(Adopted at the 21st Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People’s Congress on April 29, 2006)

Article 1 This Law is enacted with a view to regulating the application, issuance and administration of the passports of the People’s Republic of China, to safeguarding the rights and interests of citizens of the People’s Republic of China with respect to their exit from and entry into the territory of the People's Republic of China, and to promoting exchange with other countries.

Article 2 The passport of the People’s Republic of China is a document certifying the nationality and identity of a citizen of the People's Republic of China when he leaves and enters the territory of the People's Republic of China or when he is abroad.

No organization or individual may forge, tamper with, transfer, intentionally damage or destroy or illegally seize a passport.

Article 3 The passports include ordinary passports, diplomatic passports and service passports.

Passports are intended for foreign governments through diplomatic channels by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Article 4 Ordinary passports shall be issued by the entry-exit control department of the Ministry of Public Security or by the entry-exit control departments of the public security organs under the people’s governments at or above the county level authorized by the Ministry of Public Security, or the embassies or consulates of the People’s Republic of China, or other missions overseas authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Diplomatic passports shall be issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Service passports shall be issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or the embassies or consulates of the People’s Republic of China, or other missions overseas authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or the departments for foreign affairs under the people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government and cities divided into districts authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Article 5 A citizen who intends to go abroad for non-official purposes, such as residing, visiting relatives, studying, working, travelling or engaging in business activities, shall apply in person for an ordinary passport to the entry-exit control department of the public security organ under the people’s government at or above the county level where his residence is registered.

Article 6 A citizen is who applies for an ordinary passport shall present his resident identity card, resident household registration book, recent bareheaded photos and the materials related to his reasons for application. Where a State functionary applies for an ordinary passport for any of the reasons as specified in Article 5 of this Law, he shall present the relevant certification documents according to relevant State regulations.

The exit-entry control department of the public security organ shall issue the passport within 15 days from the date it receives the application materials; if it refuses to issue such a passport on the grounds that the application does not conform to the relevant provisions, it shall give the reasons in writing and inform the applicant of his right to apply for administrative reconsideration or to file an administrative lawsuit in accordance with law.

Where it is unable to sign and issue a passport on schedule to an applicant who lives at an outlying district or in an area where transport facilities are inconvenient or under special circumstances, the time for issuing the passport may, upon approval by the person in charge of the passport issuing authority, be extended to 30 days.

Where a citizen is in urgent need of a passport on reasonable grounds and thereby applies for the issue of the passport at an earlier date, the exit-entry control department of the public security organ shall handle the matter accordingly.