Decree of the State Council of the People's Republic of
第686号
The Regulations on Religious Affairs were amended and adopted at the 176th executive meeting of the State Council on June 14, 2017, and the revised Regulations on Religious Affairs are hereby promulgated to take effect on February 1, 2018.
Prime Minister Li Keqiang
August 26, 2017
Religious Affairs Regulations
(Decree No. 426 of the State Council of the People's Republic of China on November 30, 2004.)
Cloth Revised and adopted at the 176th executive meeting of the State Council on June 14, 2017)
Chapter I: General Provisions
Article 1: These Regulations are formulated on the basis of the Constitution and relevant laws, so as to safeguard citizens' freedom of religious belief, to preserve religious harmony and social harmony, to regulate the management of religious affairs, and to raise the level of legalization of religious work.
Article 2: Citizens have freedom of religious belief.
No organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in a religion or not to believe in a religion, and must not discriminate against citizens who believe in a religion (hereinafter referred to as "religious citizens") or citizens who do not believe in a religion (hereinafter referred to as "non-religious citizens").
Religious believers, non-believers, and citizens of different religions should respect each other and live in harmony.
Article 3: The management of religious affairs adheres to the principles of protecting the lawful, stopping the illegal, curbing extremism, resisting infiltration, and combating crime.
Article 4: The State protects normal religious activities in accordance with law, actively guiding religion to adapt to socialist society, and preserving the lawful rights and interests of religious groups, religious schools, religious activity sites, and religious citizens.
Religious groups, religious schools, religious activity sites, and religious believers shall abide by the Constitution, laws, regulations, and rules, practice the Core Socialist Values, and preserve national unity, ethnic unity, religious harmony, and social stability.
Religion must not be used by any organization or individual to carry out illegal activities that endanger national security, undermine social order, harm citizens' health, obstruct the national education system, or otherwise harm the national interest, the societal public interest, or citizens' lawful rights and interests.
No organization or individual may create contradictions or conflicts between different religions, within the same religion, or between religious and non-religious citizens, and must not advocate, support, or fund religious extremism, or use religion to undermine national unity, split the country, or carry out terrorist activities.
Article 5: All religions adhere to the principle of independence and self-management, and religious groups, religious schools, religious activity sites, and religious affairs are not subject to the domination of foreign forces.
Religious groups, religious schools, religious activity sites, and religious professionals shall carry out foreign exchanges on the basis of mutual respect, equality, and friendship;
Article 6: All levels of people's government shall strengthen religious work, establish and complete mechanisms for religious work mechanisms, and ensure work forces and necessary working conditions.
The religious affairs departments of people's governments at the county level or above are to carry out administrative management of religious affairs involving the national interest and the societal public interest in accordance with law, and other relevant departments of people's governments at the county level or above are responsible for relevant administrative management work within the scope of their respective duties.
Township-level people's governments shall do a good job in the management of religious affairs in their respective administrative regions. Villagers' committees and residents' committees shall assist people's governments in managing religious affairs in accordance with law.
People's governments at all levels shall hear the opinions of religious groups, religious schools, religious activity sites, and religious citizens, coordinate the management of religious affairs, and provide public services to religious groups, religious schools, and religious activity sites.
Chapter II: Religious Groups
Article 7: The establishment, modification, and cancellation of religious groups shall be registered in accordance with the relevant provisions of the State on the management of social groups.
The charters of religious groups shall comply with the relevant provisions of the State on the management of social groups.
Religious groups carry out their activities in accordance with their charters and are protected by law.
Article 8: Religious groups have the following functions:
(1) Assist the people's governments in implementing laws, regulations, rules, and policies, and preserve the lawful rights and interests of religious citizens;
(2) Guiding religious affairs, formulating rules and regulations, and urging their implementation;
(3) Engaging in research on religious culture, interpreting religious doctrines and canons, and carrying out the construction of religious ideology;
(4) Carry out religious education and training, cultivate religious professionals, and designate and manage religious professionals;
(5) Other functions provided for by laws, regulations, rules, and religious group charters.
Article 9: National religious groups and provincial, autonomous regional, or directly governed municipality religious groups may select and accept religious students in accordance with provisions as needed by their own religion, and no other organization or individual may select or accept religious students.
Article 10: Religious schools, religious activity sites, and religious professionals shall abide by the rules and regulations formulated by religious groups.
Chapter III: Religious Schools
Article 11: Religious schools are to be established by national religious groups or provincial, autonomous regional, or directly governed municipality religious groups. Religious schools must not be established by any other organization or individual.
Article 12: The establishment of religious schools shall be made by national religious groups to the religious affairs department of the State Council, or by provincial, autonomous region, or directly governed municipality religious groups submitting an application to the religious affairs department of the people's government of the province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government where the religious school is to be established. The religious affairs department of the people's government of a province, autonomous region, or directly governed municipality shall submit an opinion within 30 days of receiving the application, and report it to the religious affairs department of the State Council for review and approval.
The religious affairs department of the State Council shall make a decision to approve or not approve within 60 days of receiving an application from a national religious group or materials submitted by the religious affairs department of a provincial, autonomous region, or directly governed municipality people's government.
Article 13: The establishment of religious schools shall meet the following requirements:
(1) Have clear training objectives, school charter and curriculum plan;
(2) There are students who meet the requirements for training;
(3) Have the necessary funds for running the school and a stable source of funding;
(4) There are teaching places, facilities and equipment necessary for the teaching task and the scale of the school;
(5) Have full-time heads of colleges and universities, qualified full-time teachers, and internal management organizations;
(6) The layout is reasonable.
Article 14: Religious schools that have been approved for establishment may apply for registration as legal persons in accordance with relevant provisions.
Article 15: Religious schools shall follow the procedures provided for in article 12 of these Regulations to change their address, school name, affiliation, training goals, school system, school scale, and so forth, as well as to merge, separate, or terminate religious schools.
Article 16: Religious schools are to implement specific systems for the accreditation of teacher qualifications, the evaluation and appointment of professional titles, and the awarding of student degrees, and the specific measures are to be separately formulated by the religious affairs department of the State Council.
Article 17: Religious schools employing foreign professionals shall, with the consent of the religious affairs department of the State Council, go through the relevant formalities at the local administrative department for the work of foreigners.
Article 18: Religious groups, monasteries, temples, mosques, and churches (hereinafter "temples and churches") carrying out religious education and training for cultivating religious professionals and studying for 3 months or more shall report to the religious affairs department of the local people's government at the districted-city level or above for review and approval.
Chapter IV: Religious Activity Sites
Article 19: Religious activity sites include temples, churches, and other fixed places for religious activities.
The standards for distinguishing between temples, churches, and other fixed places of religious activity are to be formulated by the religious affairs department of the people's government of the province, autonomous region, or directly governed municipality, and reported to the religious affairs department of the State Council for filing.
Article 20: The establishment of religious activity sites shall meet the following requirements:
(1) The purpose of establishment does not violate the provisions of Articles 4 and 5 of these Regulations;
(2) Local religious believers have the need to regularly engage in group religious activities;
(3) Religious professionals who intend to preside over religious activities or other persons who meet the requirements of that religion;
(4) Have the necessary funds, and the sources of funds are legal;
(5) The layout is reasonable, conforms to the requirements of urban and rural planning, and does not hinder the normal production and life of surrounding units and residents.
Article 21: In preparation for the establishment of a religious activity site, the religious group is to submit an application to the religious affairs department of the county-level people's government for the location of the proposed religious activity site. The religious affairs department of the people's government at the county level shall submit a review opinion within 30 days of receiving the application, and report it to the religious affairs department of the people's government at the districted-city level.
The religious affairs department of the people's government at the districted-city level shall, within 30 days of receiving the materials submitted by the religious affairs department of the county-level people's government, make a decision to approve or not approve the application for the establishment of other fixed places for religious activities;
The religious affairs department of the people's government of a province, autonomous region, or directly governed municipality shall make a decision to approve or not approve within 30 days of receiving the materials submitted by the religious affairs department of the people's government at the districted-city level.
After the application for the establishment of a religious activity site is approved, the preparatory matters for the establishment of the religious activity site can be handled.
Article 22: After religious activity sites have been approved for preparation and construction is completed, they shall apply for registration with the religious affairs department of the people's government at the county level where they are located. Within 30 days of receiving the application, the religious affairs department of the county-level people's government shall conduct a review of the religious activity site's management organization, establishment of rules and regulations, and other such circumstances, and register those that meet the requirements, and issue a "Religious Activity Site Registration Certificate".
Article 23: Where religious activity sites meet the requirements for legal persons, they may go to the civil affairs departments to register as legal persons with the consent of the local religious group and after reporting to the religious affairs department of the people's government at the county level for review and approval.
Article 24: Where religious activity sites terminate or change the content of their registration, they shall go through the corresponding cancellation or modification formalities with the original registration management organ.
Article 25: Religious activity sites shall establish management organizations and implement democratic management. Members of religious activity site management organizations are to be selected through democratic consultation, and are to be reported to the site's registration management organs for the record.
Article 26: Religious activity sites shall strengthen internal management, and in accordance with the provisions of relevant laws, regulations, and rules, establish and complete management systems for personnel, finance, assets, accounting, public security, fire protection, protection of cultural relics, and sanitation and epidemic prevention, and accept guidance, oversight, and inspections by the relevant departments of the local people's government.
Article 27: Religious affairs departments shall conduct oversight and inspections of religious activity sites' compliance with laws, regulations, and rules, the establishment and implementation of site management systems, changes to registered items, and religious activities and activities involving foreign interests. Religious activity sites shall accept supervision and inspection by the religious affairs departments.
Article 28: Religious activity sites may sell religious articles, religious artworks, and religious publications.
Article 29: Religious activity sites shall prevent the occurrence of major accidents or violations of religious taboos, such as incidents that harm religious citizens' religious feelings, undermine ethnic unity, or impact social stability.
When the accidents or incidents listed in the preceding paragraph occur, religious activity sites shall immediately report to the religious affairs department of the county-level people's government where they are located.
Article 30: Where religious groups or temples and churches intend to build large-scale open-air religious statues in temples and churches, the provincial, autonomous region, or directly governed municipality religious group shall submit an application to the religious affairs department of the people's government of the province, autonomous region, or directly governed municipality. The religious affairs department of the people's government of a province, autonomous region, or directly governed municipality shall submit an opinion within 30 days of receiving the application, and report it to the religious affairs department of the State Council for review and approval.
The religious affairs department of the State Council shall make a decision to approve or not approve within 60 days of receiving the report on the construction of large-scale open-air religious statues.
Religious groups, organizations other than temples and churches, and individuals must not build large-scale open-air religious statues.
It is forbidden to build large open-air religious statues outside temples and churches.
Article 31: Relevant units and individuals shall first obtain the consent of religious activity sites when setting up commercial service outlets, holding exhibitions, filming films, or carrying out other activities in religious activity sites.
Article 32: All levels of local people's government shall, on the basis of actual needs, include the establishment of religious activity sites in overall land use planning and urban and rural planning.
The construction of religious activity sites and large-scale open-air religious statues shall comply with relevant laws and regulations such as overall land use planning, urban and rural planning, engineering construction, and the protection of cultural relics.
Article 33: Alteration or construction of new buildings in religious activity sites shall be subject to approval by the religious affairs department of the local people's government at the county level or above, and formalities such as planning and construction shall be completed in accordance with law.
Where religious activity sites are expanded or rebuilt in other places, it shall be handled in accordance with the procedures provided for in article 21 of these Regulations.
Article 34: Where there are places of religious activity in scenic spots, the local people's governments at or above the county level where they are located shall coordinate and handle the relationship between the interests of the religious activity sites and the management organizations of the scenic spots, as well as in areas such as gardens, forestry, cultural relics, and tourism, to safeguard the lawful rights and interests of religious activity sites, religious professionals, and religious citizens, and to protect normal religious activities.
The planning and construction of scenic spots with religious activity sites as the main tourist content shall be coordinated with the style and environment of religious activity sites.
Article 35: Where religious citizens have the need to carry out regular group religious activities, but do not yet have the capacity to apply for the establishment of a religious activity site, the religious citizens' representatives are to submit an application to the religious affairs department of the county-level people's government, and the religious affairs department of the county-level people's government may designate a temporary activity site for them after soliciting the opinions of the local religious group and the township-level people's government.
Under the guidance of the religious affairs department of the county-level people's government, the local township-level people's government is to supervise the activities of the temporary activity site. After meeting the requirements for establishing a religious activity site, go through the formalities for approval and registration for the establishment of a religious activity site.
Religious activities at temporary activity sites shall comply with the relevant provisions of these Regulations.
Chapter V: Religious Professionals
Article 36: Religious professionals may engage in religious affairs activities upon designation by a religious group and reporting to the religious affairs department of a people's government at the county level or above for filing.
The succession of the living Buddha of Tibetan Buddhism shall, under the guidance of the Buddhist community, be handled in accordance with religious rituals and historical customization, and shall be reported to the religious affairs department of the people's government at or above the provincial level or the people's government at or above the provincial level for approval. Catholic bishops are to be reported by the national Catholic religious group to the religious affairs department of the State Council for the record.
Those who have not obtained or have lost their credentials as religious professionals must not engage in activities in the capacity of religious professionals.
Article 37: Religious professionals serving or leaving the primary clergy of a religious activity site are to report to the religious affairs department of a people's government at the county level or above for filing upon the consent of the religious group of that religion.
Article 38: Religious professionals presiding over religious activities, holding religious ceremonies, engaging in the collation of religious texts, conducting religious and cultural research, carrying out public interest charity, and other such activities are protected by law.
Article 39: Religious professionals participate in social security in accordance with law and enjoy relevant rights. Religious groups, religious schools, and religious activity sites shall handle social insurance registration for religious professionals in accordance with provisions.
Chapter VI: Religious Activities
Article 40: Group religious activities of religious believers shall generally be held in religious activity sites, organized by religious activity sites, religious groups, or religious schools, presided over by religious professionals or other persons who meet the requirements of that religion, and conducted in accordance with doctrine and canons.
Article 41: Non-religious groups, non-religious schools, non-religious activity sites, and non-designated temporary activity sites must not organize or hold religious activities, and must not accept religious donations.
Non-religious groups, non-religious schools, and non-religious activity sites must not carry out religious education and training, and must not organize citizens to leave the country to participate in religious training, meetings, activities, and so forth.
Article 42: Where large-scale religious activities are held across provinces, autonomous regions, or directly governed municipalities that exceed the capacity of religious activity sites, or large-scale religious activities are held outside religious activity sites, the sponsoring religious group, temple, or church shall submit an application to the religious affairs department of the people's government at the districted-city level where the large-scale religious activity is to be held 30 days before the proposed date. The religious affairs department of the people's government at the districted-city level shall, within 15 days of accepting the case, make a decision to approve or not approve after soliciting the opinions of the public security organs of the people's government at that level. Where a decision to approve is made, the approving organ is to file it with the religious affairs department of the provincial-level people's government.
Large-scale religious activities shall be conducted in accordance with religious rituals in accordance with the requirements set forth in the approval notice, and must not violate the relevant provisions of articles 4 and 5 of these Regulations. Sponsoring religious groups, temples, and churches shall employ effective measures to prevent the occurrence of accidents, and ensure that large-scale religious activities are carried out in a safe and orderly manner. The township-level people's government and the relevant departments of the local people's government at the county level or above for the place where large-scale religious activities are held shall carry out necessary management and guidance on the basis of their respective duties.
Article 43: The national Islamic religious group is responsible for organizing the pilgrimage of Chinese citizens who believe in Islam going abroad for Hajj.
Article 44: It is prohibited to proselytize, hold religious activities, establish religious organizations, or set up religious activity sites in schools and other educational establishments other than religious schools.
Article 45: Religious groups, religious schools, and temples and churches may, in accordance with relevant state provisions, compile, print, and distribute internal religious informational publications. The publication of publicly distributed religious publications is to be handled in accordance with the provisions of the State Publication Administration.
Publications involving religious content shall comply with the provisions of the State on the administration of publications, and must not contain the following content:
(1) Undermining the peaceful coexistence of religious and non-religious citizens;
(2) Undermining harmony between different religions or within religions;
(3) Discriminating against or insulting religious or non-religious citizens;
(4) Advocating religious extremism;
(5) Violating the principle of religious independence and self-management.
Article 46: The entry into the country of religious publications and printed matter in quantities exceeding a reasonable amount for personal use, or the import of religious publications and printed matter by other means, shall be handled in accordance with relevant state provisions.
Article 47: Engagement in Internet Religious Information Services shall be handled in accordance with the relevant provisions of the State on the management of Internet information services after being reviewed and approved by the religious affairs department of the people's government at the provincial level or above.
Article 48: The content of Internet Religious Information Services shall comply with relevant laws, regulations, rules, and relevant provisions on the management of religious affairs.
The content of Internet Religious Information Services must not violate the provisions of paragraph 2 of article 45 of these Regulations.
Chapter VII: Religious Property
Article 49: Religious groups, religious schools, and religious activity sites shall manage and use property belonging to the State or collectives in accordance with law and relevant State provisions in accordance with law;
Article 50: Land lawfully used by religious groups, religious schools, and religious activity sites, as well as houses, structures, and facilities, as well as other lawful property and income, are protected by law.
No organization or individual may encroach upon, plunder, privately divide, damage, or illegally seal, seize, freeze, confiscate, or dispose of the lawful property of religious groups, religious schools, or religious activity sites, and must not damage cultural relics in the possession or use of religious groups, religious schools, or religious activity sites.
Article 51: Houses owned by religious groups, religious schools, religious activity sites, and other immovable property and land used shall apply for registration of immovable property to the immovable property registration authority of the local people's government at or above the county level in accordance with law, and shall receive a certificate of immovable property rights;
When the change or transfer of land use rights of religious groups, religious schools, or religious activity sites is involved, the real estate registration body shall solicit the opinions of the religious affairs department of the people's government at the corresponding level.
Article 52: Religious groups, religious schools, and religious activity sites are non-profit organizations, and their assets and income shall be used for activities consistent with their purposes and for public interest charitable undertakings, and must not be used for distribution.
Article 53: Any organization or individual who donates funds for the construction of a religious activity site does not enjoy the ownership or right to use the religious activity site, and must not receive economic benefits from the religious activity site.
It is forbidden to invest in or contract the operation of religious activity sites or large-scale open-air religious statues, and it is prohibited to conduct commercial propaganda in the name of religion.
Article 54: Houses and structures used for religious activities at religious activity sites, as well as the living houses of religious professionals attached to them, must not be transferred, mortgaged, or used as investment in kind.
Article 55: Where the expropriation of houses of religious groups, religious schools, or religious activity sites is necessary for the public interest, it shall be carried out in accordance with the relevant provisions of the State on housing expropriation. Religious groups, religious schools, or places of worship may choose monetary compensation, or they may choose to exchange or rebuild property rights.
Article 56: Religious groups, religious schools, religious activity sites, and religious professionals may establish public interest charitable undertakings in accordance with law.
No organization or individual may use public interest charitable activities to proselytize.
Article 57: Religious groups, religious schools, and religious activity sites may, in accordance with relevant state provisions, accept donations from domestic and foreign organizations and individuals to use them for activities consistent with their purposes.
Religious groups, religious schools, and religious activity sites must not accept donations from foreign organizations or individuals with conditions, and where the amount of donations accepted exceeds 100,000 RMB, it shall be reported to the religious affairs department of the people's government at the county level or above for review and approval.
Religious groups, religious schools, and religious activity sites may accept donations from citizens in accordance with religious customs, but must not be compelled or apportioned.
Article 58: Religious groups, religious schools, and religious activity sites shall implement the nation's unified financial, asset, and accounting systems, report to the religious affairs department of the people's government at the county level or above where they are located, report on their financial status, income and expenditure, and the receipt and use of donations, accept their oversight and management, and announce them to religious believers in an appropriate manner. Religious affairs departments shall share relevant management information with relevant departments.
Religious groups, religious schools, and religious activity sites shall, in accordance with the relevant state financial and accounting systems, establish and complete systems for accounting, financial reporting, and financial disclosure, establish and complete financial management bodies, and allocate necessary financial accounting personnel to strengthen financial management.
Relevant government departments may organize financial and asset inspections and audits of religious groups, religious schools, and religious activity sites.
Article 59: Religious groups, religious schools, and religious activity sites shall handle tax registration in accordance with law.
Religious groups, religious schools, religious activity sites, and religious professionals shall file tax returns in accordance with law, and enjoy preferential tax treatment in accordance with relevant state provisions.
The taxation departments shall, in accordance with the law, carry out tax administration on religious groups, religious schools, religious activity sites, and religious professionals.
Article 60: Where religious groups, religious schools, or religious activity sites are deregistered or terminated, they shall be liquidated for their assets, and the remaining assets after liquidation shall be used for causes consistent with their purposes.
Chapter VIII: Legal Responsibility
Article 61: Where state functionaries abuse their powers, derelict their duties, or twist the law for personal gain in the management of religious affairs, and shall be given sanctions, they shall be given sanctions in accordance with law;
Article 62: Where citizens are compelled to believe in a religion or not to believe in a religion, or interfere with the normal religious activities of religious groups, religious schools, or religious activity sites, the religious affairs departments are to order corrections;
Those who infringe upon the lawful rights and interests of religious groups, religious schools, religious activity sites, and religious believers shall bear civil liability in accordance with law;
Article 63: Where advocating, supporting, or funding religious extremism, or using religion to carry out illegal activities that endanger national security or public safety, undermine ethnic unity, separatism, or terrorist activities, infringe upon citizens' personal rights or democratic rights, obstruct the order of social management, or infringe upon public or private property, and constitute a crime, criminal responsibility is to be pursued in accordance with law;
Where religious groups, religious schools, or religious activity venues have the conduct described in the preceding paragraph, and the circumstances are serious, the relevant departments shall employ necessary measures to rectify them, and where they refuse to accept the rectification, the registration management organs or the organ that approved the establishment are to revoke their registration certificates or establishment permits in accordance with law.
Article 64: Where situations endangering national security or public safety or seriously disrupting social order occur in the course of large-scale religious activities, the relevant departments are to handle and punish them in accordance with laws and regulations;
Where large-scale religious activities are held without authorization, the religious affairs departments, in conjunction with relevant departments, are to order the activities to be stopped, and may be concurrently fined between 100,000 and 300,000 RMB; Of these, where large-scale religious activities are organized by religious groups or religious activity sites without authorization, the registration management organs may also order the religious group or religious activity site to remove or replace the directly responsible managers.
Article 65: Where a religious group, religious school, or religious activity site commits any of the following conduct, the religious affairs department is to order it to make corrections; where the circumstances are more serious, the registration management organ or the organ approving its establishment is to order the religious group, religious school, or religious activity site to remove and replace the person in charge who is directly responsible; where illegal property is to be confiscated:
(1) Failure to go through formalities for modification of registration or filing in accordance with provisions;
(2) Religious schools violate training objectives, school charters, or curriculum requirements;
(3) Religious activity sites violate the provisions of article 26 of these Regulations by failing to establish relevant management systems or management systems that do not meet requirements;
(4) Where religious activity sites violate the provisions of article 54 of these Regulations by transferring, mortgaging, or using houses or structures used for religious activities or their attached houses for religious professionals' daily use, or as investments in kind;
(5) Failure to promptly report major accidents or incidents occurring in religious activity sites, causing serious consequences;
(6) Violating the provisions of article 5 of these Regulations or violating the principle of religious independence and self-management;
(7) Accepting domestic or foreign donations in violation of relevant state provisions;
(8) Refusal to accept the supervision and management carried out by the administrative organs in accordance with law.
Article 66: Where the activities of a temporary activity site violate the relevant provisions of these Regulations, the religious affairs department is to order corrections; where the circumstances are serious, order the activities to be stopped and revoke the temporary activity site; and where there are unlawful gains or illegal property, confiscate it.
Article 67: Where religious groups, religious schools, or religious activity sites violate the State's provisions on the administration of finance, accounting, assets, or taxation, the departments for finance and taxation are to punish them in accordance with relevant provisions;
Article 68: Where publications or Internet Religious Information Services involving religious content have content prohibited by paragraph 2 of Article 45 of these Regulations, the relevant departments are to give administrative punishments to the relevant responsible units and personnel in accordance with law;
Those who engage in Internet Religious Information Services without authorization or provide services beyond approved or filed items, are to be handled by the relevant departments in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.
Article 69: Where a religious activity site is established without authorization, where the religious activity site still conducts religious activities despite its registration has been revoked or its registration certificate revoked, or where a religious school is established without authorization, the religious affairs department in conjunction with the relevant departments shall ban it, and where there are unlawful gains or illegal property, the unlawful gains and illegal property shall be confiscated, and where the unlawful gains cannot be determined, a fine of up to 50,000 RMB shall be imposed; Construction and other departments shall deal with them in accordance with the law; those who violate the administration of public security shall be punished according to law.
Where non-religious groups, non-religious schools, non-religious activity sites, or non-designated temporary activity sites organize or hold religious activities and accept religious donations, the religious affairs departments, in conjunction with relevant departments such as for public security, civil affairs, construction, education, culture, tourism, and cultural relics, shall order them to stop their activities; Where illegal property is to be confiscated, the unlawful gains and illegal property may be confiscated, and a fine of not less than 1 time but not more than 3 times the amount of the illegal gains may be imposed concurrently; where the illegal gains cannot be determined, a fine of not more than 50,000 yuan shall be imposed; and where a crime is constituted, criminal responsibility shall be pursued in accordance with law.
Article 70: Whoever organizes citizens to leave the country to participate in religious training, conferences, pilgrimages, or other activities without authorization, or carries out religious education and training without authorization, is to be ordered by the religious affairs department, in conjunction with the relevant departments, to stop the activities, and may be concurrently fined between 20,000 and 200,000 RMB;
Anyone who proselytes, holds religious activities, establishes a religious organization, or sets up a religious activity site in schools or other educational institutions other than religious schools shall be ordered to make corrections within a set period of time and given a warning by the examination and approval organs or other relevant departments; where there are illegal gains, the illegal gains shall be confiscated; if the circumstances are serious, they shall be ordered to stop enrolling students and revoke their permits for running the school; and if a crime is constituted, criminal responsibility shall be investigated according to law.
Article 71: Where conditions are provided for illegal religious activities, the religious affairs departments are to give warnings, and where there are unlawful gains or illegal property, the unlawful gains and illegal property are to be confiscated, and where the circumstances are serious, a fine of between 20,000 and 200,000 RMB is to be imposed;
Article 72: Where large-scale open-air religious statues are built in violation of the provisions of these Regulations, the religious affairs department, in conjunction with the departments for land, planning, construction, tourism, and other departments, shall order the construction to be stopped, dismantled within a set period of time, and where there are unlawful gains, the unlawful gains shall be confiscated; where the circumstances are serious, a fine of between 5 and 10 percent of the cost of the statue construction project shall be imposed.
Where a religious activity site or a large-scale open-air religious statue is invested in or contracted to be operated, the religious affairs department, in conjunction with the departments for industry and commerce, planning, construction, and other departments, shall order corrections and confiscate unlawful gains; where the circumstances are serious, the registration management organs are to revoke the registration certificate of the religious activity site, and the relevant persons shall be held accountable in accordance with law.
Article 73: Where religious professionals exhibit any of the following conduct, the religious affairs departments are to give warnings and confiscate unlawful gains and illegal property; Responsibility of the person in charge of a religious school or religious activity site; where there is a violation of the administration of public security, a public security administrative punishment shall be imposed in accordance with law; and where a crime is constituted, criminal responsibility shall be pursued in accordance with law:
(1) Advocating, supporting, or funding religious extremism, undermining ethnic unity, separatism, or carrying out terrorist activities, or participating in related activities;
(2) Being dominated by foreign forces, accepting the appointment of a foreign religious group or institution without authorization, or otherwise violating the principle of religious independence and self-management;
(3) Accepting donations from home and abroad in violation of relevant state provisions;
(4) Organizing or presiding over unapproved religious activities held outside religious activity sites;
(5) Other conduct that violates laws, regulations, or rules.
Article 74: Where religious professionals impersonate religious professionals to carry out religious activities or obtain money or property by fraud, the religious affairs departments shall order them to stop their activities; where there are unlawful gains or illegal property, the unlawful gains and illegal property shall be confiscated and a fine of not more than 10,000 yuan shall be imposed; where there is a violation of the administration of public security, a public security administrative punishment shall be given in accordance with law; and where a crime is constituted, criminal responsibility shall be pursued in accordance with law.
Article 75: Those who are dissatisfied with the administrative acts of the religious affairs departments may apply for administrative reconsideration in accordance with law;
Chapter IX: Supplementary Provisions
Article 76: Religious exchanges between the mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region, and the Taiwan region are to be handled in accordance with laws, administrative regulations, and relevant state provisions.
Article 77: These Regulations take effect on February 1, 2018.
Source: The Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China