Residence permit system ( RPS) is a migrant population registration and management approach developed in some part of China. According to experiences from the cities of Shanghai，Chengdu and Zhengzhou，there are two registration patterns of RPS，and RPS is composed of three systematic elements，namely application requirement，rights for public service and application for permanent residence. Current situation suggests that there are three prominent problems in carrying out RPS，namely high application requirement，poor management techniques，and slow reform process. Therefore，further reform should aim at full coverage of RPS on the migrant population，lowering the requirement of application，and building the link-up mechanism between PRS and Household Registration System. It is also important to improve financing mechanism of public service，enhance the central government’s expenditure responsibility，and form dynamically updated database. China can improve the function of PRS based on highly developed information technology.