Fingerprints for a China visa and again for the residence permit: what the texts say

Fingerprints are taken at two separate moments, and the two moments are governed by different texts. At the visa stage, the Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom's FAQ states that Chinese laws and regulations require the collection of ten fingerprints of each applicant at the Visa Center or Embassy/Consulates-General, and it names who is exempt (UK embassy FAQ, Part Seven, Q18). After you enter China, the residence permit application requires you to provide biometric identification information such as fingerprints, under Law, Article 30, and Regulations (State Council Decree No. 637), Article 16; the supplied texts give no exemption list for this second stage.

Fingerprints when you apply for the visa

The UK mission's Part Two (How to Apply for a Visa for China, Mainland only) says applicants fill in the electronic visa application form online through the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in advance, then submit the passport and other supporting documents and the biometric information at the Visa Center when the online review is approved (UK embassy, Part Two).

The FAQ in Part Seven answers the fingerprint question directly: consular officers may interview applicants if necessary, and Chinese laws and regulations require the collection of 10 fingerprints of each applicant at the Visa Center or Embassy/Consulates-General (UK embassy FAQ, Part Seven, Q18). The same answer lists the following exemptions, as the UK embassy's statement:

• Persons under the age of 14 or over the age of 70.
• Persons with injuries on all ten fingers, or other situations in which fingerprints cannot be collected.
• Some diplomatic, service and courtesy visa applicants are also exempted from the biometric requirement; the page refers to its own section "Diplomatic, Service and Courtesy Visa" for details.

This is the statement of the Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom, and the page's answers are written for applicants in the UK. The FAQ page carries a time stamp of 1 July 2020. The age limits in that exemption list are this embassy's statement, not a rule stated for all Chinese missions: the supplied Law and Regulations texts do not contain that list, and this article does not extend the UK page's exemption list to other missions or to the residence permit stage. The Part Two page is presented here only as the UK mission's own statement of what it asks for.

After arrival: fingerprints for the residence permit

If your visa specifies that you need to apply for a residence permit after entry, Law, Article 30, says you must apply, within 30 days from the date of your entry, to the exit/entry administration of the public security organ under the local people's government at or above the county level in your proposed place of residence. Article 30 says applicants for residence permits shall submit their passports or other international travel documents and relevant information of specific application matters, and provide biometric identification information such as fingerprints. The exit/entry administration shall, within 15 days from the date of receipt, conduct examination and make a decision, and shall issue the appropriate type of residence permit with a duration based on the purpose of residence (Law, Article 30).

Regulations (State Council Decree No. 637), Article 16, repeats the requirement. It says a foreigner applying for a residence permit shall submit his or her passport or other international travel documents, qualified photos, and material relating to the purpose of application, go through the relevant formalities in person with the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ of the local people's government at or above the county level in the proposed place of residence, and provide biometric identification information such as fingerprints. For a study residence permit, Article 16(2) requires the applicant to submit certification documents such as a letter indicating the duration of study provided by the admission institution (Regulations, Article 16). For the wider process after arrival, see the site's guide to the residence permit for study after arrival (/guides/residence-permit-for-study-after-arrival/).

No exemption list is given for the residence permit

The Law and the Regulations require the provision of biometric identification information such as fingerprints for a residence permit, but they give no exemption list for that stage. Law, Article 30, and Regulations, Article 16, do not name any age limit, injury or other ground on which a residence permit applicant may be excused from providing fingerprints. The under-14 and over-70 exemptions, and the exemption for applicants with injured fingers, appear only in the UK embassy's visa-stage FAQ as that embassy's statement; they are not repeated in the residence permit texts. Where the official text is silent, this article states that it does not say, and does not fill the gap from practice or from another mission's statement.

The two moments at a glance

Moment	What the text requires	Where it comes from
Visa application (UK mission)	Ten fingerprints collected at the Visa Center or Embassy/Consulates-General; exemptions for under 14, over 70, or injuries on all ten fingers or other situations where fingerprints cannot be collected.	UK embassy FAQ, Part Seven, Q18
Visa application procedure (UK mission)	Biometric information submitted at the Visa Center when the online review is approved.	UK embassy, Part Two
Residence permit after entry	Biometric identification information such as fingerprints provided to the exit/entry administration; no number of fingers and no exemption list given.	Law, Article 30; Regulations, Article 16

Questions people ask

Are fingerprints taken when I apply for a China visa?

The UK embassy FAQ says yes: ten fingerprints are collected at the Visa Center or Embassy/Consulates-General, and it lists exemptions for applicants under 14, over 70, or with injuries on all ten fingers or other situations where fingerprints cannot be collected (UK embassy FAQ, Part Seven, Q18). The UK embassy's Part Two says biometric information is submitted at the Visa Center when the online review is approved.

Are fingerprints taken again after I arrive in China?

Yes, if your visa requires a residence permit after entry. Law, Article 30, and Regulations, Article 16, both require you to provide biometric identification information such as fingerprints to the exit/entry administration of the public security organ. You apply within 30 days of entry, and the authority decides within 15 days of receipt (Law, Article 30).

Does the residence permit have the same age exemptions as the UK visa FAQ?

The supplied official texts do not say so. Law, Article 30, and Regulations, Article 16, give no exemption list for the residence permit stage, and the under-14 and over-70 exemptions appear only in the UK embassy's visa-stage FAQ, as that embassy's statement.

Sources

• Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom — Part Seven: FAQs and Answers — Ministry of Foreign Affairs mission
• Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom — Part Two: How to Apply for a Visa for China (Mainland only) — Ministry of Foreign Affairs mission
• Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China (English text published by the National Immigration Administration) — National Immigration Administration
• Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (English text published by the National Immigration Administration) — National Immigration Administration

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the bodies named above, and where the official text and the instructions of the visa office or exit-entry office handling your case differ, the official text and those instructions prevail.