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The China temporary residence permit, formally known as the Temporary Residence Registration Form (临时住宿登记表, or TRRF), is not a permit you apply for in the traditional sense. It is a registration record issued to every foreigner who stays anywhere in China outside a licensed hotel.

The confusion between a China residence permit and a visa is one of the most common immigration mistakes foreigners make before and after arriving in China. A visa gets you through the border. A residence permit is what allows you to legally stay.