The Ministry of Civil Affairs published this notice in June 2018. It was translated by China Development Brief and first appeared on its website.
Notice from the Ministry of Civil Affairs regarding “The Work Method for the Ministry of Civil Affairs to Process Applications to Establish Professional Supervisory Units for Foreign NGOs' Representative Offices (Trial)”
Foreign NGOs:
“The Work Method for the Ministry of Civil Affairs to Process Applications to Establish Professional Supervisory Units for Foreign NGOs’ Representative Offices (Trial)” has already passed the eighth review of the minister’s office in 2018. We hereby present it to you; please conduct your application work in accordance.
Attached please find:
1. The application book for Foreign NGOs proposing that the Ministry of Civil Affairs act as a Professional Supervisory Unit (PSU) for their representative office
2. The situation form for Foreign NGO's activities in China
3. The letter regarding the approval of the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) to be a PSU
The Ministry of Civil Affairs
21 June 2018
“The Work Method for the Ministry of Civil Affairs to Process Applications to Establish Professional Supervisory Units for Foreign NGOs' Representative Offices (Trial)”
In order to standardize the work of accepting and processing applications for the MCA to act as the professional supervisory unit of Foreign NGOs’ representative offices, according to “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Administration of Activities of Overseas Nongovernmental Organizations in the Mainland of China,” “Catalog of Fields and Projects for Foreign NGOs with Activities in China, and Directory of Professional Supervisory Units (2017),” (hereafter referred to as “the Catalog”) and “Guide for the Registration of Representative Offices and Submitting Documents for the Record Temporary Activities of Foreign Nongovernmental Organizations” (hereafter referred to as “the Guide”), the following method has been laid down:
1. Scope of acceptance
Foreign NGOs must meet the following conditions in order to apply for the MCA to be the PSU for the registration and establishment of their representative office:
- Comply with article ten of “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Administration of Activities of Overseas Nongovernmental Organizations in the Mainland of China.”
- Comply with the scope of work for organizations with the Ministry of Civil Affairs as PSU, as set by “the Catalog”.
2. Required Documents
- Application book for foriegn NGOs proposing that the Ministry of Civil Affairs act as PSU for their representative office (one copy)
- Situation form of foreign NGO’s activities in China (two copies)
- Documents 2-11 for establishment and registration as stated in the “the Guide”
If the above documents are in foreign languages, a Chinese translation must be provided, and all documents must be authenticated and notarized. The foreign NGO is responsible for the truthfulness and legality of the documents it submits.
3. Acceptance of Applications
Once the MCA has received the documents listed in section two, all documents will be processed within sixty days, and a decision of acceptance or denial of being a PSU will be made. In special cases, the process of making a decision can be extended, and the applying foreign NGO will be informed in advance. The processing time will not be extended more than thirty working days.
Those work units that agree to be a PSU must stamp the relevant application forms in the name of the MCA and issue a letter of agreement to the foreign NGO (document 3). Those work units that do not agree to be a PSU must inform the applying foreign NGO in a timely manner.
During the approval process the MCA can take steps to further understand and verify the situation of the foreign NGO.
4. Other Issues
Foreign NGOs’ representative offices that have registered at the Public Security Bureau and that have the MCA as their PSU will provide the MCA with annual work plans and annual work reports according to the regulations. For those that need to alter or cancel registration, an application should be made to the MCA, and after approval, to the Public Security Bureau for processing.
The contact number concerning the Ministry of Civil Affairs' acceptance of foreign NGO representative offices' PSU applications is: (010) 58123284