@ocean cheers, it's always good to hear from someone who's been going through the exact same process.

Thanks for everyone's comments, they all helped evolve my choice of what way to go :o)

It's been a very useful discussion for me too. Thanks.

We got our latest Entry/Exit Permit (for our son) today. Took 6 days, cost 20RMB. Please note the PSB are only taking bank card payments now (no cash).

If you are going to do this in this month, allow for the PSB closing for CNY

@michael,

I'm a little confused by ur set up as others mentioned. I don't think that works. I am american as well, and my kids have both chinese passport and american, thus different names on both.
Why not get a chinese passport and one from ur home country?

Travel home on the chinese passport, just get a visa, for the states I think its good for 10 years, 6 months at a time.

@jj123
Does the US allow you to get a visa in a second passport even if you own a US passport (UK doesn't) or do you simply avoid this restriction because your child has different names in the two passports?

@Ocean The US does allow a visa (for the US) in a second passport (called a pro forma visa) but I'm not sure if this can be done more than once. (I've not done it, but have friends who have.)

For my children (Ch. and US passports) we've opted for the middle-country passport-switch since we're mostly based in China.

As was noted here, this does 'not' allow for a connected int'l flight to the US, but requires a visa to a 3rd location (Hongkong, Thailand, etc.) so that the child can be "Chinese in China (exit/entry)" and "American in America (exit/entry)."

@jj123
For me - we need to get both US passports and Chinese passports now. What I said is how it's supposed to work for dual nationals of developed countries - as that's how it works internationally. However, China has its own rules. The other suggestions work for a limited time, while the kids are small and China permits travel for children using travel documents and not passports. I don't believe the USA permits this kind of travel - as I was required to have passports even for our newborn baby (which expired after a year).

We, unfortunately, must get passports for the kids for temporarily complicated and unique school reasons.

When it's time for us to travel with the dual nationality kids - I'll go visit the Entry/Exit bureau to get the formal process from them.

I'm in no rush to do this - as I know it'll be a major pain akin to "renouncing a child's citizenship" levels of bureaucratic despair and frustration.

@baiyuxiang,
why would u opt for the "middle country" visa rather than just exiting China and entering usa on the chinese passport alone?
@michael,
got it.
so what would be the concern if you left china without renouncing?
upon returning to china to visit I assume?
btw, my wife is in a "foreign wife/kid" forum and she says that a couple ladies from there have stated that its very easy to renounce from the foreign country. Dunno.

@jj123 It's trouble either way; getting a US visa in the Chinese passport is troublesome too (trip to Chengdu/Guangzhou, etc.)

As I understand it, the expectation with the pro forma visa is that it is only done once, and that the individual subsequently returns to China on the US passport, which we don't want to do.

Call me paranoid, but I prefer for neither side (US/China) to have occasion to "see" the other passport.