For those people who have such intention, please come to report in advance and fill in an application form for Foreigner’s Work Permit at the Administration of Foreigner’s Work Permit in each city. Please pay attention that, the period for foreigners work permit is one year only, and it is not extendable.

A work permit is a document issued by the Chinese government which certifies that a foreign citizen is allowed  to take up an employment in China. Obtaining a work permit for mainland China isn’t as simple as it used to be. The process has become lengthier and more complex because of the Chinese government’s efforts to regulate foreign workers and stop illegal immigration.

China Employment Visa is issued to applicants who intend to take up employment, or self-employment in China to work as an executive, technical expert or a specialist. The foreign employee intending to work in China should have at least an undergraduate degree for the position he is applying for and at least two years of full time work experience in the past five years.

Chinese Work Visa for Foreigners

Foreigners, especially those that intend to work in China, often face the question of which visa type to apply for. Since the Chinese Central Government implemented new visa regulations in September 2013, the complexities of the application process for work visas have increased even further. The different visa categories should, therefore, be examined in detail.

Since 2013, the Administrative Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Entry and Exit of Aliens (as of September 1^st), as well as The Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Administration of Exit and Entry (as of July 1^st) regulate the entry requirements for foreigners into China. There are now twelve different visa categories instead of the previous eight.

If overseas or domestic companies wish to hire foreign workers in China, the first organisational obstacle is to solve this visa issue. Therefore, particularly those visa categories, which are relevant for foreigners with the intention to work in China, are illustrated below (see Figure 1). At this point, the new M, R, and S Visa categories, as well as recent changes with regard to the work visa (Z Visa) are most important (read here an analysis of the work visa new point system).