The short answer
S1 and S2 are China’s dependant visas for the family of foreigners working or studying in China.
- S1 is for the spouse, parents, parents-in-law and children under 18 who will stay more than 180 days. It is converted into a private-affairs residence permit within 30 days of entry.
- S2 is for short-term family visits and private affairs — medical treatment, litigation, inheritance — for up to 180 days, and it does not lead to a residence permit.
Neither status carries a work right. The application rests on the sponsor’s status and on relationship documents, and the documents are where most cases are won or lost.
Who counts as a dependant
The S1 relationship list is specific:
- Spouse — the marriage must be legally registered and documented.
- Children under 18 — the age is assessed at the time of application, and a child who turns 18 during the process can fall outside the category.
- Parents and parents-in-law — the sponsor’s parents and the spouse’s parents are covered, which is broader than many families expect.
Other relatives, adult children and siblings are not within the S1 category. They may qualify under a visitor visa for a short trip, but not as dependants.
For families where one parent is a Chinese citizen or holds Chinese permanent residence, the Q1 and Q2 categories apply instead. The logic is similar, but the sponsor is the Chinese citizen or permanent resident, and the document chain differs.
What the sponsor must prove
The sponsor is the anchor of the application. In practice, the sponsor must show:
- Valid status — a work-type or study-type residence permit that will remain valid through the dependant’s application and, ideally, beyond it.
- The relationship — marriage certificate, birth certificate, or both, with the chain that proves the link (for parents-in-law, the spouse’s birth certificate plus the marriage certificate).
- Ability to support — an invitation letter stating the relationship, purpose, duration, address in China and who bears the costs, plus employment or income evidence where the local office asks for it.
- Accommodation — the registered address and, in some cities, the lease or property documents, matching the temporary residence registration.
The invitation letter is not a formality. It is the sponsor’s declaration, and inconsistencies between it and the relationship documents are a common reason for requests for further evidence.
Documents that decide the case
| Document | Purpose | Common failure |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage certificate | Proves the spouse relationship | Not apostilled or consular-legalised, or not translated |
| Birth certificate | Proves the parent-child relationship | Names differ from the passport, or the certificate is a later replacement |
| Kinship notarisation | Used where birth records are incomplete | Not accepted because the issuing office is not recognised |
| Sponsor’s residence permit | Proves the sponsor’s status | Expires during processing, or the permit type does not support dependants |
| Invitation letter | States relationship, purpose and support | Address or dates inconsistent with the other documents |
| Passport and photos | Identity | Validity shorter than the requested stay |
Translation and authentication are the slowest items. Marriage and birth certificates issued abroad normally need apostille (for Hague Convention states) or consular legalisation, plus a Chinese translation. Documents issued in China are used directly or notarised, depending on the recipient.
S1 vs S2
| Item | S1 | S2 |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Spouse, parents, parents-in-law, children under 18 | Family visitors and private-affairs travellers |
| Stay | More than 180 days | Up to 180 days |
| After entry | Residence permit within 30 days | No residence permit |
| Multiple entries | Through the residence permit | As granted on the visa |
| Work right | None | None |
| Leads to long-term status | It is a dependant residence status, renewable with the sponsor | No |
The choice is usually obvious from the plan: a family relocating for the sponsor’s assignment needs S1; a parent visiting for three months needs S2.
After entry: the residence permit step
S1 holders must apply for a private-affairs residence permit within 30 days of entry. The application is made at the exit-entry administration where the sponsor is registered, with the passport, the S1 visa, the sponsor’s documents, the accommodation registration and a medical certificate where required.
The permit is normally aligned with the sponsor’s residence permit. If the sponsor’s permit expires in six months, the dependant’s permit is likely to be short too, and the family should plan renewals together rather than separately.
S2 holders do not convert. They stay for the period on the visa and leave, or apply for an extension if the local office accepts one. An extension is discretionary, and a dependant who repeatedly extends a short visit may be asked why the family has not applied for S1.
Renewals should be planned as a family calendar. The sponsor’s work permit, the dependant’s residence permit, the children’s school enrolment and the lease registration all expire on different dates, and a gap in any one of them creates a repair problem that takes longer than the renewal itself.
Common refusals and timing
- The sponsor’s permit is expiring. Renew the sponsor’s status first, or expect a short dependant permit.
- The relationship document is unauthenticated. A marriage certificate without apostille or legalisation is the single most common blocker.
- Names do not match. A maiden name, a transliteration difference or a missing middle name can break the chain.
- The child is 18 or older. Age is assessed strictly for the “children under 18” category.
- The accommodation is undocumented. The registered address and the lease should match.
- The application starts too late. S1 conversion has a 30-day window; the visa application itself needs lead time for authentication.
Families that treat the sponsor’s renewal, the relationship documents and the school applications as one project avoid most of these. The dependant visa service covers the filing, the family residency guide covers the wider move, and the student-to-work guide covers a child who later studies and works in China. The spouse work permit guide covers the case where the dependant later wants to work. To check a document chain before applying, contact an advisor.