In the process of spatial planning, in addition to the policy and technical problems in planning and development activities, planning permission system is an important way to control the rationality of land use, and it is also one of the most commonly used means in the process of land-use regulation in various countries. Different countries have different management methods for planning permission. East Asia and the Netherlands and other civil law countries emphasize respect for the law and rigidly restrict the development activities on the basis of legal provisions, but at the same time, they can carry out flexible management by other means to meet the special needs outside the legal scope. However, the United Kingdom and the United States and other countries of the Marine law system believe that the planning and development activities should be in line with the public interest. It is necessary to review the planning activities based on the possible impact of the development plan on the public interest. This study tries to find the similarities and differences in the application requirements and approval process of planning permission in different countries, and discusses the rigid constraint scope and flexible management methods of specific planning activities in the operation process.