Work visa in China

As in many countries, if you want to work in China as a foreigner, you’ll need a work visa. Regulations concerning work visas in China change very regularly, and the procedure for obtaining one has become tougher over the years.

The aim here is to understand China’s work visa policy and the different steps involved in obtaining one when applying from your home country.

Step 1: Gather your documents
Step 2: Invitation letter application
Step 3: Application for a Work Visa
Step 4: Enter China within 3 months of obtaining your visa
Step 5: Application for your Work Permit
Step 6: Apply for your Residence Permit within 1 month of entering China.

What is a Z visa?

A work visa in China is commonly known as a Z visa. There are various visas available to enable you to work in China. The most common are the work visa (Z visa) and the business visa (M visa). However, if you want to be employed by a foreign or Chinese company in China, only the Z visa will allow you to work legally. This is the visa that you and your company will need to apply for if you plan to work in China. You will need this visa if your company is a legal entity in China, or if it uses the services of a “portage salarial” company.

The Z visa is required for entry into China, and must be converted into a residence permit within 30 days of entry. You’ll also need to obtain a work permit that will allow you to work legally in the country. We’ll go into more detail about the various procedures in this article.

Who can apply for a work visa for China?

First of all, you must have a valid, official job offer and be invited by your company in China to come and work.

Secondly, you must be between 18 and 60 years of age.
Your passport must be valid for at least the next 12 months.
You must undergo a medical examination to prove that you are in good health.
You must have no criminal record in your country of origin.

How do I get a Z visa?

Step 1: Gather all the documents you need to obtain your visa.

You and your employer will need to assemble all the documents required to obtain your visa. Later, you’ll need more or less the same documents to obtain your residence permit and work permit.

Documents you need to prepare

Your passport, valid for at least 12 months. At least 3 blank pages in your passport.
Original and copy of visa application form.
The original and a copy of your highest diploma (legalized and certified*).
Certificate of clean criminal record (legalized and certified*).
Original certificate of previous work experience, signed and sealed by the company, dating back more than two years after graduation. Professional experience should be relevant to the job offer you have in China.
A health certificate issued by a foreign hospital recognized by the Chinese embassy.
The valid contract is provided by the employer in China.
A digital photo in JPG, 140KB, 1024×768, 32 in color. Resolution should be greater than 300DPI, on a white background.

Documents to be prepared by the employer (in China)

The valid employment contract.
The invitation letter.
For work permits :
Company license with official company seal

*To legalize and certify your clean criminal record certificate, you need to go to your local Chinese embassy. Diplomas can usually be authenticated online, but this depends on the visa center where you are applying. In all cases, you can legalize, certify and authenticate your documents at the Chinese embassy.

Step 2: Request letter of invitation

Your employer will need to request the letter of invitation inviting you to work legally in China. This letter is extremely important, as it represents the official agreement of the Chinese authorities inviting you to work in China. To obtain this letter, your employer must request it online from this site.

Next, he or she must provide various documents to the local Labor Office. This procedure generally takes 3 to 4 weeks from the date of submission of the complete file.

Here is a list of the various documents your employer will need to provide to the local Labour Office in China:

The original and a copy of your highest diploma (legalized and certified*).
Your original clean criminal record certificate (legalized and certified*).
The original health certificate issued by a foreign hospital recognized by the Chinese embassy.
Original signed and sealed certificate of work experience within 2 years of graduation. Experience must be relevant to the position for which you are applying.
Your CV from the end of your highest degree to the present day, accurate to the month.
A digital photo in JPG, 150KB, 1024×768, 32 in color, resolution should be higher than 300DPI, on a white background.
Employer’s business license with company seal.

Step 3: Apply for your work visa

Once you’ve received your invitation letter, you’re ready to apply for your work visa at the visa center or Chinese embassy in your area. It takes about 5 days from the date of application to obtain a work visa.

Step 4: Entering China.

The work visa will authorize you to enter China legally.

You will need to convert this visa into a residence permit within 30 days of entering the country!

You will also need to apply for a work permit.

Step 5: Apply for a work permit.

You can now apply for your work permit, which will allow you to work legally in China.

Here is a list of required documents:

Your passport with Z visa
Original and copy of your employment contract
Original and copies of previous work certificates
Original and copy of your clean criminal record
Original and copy of your highest diploma
Original and copy of your health report

Since April 2017, China has established a point-and-letter system for work permits:

A is high-level expert status
B is skilled worker status
Low-skilled worker status

Of course, depending on your status, you will have more or less advantages, and the difficulty and time required to obtain a work permit will vary.

Qualification	Standards	Points
Direct qualification	Be selected for the National Talent Plan or	–
Annual salary	450,000 or more	20
	350,000 – 450,000	17
	250,000 – 350,000	14
	150,000 – 250,000	11
	70,000 – 150,000	8
	50,000 – 70,000	5
	50,000 or less	–
Education	PhD	20
	Master’s degree or equivalent	15
	Bachelor’s degree or equivalent	10
Years of experience related to the new job	For 2 years or more, add an extra point for each additional year of experience.	5-15
	2 years	5
	Less than 2 years	0
Annual working hours (in months)	9 months or more	15
	6 – 9	10
	3 – 6	5
	Less than 3 months	0
Chinese level	Bachelor’s degree major in Chinese or equivalent	10
	Level HSK 5	10
	Level HSK 4	8
	Level HSK 3	6
	Level HSK 2	4
	Level HSK 1	2
Place of work	Western China	10
	Southeast China	10
	Central or poor regions of China	10
Age	18-25	10
	26-45	15
	46-55	10
	55-60	5
	60 or more	0
Graduate	Graduate of a top 100 university	5
Graduate	Works for a top 500 company	5
Provincial government incentive points	Shortage of local social and economic talent	0-10

The Chinese authorities will use this classification to issue your work permit. If you are aged 60 or over, you can only work in China with a category A work permit. Most applicants have a category B work permit. Category C work permits are generally for short-term contracts. In most cases, it takes around 10 days to receive a work permit.

The work permit is valid for 1 year and must be renewed at least 30 days before the expiry date.

Step 6: Application for your residence permit

You’ll need to apply for your residence permit, which will allow you to stay in China and to leave and re-enter the country thanks to multiple entries.

Here is a list of the documents you will need:

Your passport with your Z visa
Residence permit application form
Health certificate (*)
Secondary residence registration form (**)
Foreign work permits
The request letter form from the organization inviting you (with its unified social credit code)
Original and copy of the organization’s business license or registration certificate

Generally, residence permits take 7 days to be issued.

The duration of your residence permit is relative to the duration of your work permit. You can start renewing it about three months before its expiry date, and at least one month before its expiry date.

Salveo and its teams in China are at your disposal for any further information and support you may need to obtain a work visa and hire your employee in China in compliance with local regulations, in particular via our wage portage solutions.

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