Foreigners may
naturalize as Chinese nationals if they have
immediate family with Chinese nationality, possess permanent residency in
mainland China or a
special administrative region, or have other "legitimate reasons".
[42] Applications for naturalization are normally considered by the
National Immigration Administration in mainland China,
[43] while responsibility for this process is delegated to the
Immigration Department in Hong Kong
[44] and the Identification Services Bureau in Macau.
[45] Successful applicants are required to renounce any foreign nationalities they have.[46] Naturalization is exceptionally rare in mainland China; there were only 1,448 naturalized persons reported in the
2010 census[47] out of the country's total population of 1.34 billion.
[48] Acquiring Chinese nationality is more common in Hong Kong; the Immigration Department naturalized over 10,000 people between the transfer of sovereignty and 2012,
[49] and continues to receive over 1,500 applications per year since 2016.
[50]