China Watch Blog

13-8-2008

I was fined 300 yuan for staying in China for more than 24 hours without reporting to the police station closest to my abode. Well, since I did not see the ‘fine writing’ at the back of my yellow disembarkation form, I took out the money to pay the fine at the police station. Guess what? I was told to put away the money and had to fill out a form first to which I had to affix a passport size photograph. (P.S. The Chinese simply love to fill out forms, and they love photographs. So, it would be wise to have plenty of spare passport size photographs ready as you will need them for all applications for work permit as well as residence permit). 

I was told to come back in three hours so that the policewoman could prepare a stack of forms necessary for me to pay the fine. So, I returned to the police station three hours later, and had to wait for the policewoman who had gone out for lunch. Luckily for me, she returned during her lunch hour and gave me the required form which I had to take to a Chinese bank (about five minutes by car, but about 15 minutes on foot) to pay the fine. I returned to the police station with the receipt to show that I had paid the fine, and I was given another document which showed that I had reported to the police station of my whereabouts in Shanghai.

Armed with that document, I went to the Shanghai Exit and Entry Administration office in Pudong, put in my papers, and got my residence permit a week later. I went through some hassle of course, but it was simply because there were no clear instructions there, but who cares. It is done with and I am a happy bunny now.

So, if you come to China, come with an ‘open mind’ and be prepared to accept the reality that it is going to be a completely different ‘kind of world’ from the world or worlds that you have experienced elsewhere.  It can also be a humbling experience in China because many ‘experienced people’ have found out that this is not the easiest place to do business.

Simply applying for a work permit and resident permit in China can be an unforgettable experience. My friend, who recently obtained his work permit and resident permit, felt very relieved after the whole process was completed. His gripe was that he had to go to the Shanghai Exit and Entry Administration office in Pudong three times simply because the officer there did not tell him clearly what forms he needed to bring for his resident permit application during his first visit. So, as a result, he had to go there up and down three times. There are no clear instructions and people have to simply ask around to find out. And if you are lucky, you cover the processes in two visits, otherwise, three visits is quite common too. Be prepared for long queues ahead of you, so bring a book to read to kill the boredom. Sorry, you cannot delegate this function to another person and you have to do it yourself.