How to Get a Work Visa in China

Foreign nationals who work in China need two things: a work permit, which authorizes the employment itself, and a Z visa, which lets you enter the country and is later converted into a residence permit. Whether you join an existing employer or run your own company, the system is the same — the difference is simply who your employer is. Registering your own company first is the step that comes before this page: see how to register a company in China as a foreigner, then come back here for the visa side.

Types of work visas in China

China uses letters and numbers to designate visa types. The ones most relevant to working or living in China:

Requirements to obtain a China work visa

Most applicants need a valid passport, a passport photo meeting Chinese specs, a health certificate, and an official employment link — a Chinese employer, or your own registered company.

Work permit categories: A, B, and C

China classifies foreign workers into three categories (A, B, and C) against a set of mandatory criteria covering qualifications, salary, work experience, age, and Mandarin proficiency. The category decides how fast and how easily your work permit is approved.

Category A has the most relaxed criteria and no quota; Category B is the standard track (bachelor’s degree plus two years’ experience); Category C is quota-controlled and usually temporary.

Application process — joining an employer

If you are hired by an existing company in China, the sequence is:

1. Work permit notification — your employer applies for the Notification of Work Permit; this is the long pole, roughly 20 working days.
2. Z visa — if you are abroad, apply at a Chinese embassy or consulate using the invitation issued from the notification.
3. Entry and accommodation registration — register where you stay with the local police within 24 hours of arrival.
4. Medical examination — completed at a designated hospital in China.
5. Residence permit — your employer files the conversion within 30 days of entry; the permit’s validity follows your employment contract.

If you are already in China — for example your previous work visa has just expired — you are normally issued a temporary stay permit for the transition, so you can complete the conversion locally without leaving the country.

Running your own company? The order is the same — your company simply becomes the employer in steps 1 and 5. Before that, the company itself has to exist: see the company-registration guide.

Documents for the work visa application

Once the company exists (or if you join an employer), the employer first obtains the Notification of Work Permit; you then prepare this package:

• Passport bio-data page — valid for more than one year
• One recent 2-inch photo (white background, bareheaded, within the past 6 months, electronic)
• Employment reference letter(s) from previous employer(s) (if applicable) — labor contracts, termination agreements, or recommendation letters, with certifier contact and company seal; certified translation if not in Chinese
• Highest degree certificate or professional qualification (if applicable) — authenticated via embassy or apostille depending on your country; certified translation if not in Chinese
• Certificate of no criminal record — from your country of nationality, within the past six months; certification and translation per treaty status
• Document translation — translation company stamp, stamped business-license copy, “translation accurate” statement, translator name and contact
• Temporary Accommodation Registration Form for Foreigners — obtained after completing accommodation registration at the local police station within 24 hours of arrival in Hainan
• Foreign visa photo collection receipt plus four 2-inch blue-background photos (physical) — the photo collection is done free of charge at the exit-entry administration
• Medical examination report — from an authorized hospital, stamped by Customs; dated within the past six months, and if older than six months you must undergo a new medical examination at a designated hospital

Submit in person with originals: after the online application is approved, you must bring the original documents to the exit-entry administration in person to complete the filing.

Other important considerations

• The residence permit application should be filed within 30 days of entry — missing this risks penalties.
• Authentication of foreign documents (degree, no-criminal-record) can take weeks in your home country; start early.
• Category A applicants get fast-track processing (often ~5 working days) and may qualify for the long-term R visa.
• A business (M) or tourist (L) visa does not authorize employment, so you must not start working on one. But if you are already in China with the work permit in hand and cannot leave the country in time, you can apply in-country to convert your current visa into a work-type residence permit (via a circumstance statement) instead of exiting first to obtain a Z visa.
• State your needed entries (single / double / multiple) on the application. Returning from Hong Kong or Macao counts as a new entry.