Ye Xiaowen
Director - General
September26, 2000
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Rules for the Implementation of the Provisions on the Administration of Religious
Activities of Aliens within the Territory of the People's Republic of China
Article 1
These Rules are formulated in accordance with the Provisions on the Administration of Religious Activities of Aliens within the Territory of the People's Republic of China.
Article 2
Aliens within the territory of the People's Republic of China are referred to those who are within Chinese
territory without Chinese nationalities pursuant to the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China , including long - term residing China personnel and short term visiting China personnel.
Article 3
Religious activities of aliens within Chinese territory are referred to the religious ceremonies that aliens
conduct or participate in according to their own religious belief customs, the contacts with Chinese
religious bodies, sites for religious activities and religious personnel in respect of religion, and other relevant activities.
Article 4
The People's Republic of China respects the freedom of religious belief of aliens within Chinese territory,
and protects and administrates the religious activities of aliens within Chinese territory in accordance with
law. The People' s Republic of China protects friendly contacts and cultural and academic exchanges of
aliens within Chinese territory with Chinese religious circles in respect of religion in accordance with law.
Article 5
Aliens may participate in religious activities at Buddhist monasteries, Taoist temples, mosques, churches lawfully registered within Chinese territory according to their own religious belief.
Article 6
At the invitation of Chinese religious bodies at or above the level of province, autonomous region or
municipality directly under the Central Government, aliens visiting China as religious personnel may preach and expound the scripture at lawfully registered sites for religious activities.
At the invitation of Chinese religious bodies at or above the level of province, autonomous region or
municipality directly under the Central Government, and after approved by the departments of religious
affairs of the people's governments at or above the provincial level, foreign religious personnel entering
China as other status may preach and expound the scripture at lawfully registered sites for religious activities.
Foreign religious personnel who are invited to preach and expound the scripture at the lawfully registered
sites for religious activities shall abide by the administrative rules of these sites and respect the belief customs of the personnel of these sites.
Article 7
The collective religious activities of aliens within Chinese territory shall be conducted at the Buddhist
monasteries, Taoist temples, mosques, churches recognized by the departments of religious affairs of the
people. s government at or above the county level or at the temporary sites appointed by the departments of religious affairs of the people's governments of province, autonomous region or
municipality directly under the Central Government.
Where aliens within Chinese territory collectively conduct religious activities at temporary sites, they shall
be administrated by the departments of religious affairs of the people's governments at or above the county level.
Article 8
The friendly contacts and cultural and academic exchanges of aliens with Chinese religious circles shall
be conducted via Chinese religious bodies at or above the level of province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government.
Article 9
Foreign religious organizations that have no corresponding legitimate Chinese religious organizations
within Chinese territory and their members must get consent from the departments of religious affairs of
the people' s governments at provincial level and approval from the State Administration for Religious
Affairs before conducting contacts in the name of these organizations or as religious personnel with relevant departments of Chinese government or Chinese religious circles.
Article 10
Consented by Chinese religious bodies, aliens within Chinese territory may invite Chinese religious
personnel to conduct such religious ceremonies as baptism, weddings , funerals, Taoist or Buddhist rites
according to each religious customs . Among these ceremonies, the aliens conducting weddings must be
males and females who have already set up marriage relationship in accordance with law. The Chinese
religious personnel are referred to those who have been recognized and recorded by lawfully registered religious bodies.
Article 11
Consented by national religious bodies or relevant religious bodies at the level of province, autonomous
region or municipality directly under the Central Government, and approved by the departments of
religious affairs of the local people's governments at or above the provincial level, aliens entering Chinese
territory may carry religious articles used in religious cultural and academic exchanges in accordance with relevant programs and agreements of religious cultural and academic exchanges.
Where the religious articles conform to the stipulations of the previous paragraph and the relevant
provisions of the Chinese customs, they shall be passed by the customs based on the certificates issued
by the departments of religious affairs of the people's governments of province, autonomous region and
municipality directly under the Central Government or the State Administration for Religious Affairs.
Article 12
It is prohibited to bring the following religious printed matter, religious audio-visual products and other articles into Chinese territory:
1. if the amount exceeds that for personal rational use, and they do not belong to the category stipulated in Article II ;
2. if the contents of these articles are detrimental to Chinese national security and public interests of Chinese society.
Where the religious printed matters, religious audio-visual products and other religious articles are found
to be those mentioned in previous paragraph, the case shall be dealt with by the customs in accordance with law.
Where the religious printed matters, religious audio-visual products and other religious articles which
violate the stipulations of the first paragraph have been brought into Chinese territory or transported into
Chinese territory by other means, once being found, they shall be dealt with by the departments of
religious affairs or other related departments of the people ' s governments at or above the county level in accordance with law.
Article 13
The enrolment of study abroad or capital provided to China by foreign organizations or individuals for the
purpose of training religious personnel shall be accepted by Chinese national religious bodies on the
basis of need, and the study abroad personnel shall be selected and dispatched by Chinese national
religious bodies as a whole plan. Foreign organizations or individuals may not recruit students within
Chinese territory for their study and training abroad as religious personnel without permission.
Article 14
Aliens who intend to come to China for studying at Chinese religious institutions must conform to the
stipulations set by the Provisions on the Administration of Accepting Foreign Student by Chinese
Institutions of Higher Learning, get approval from Chinese national religious bodies, and keep records at the State Administration for Religious Affairs.
Article 15
Aliens who intend to come to China for teaching at Chinese religious institutions must be subject to the Methods of Engaging Foreign Professionals by Religious Institutions.
Article 16
Aliens who conduct religious activities within Chinese territory shall abide by Chinese laws and regulations.
Aliens may not intervene in the establishment and change of Chinese religious bodies or sites for religious
activities, the selecting, appointing and changing of religious personnel by Chinese religious bodies, nor may they intervene in or manipulate other internal affairs of Chinese religious bodies.
Within Chinese territory, aliens may not establish religious organizations, institute religious offices, set up
sites for religious activities, run religious institutions or hold religious classes in any names or forms.
Article 17
Aliens may not engage in the following missionary activities within Chinese territory:
1. appointing religious personnel among Chinese citizens;
2. developing religious followers among Chinese citizens;
3. preaching and expounding the scripture at the sites for religious activities without permission
4. preaching and expounding the scripture or conducting religious gathering activities at the places outside the lawfully registered sites for religious activities;
5. conducting religious activities in which Chinese citizens are admitted to participate at the
temporary sites for religious activities, except that the Chinese religious personnel are invited to preside the religious activities;
6. producing or selling religious books and journals religious audio-visual products, religious electronic goods or other religious articles;
7. distributing religious promotion materials;
8. other missionary activities.
Article 18
Where the international religious organizations, offices and their members intend to contact or conduct
other related activities with Chinese religious bodies, sites for religious affairs and religious personnel, they
shall make applications to the departments of religious affairs of the people' s governments at or above
the provincial level in advance. The contact or other related activities may be conducted only after
approved by the departments of religious affairs of the people' s governments at or above the provincial level.
Article 19
Where aliens within Chinese territory conduct religious activities that violate these Rules, the departments
of religious affairs and other related departments of the people' s governments at or above the county level shall stop them in accordance with law.
Where religious activities conducted by aliens within Chinese territory violate these Rules as well as the
Law of the Control on the Entry and Exit of Aliens of the People's Republic of China and the Regulations
on Administrative Penalties for Public Security, the aliens shall be dealt with by the public organs in
accordance with law; where a crime is constituted, the aliens shall be investigated for their criminal liability by the judicial organs in accordance with law.
Article 20
These Rules are applicable to religious activities conducted by foreign organizations within Chinese territory.
Article 21
The State Administration for Religious Affairs shall be responsible for the interpretation of these Rules.
Article 22
These Rules shall enter into force as of the date of promulgation .
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