FAQ
We regularly update this list of questions with information drawn from Chinese law, official statements, and our interviews about NGOs’ on-the-ground experiences
Though the Ministry of Public Security has provided no specific guidance on this point, it appears that foreign NGOs may file one time for a program that will take place on non-contiguous dates during the year. (According to the Foreign NGO Law, no Temporary Activities may exceed one year in duration.) One foreign NGO told The China NGO Project that, according to its Chinese Partner, it would in theory be permitted to submit one filing...Read more
The following includes links to the official forms (in Chinese), as listed on the Ministry of Public Security website, which are necessary for compliance with both the representative office registration and temporary activity parts of China’s Foreign NGO Law. (Please note that all links to the official forms automatically begin downloads of the forms as Microsoft Word documents from the Ministry of Public Security website.) Below the links to official forms, we have provided unofficial...Read more
According to guidance given during a Q&A session in 2016, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) Foreign NGO Management Bureau will allow WFOEs to donate money for public interest or charitable purposes in China as long as they carry out normal for-profit business in China and do not solely carry out “NGO activities.” As of April 2017, the MPS has offered no further guidance about what mix of activities and operations might be considered carrying...Read more
Some provincial Public Security Bureaus have posted lists of Professional Supervisory Units (PSUs). The following are links to all the provincial-level PSU lists (in Chinese) that The China NGO Project was able to find online. All lists are in Chinese except where noted.Read more
Based on the text of the Foreign NGO Law, it does not appear that foreign NGOs can lawfully give grants directly to individuals, such as for travel to workshops outside China, without a Chinese Partner as an intermediary. Article 22 states that individuals may not receive or spend any project funds that were not delivered through a Chinese Partner’s bank account. According to the NGOs in China Blog’s summary of guidance provided by the Ministry...Read more