Filming Permits & Licenses China

Here is how the picture comes together. Permit acquisition in China is unlike any other production market because the gate opens at the script — not at the location. The National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA / 国家广播电视总局) needs required script pre-approval for any foreign production filming on the mainland, with a four-to-twelve-week lead time and sensitivity review covering political, historical, sexual, and violent content under guidelines issued by the China Film Administration.

Here is how this works in practice. Productions seeking co-production status — which unlocks full theatrical release access in China rather than fighting for one of the ~34 annual foreign film quota slots — work with the China Film Co-Production Corporation (CFCC) on a separate permit track that runs in parallel. Beneath that sit the local culture bureaus and provincial film officials: Beijing Municipal Bureau of Radio and TV, Shanghai Film Bureau, the Hengdian and Qingdao city film offices, and dozens of district-level approvals for hutong streets, Bund facades, and heritage zones like the Forbidden City, Great Wall, and Pingyao.

Here is what we have to work with. Our permit team starts by mapping your shooting schedule against the NRTA approval clock, then runs the script translation, sensitivity review, and CFCC application file in parallel with city and heritage applications so the key path stays tight. We set up CAAC drone permits for aerial work — needed even for sub-250g platforms over urban Beijing or Shanghai. Prepare bilingual application files compliant with State Council filming rules. Run the Polizia equivalent traffic plans through the Beijing Public Security Bureau (PSB) and Shanghai counterparts.

Here is the layout. The picture on the ground is more specific. Heritage sites under Mutianyu, Badaling, or Mogao Caves Dunhuang protocols mostly need fifteen to thirty days. Basic city permits clear inside five to ten. Expedited services can land a last-minute amendment inside seventy-two hours. We deliver OK'd permits as organized packages with on-set verification copies, bilingual compliance checklists, and a direct PSB and culture bureau contact for any inspection that arises during shoot.