technical title, or a senior manager whose role is formally recognized by the employer at the required level, may qualify even if the job title uses different words. The file should establish the equivalence through the employer’s organizational documents, the appointment letter, and the reporting line.
Route two: salary and tax
The 2019 policies added a route that does not depend on a title:
- Four consecutive years of work in China.
- At least six months of actual residence in China each year.
- Salary income at least six times the average wage of urban employed persons in the locality for the previous year.
- Individual income tax paid at least 20% of salary income.
This route is often the practical one for senior engineers, finance professionals, and managers whose employers do not use the traditional Chinese title ladder. Its weak point is the tax record. A salary split between China and an overseas entity, or a large equity component that is not salary, can leave the documented salary below the threshold even when total compensation is high.
The local average wage is published annually, usually in the middle of the year. The six-times figure therefore moves. Check the current number with the local exit-entry administration before relying on this route.
Route three: investment
The investment route requires direct investment in China, stable for three consecutive years, with a good tax record. The paid-in registered capital must reach one of these thresholds:
| Investment location or sector | Minimum paid-in capital |
|---|---|
| Encouraged industry under the national foreign-investment catalogue | US$500,000 |
| Western China or a national poverty-alleviation key county | US$500,000 |
| Central China | US$1,000,000 |
| Anywhere in China | US$2,000,000 |
These are 2004 figures and remain the statutory thresholds. The evidence is corporate, not personal: the business license, the capital verification report, the annual inspection or annual report record, and the tax certificate. The applicant must also show that the investment has been stable for three years, not merely made once.
Route four: family reunion
The family routes are separate, and the ages and years matter:
- Spouse of a Chinese citizen or a foreign permanent resident: marriage of at least five years, at least five consecutive years of residence in China, at least nine months in China each year, and a stable source of income and a domicile.
- Unmarried child under 18: joining a parent in China. The child must still be under 18 when the application is accepted, not when the process started.
- Parent aged 60 or over: no direct relatives abroad, joining a direct relative in China, five consecutive years of residence, and at least nine months a year in China.
A spouse or child of an investor, employee, or special contributor can also apply as a derivative under the fourth category. That is faster because it follows the principal applicant’s route, but it depends on the principal being approved.
The spouse route is examined closely for genuineness. A marriage certificate alone is thin. Shared address history, joint finances, children’s records, photographs across years, and consistent exit-entry patterns all help. The residence requirement is the most common failure point.
Route five: special contribution or state need
This route is for a person who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to China, or whose skills are especially needed by the state. It requires a recommendation letter and supporting evidence from a competent Chinese government department. It is not a self-assessment route: without the recommending body, there is no application.
The foreign-Chinese doctoral route
The 2019 policies provide that a foreign national of Chinese origin who works in China and holds a doctoral degree may apply for permanent residence. The same policy allows a foreign national of Chinese origin who has worked continuously for four years in a national key development zone, with at least six months of actual residence each year, to apply. A spouse and minor children may apply at the same time.
This route is often described as removing the title and salary tests. It does not remove the baseline conditions, the health certificate, the police clearance certificate, or the review. “Foreign national of Chinese origin” is a defined status, and the file must establish it, usually through former Chinese nationality, household registration cancellation, or parentage.
Do not confuse the national route with the 2026 Shanghai doctoral channel. The national 2019 route is for foreign nationals of Chinese origin and has no published salary multiple. The Shanghai 2026 channel is open to foreign PhD holders working in Shanghai, but adds three years of continuous work and either a three-times salary test or a top-100/Double First-Class degree test. An applicant who qualifies under one may not qualify under the other, and the local office applies the local test.
What does not qualify
- Time on a tourist, business, or student visa does not build the continuous residence required for the family or employment routes.
- A senior-sounding title at a non-qualifying employer does not satisfy the employment route.
- A high salary without matching tax does not satisfy the salary route.
- A company with subscribed but unpaid capital does not satisfy the investment route.
- A child who turns 18 during the process can fall out of the minor-child category.
- A criminal record, or a false answer about one, is a baseline disqualifier.
Local talent channels
Beijing, Shanghai, and the Greater Bay Area operate additional recommended channels for high-level talent. Beijing’s Zhongguancun program issues a recommendation letter for foreign high-level talent to apply directly; Shanghai’s Zhangjiang and Lingang zones operate similar recommendation systems; both publish their own criteria and service windows. These channels can shorten the process and, in some cases, relax the national route tests for the recommended applicant.
They are not a parallel legal system. The final approval remains with the National Immigration Administration, and the national baseline conditions still apply.
A realistic sequence
- Identify the route before collecting documents. The document list changes with the route.
- Check the residence record first. It is the hardest item to fix after the fact.
- Check the employer’s qualification for the employment route, and the tax record for the salary route.
- Order the police clearance certificate and the health certificate close to filing, because both have short validity.
- Confirm the local document list with the municipal exit-entry administration.
- File, expect an interview or a document request, and keep the original documents available.
For a side-by-side comparison of the routes, read China Permanent Residence Routes. For the filing mechanics, read How to Apply for China’s Green Card.