Foreigner's Work Permit for China

They are sequential, not parallel. The work permit (the Foreigner's Work Permit Notification) is approved inside China by the AFEA or the human resources and social security authorities. It is the pre-approval the employer applies for before a visa is issued abroad. The work visa (Z visa) is issued by a Chinese embassy or consulate abroad and is the entry document the foreign national uses to enter China on the strength of the notification. The sequence is: work permit notification approved → apply for the Z visa with the notification → enter China → exchange it for the physical work permit card → exchange that for the work-type residence permit. In short, the permit is the qualification and the visa is the key.

Under the foreigner work permit system, an employer must: (1) be legally established with a business licence in force; (2) have no record of serious illegal or dishonest conduct (not listed as operating abnormally or as a seriously discredited enterprise); (3) offer a position with a genuine special need for which no suitable Chinese candidate is available; and (4) pay the foreign employee no less than the local minimum wage. Some sectors, such as education and healthcare, also require prior approval from the sector regulator. OTGEO can help employers complete their qualification filing.

The work permit has two stages. (1) Preliminary review: the receiving authority completes the online preliminary review within 5 working days of submission and tells you what to correct if documents are incomplete. (2) Approval: after preliminary review, the approving authority makes its administrative decision within 10 working days. That is about 15 working days, or about 3 weeks, in total. Class A high-end talent uses the fast track, which can reduce this to 5–7 working days. Employers should prepare documents early and make sure degree certificates, the certificate of no criminal record and similar documents are notarized and legalized in time.

Good news: there is no administrative fee for applying for or approving the Foreigner's Work Permit Notification; the government side is free. Collecting the physical card after entry is also free. The main costs are in supporting steps: translation, notarization and legalization of overseas degree certificates and the certificate of no criminal record cost about ¥1,500–5,000 depending on the country and notarization route, and the medical examination costs about ¥500–800. OTGEO's service fee covers document pre-review, system submission and end-to-end tracking of the approval, quoted according to talent class and document complexity.

Common reasons: (1) the employer does not meet the qualification requirements, for example abnormal operations or a poor credit record; (2) the applicant does not meet the classification standard, for example no bachelor's degree or less than two years of work experience; (3) the certificate of no criminal record is missing, expired or not recognised (overseas certificates must be notarized and legalized); (4) the medical examination fails or is incomplete; (5) the salary is below the local minimum wage. If refused, you can resubmit after fixing the problem; there is no mandatory waiting period. Have an OTGEO adviser pre-review the full document set before the first submission.

If the work permit expires: the employer can apply for an extension within 90 days before expiry. The process is similar to a first application but with simpler documents. If you change employers: a foreign national holding a valid work-type residence permit who changes employer within the validity of the original permit must have the new employer apply for a change of work permit; the original approving authority cancels the old permit before the new one is issued. Under current policy, changing employers within the permit's validity usually does not require leaving China, and the transfer can be completed inside the country. Procedures vary by region; contact OTGEO for the latest guidance.

Cancellation of a work permit does not mean you must leave immediately. After cancellation, the Exit-Entry Administration issues a T visa (transitional stay permit) valid for 30 days, allowing the foreign employee to stay in China for 30 days to hand over work, end a lease, pack and prepare to leave. Paid employment is not allowed during the T visa period. If you want to keep working in China, the employee should complete the work permit transfer to the new employer before the old permit is cancelled; completing the transfer within the residence permit's validity avoids the T visa stage. OTGEO recommends that clients planning a job change contact us at least one month before the original work permit expires to start the transfer, so they are not pushed into the sequence of work permit cancellation, simultaneous residence permit cancellation, and the T visa countdown.

After a foreign national's address in China changes, they must go within 10 working days to the police station for the new address with the original valid passport, a valid residence permit or visa, and the new lease or accommodation certificate, to update the temporary residence registration form. This registration and any change of work permit or residence permit are two independent procedures: after moving, you only update the accommodation registration; the work permit changes only when your job changes. Common issues: (1) if the temporary residence registration form is lost, you can apply for a replacement at the police station where it was registered; (2) if you move between provinces, the new city's police station may ask for a cancellation certificate from the previous city; (3) failing to update in time affects residence permit renewal and permanent residence review. OTGEO can guide clients remotely and help prepare documents for the change, so nothing is left out of compliance.