China - expat biz jet pilot in apartments e.

[skyraiderch]

Hello all,

I’m trying to help some friends. They are working on a contract with foreign company, but mainly flying in China. They have not a B- registered aircraft and enter China on a business visa with 30d max duration per stay.

Now the account wants to put them in a private apartment (to share) during stays around Beijing. The apartment is rented trough the account, not the pilots or the company This to save peanuts (money) on hotel costs.

Does any of you have any tips or hints on the legal side of such “overnight stays” that might stretch to 20d in a row? They have healthcare but not from China as example. Are they then considered “living”?

Thank you for any input!

And for me... apartments are a no go specially in VIP aviation. So don’t try to tell me don’t accept. I know! :ugh:

thx for help!

[FlightDetent]

It could be legal, if done right with registering their address of stay at the Public Security Bureau. However, shouldn't they be on a crew visa instead?

[envoy]

FlightDetent is correct regarding registration with the PSB. Registration is done for you when staying in a hotel, so you have to do it yourself in private/rented accommodation.

They should have no problems with business visas: come and go as crew or pax, and it's a short hop to Seoul, Hong Kong or Macau to reset. I recommend against crew visas as they will require additional handling at immigration if travelling as pax - a process that doesn't always go smoothly.

Without a residence permit they will have a little trouble accessing services that expats and locals take or granted. China is all about identity verification, which is tied to residence permits and IDs. Things will be more complicated, but not impossible. A local bank account and a local SIM card will open the doors.

They will need to watch their tax status. I assume that they are being paid outside of China? New tax rules have just been brought in that align China with other countries with respect to tax residency. More than half a year in country, and they consider you a local for tax purposes. My understanding is that there is a 5-year sunset clause for foreigners that exempts you from any tax liabilities.