Marrying a Chinese person probably won’t make you a Chinese citizen, but it will open certain doors with regard to visa applications. Unfortunately not as simple as you might hope.

The facts

Firstly, marrying a Chinese person is in no way a fast-track to getting a work visa or permanent residency. 

According to current regulations, being married to a Chinese person for a minimum of five years is one of the circumstances that can make you eligible for permanent residence. However, marriage alone is far from a guarantee that your application will succeed. The relatively low number of foreigners who are granted permanent residence annually suggests that the evaluation process is highly selective, dependent on far more than the applicant’s marital status.

You should also be aware that getting married will not enhance your chances of getting a Z visa, aka “Work Visa”, at all. If you’re not able to find a job with a company who can secure you a work permit (which is later used in your work visa application), the ring on your finger is not going to help you get a work visa.

The one visa that marriage will help you to secure is a Q visa. The Q category is for spouses and family members, and allows you to stay in China to be with your family. Note again that a Q visa does not allow you to work – working on a “Q” visa is as illegal as working on a tourist visa. Think of it as allowing you to enter the country to begin looking for work – when you find work, you’ll be able to apply for a work visa.

The “Q” visa comes in two categories. A Q1 visa allows for a stay of over 180 days (the limit of stay allowed will vary for different applicants, but many applicants receive two-year visas), while a Q2 visa allows for a stay of up to 180 days. For more information on how to apply for Q visas, see this article.