No one wants to end up being deported from China – and we certainly hope it doesn’t happen to you! – but just in case something does ever go wrong, you might want to know how it operates. This article explains the procedures and the details.

Sentencing 

Deportation is usually mandated by the Public Security Bureau (PSB), and is overseen by its Entry and Exit Administration Office. The office will seize the offender’s temporary or permanent residence permit, their work permit, their Alien Employment Handbook any foreign expert certificates and any other permits that have enabled the person to stay in China. Generally their passport will not be seized if the intention is to deport them, unless there is to be a period of jail time or detention prior to deportation (for information on when your passport can be confiscated legally, see this article, and for more information on being arrested see this article).

The date of deportation is determined by the court or PSB, depending on the circumstances surrounding the individual’s case. They may be made to leave immediately, or they may have to serve a detention or jail term first.

When it is time to be deported, they will be usually be taken to the nearest port – usually an airport but potentially a border checkpoint – and the administration will report their personal information, arrival time, transport method departure time and flight number or bus number to the port’s police and frontier inspection station. 

The Entry and Exit Administration officers will accompany the deported individual to make sure that they get on the flight/bus/train and wait until they leave the country.

Booking the exit flight

The deported individual must buy their own flight/bus/train tickets for departure at the nearest port; they can choose whichever carrier company they prefer so long as they do not overstay the departure time dictated by the court or PSB. 

The cost of the flight/bus/train home should be paid by the individual. If they don’t have the money to pay, it should be covered by the embassies or consulates of their home country. If the embassy refuses to pay for whatever reason, or if their country doesn’t set up embassies or consulates, the Chinese government will cover the cost.

Deported individuals will most likely be blacklisted from returning to China for a set period, typically 10 years. 

Deportation vs being ordered to leave

Not everyone who is made to leave China is deported; some are merely “ordered to leave”. This means that they are given a fixed period in which to leave China. They will also not be blacklisted from returning to the country for a decade, unlike deported people, although they will most likely be banned from re-entering for two years. 

People who are made to leave must depart China by themselves and will also not be seen off at the airport by government officials, but if they choose to stay in China after the period that they are told to leave then they can be subject to a ‘proper’ deportation and blacklisting. If someone is not sure whether you have been blacklisted, they can enquire at the Exit and Entry Office of the PSB – more information on this can be found here.

Useful Chinese words and phrases