Foreigners who need to stay in China for more than six months are now eligible to get residence permits in Beijing from June 1 according to a revised policy of the Ministry of Public Security, the Legal Daily reported Tuesday.

In recent years more and more foreigners travel or live in Beijing. Foreigners who need to stay in China for more than six months are now eligible to get residence permits in Beijing from June 1, according to a revised policy of the Ministry of Public Security on June 1, 2010.

Five categories of foreigners have now been included in the new guidelines. Among them are foreign spouses, parents and children under 18 years old of Chinese citizens or foreign people with permanent residence rights; and foreigners over 60 who have purchased property in the Chinese mainland, their parents, and children under 18 years old, acccording to the Beijing Public Security Bureau.

These groups of people could not only apply for a six-month tourist visa to China, but also apply for a one- or two-year residence permit. Those who want an extension to their permit could also apply after the expiration of their current permit.

(China Daily June 2, 2010)