How many times does my NGO need to file for Temporary Activities when carrying out the same program multiple times in one year?
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 for a program that will take place twice this year, with months between each activity. The NGO noted, however, that the filing documentation must include all planned program dates; this NGO had not included the later program dates and therefore will have to file a second time for the second activity. As we have reported previously, filing can be an expensive and time-consuming process, meaning most NGOs would prefer to file once per year if possible.