Obtaining an employment visa (Z type) to work in China from the UK has been a real nightmare, seemingly compounded by the Olympics when things were further tightened up. The process isn’t very well documented anywhere so to try and possibly help others I thought I might relay my experiences. Please note that none of the below is in any way official and obviously subject to change - your mileage may vary!
To apply for the Z visa from the UK your company will need to provide you with the following documentation:
-
An employment permit
-
An visa notification letter
For them to get this documentation you will need give them:
- Passport (should be valid for at least 6 months with blank pages)
- Education (degree) certificate & academic transcript
- Criminal record (obtainable from your local police force or faster from Disclosure Scotland)
- Medical record (GP or hospital should complete, sign and stamp Physical Examination Record for Foreigner)
Copies of the above need to be notarised by a Notary Public (search Google to find one near you), legalised by the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (in Milton Keynes by post or in person), and finally certified by the Chinese Embassy (in London/Manchester/Edinburgh) IN THIS EXACT ORDER.
Once your company has made the application for the employment permit / visa notification letter and sent them back you can then apply for the Z visa at the Chinese Embassy (appointment required) or Chinese Visa Application Center (more expensive but no appointment needed) for which, in addition to the aforementioned documents (plus photocopies), you will need:
- Completed Chinese Visa Application Form
- One passport photo affixed to the visa application form
Unfortunately all of this is very expensive and time consuming - I would recommend budgeting at least £400 and 6 weeks to complete the full process at a bare minimum. Once you arrive in China you will need to obtain a Residence Permit which I will save for another post (once I’ve been through it myself!).
Good luck and if your experience differs or you have any other advice to offer please comment below!
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Hi David,
I’m going through the same process right now and am interested to learn how things go when you get to China. For instance, do they give you a multiple entry stamp in your passport when you convert to the resident permit?
Just to add to what you’ve said here….My company secured the “foreign expert” paperwork for me, and I got the visa notification and employment permit sent to me with a few less hassles than you. I didn’t need the police check or notorisation, etc. I simply sent my MA Degree (original), medical check documents, CV in English and Chinese direct to China, and they did the rest there. I’m lodging the visa itself through CIBT instead of direct to the Chinese embassy in the hopes that I can avoid an interview, too.
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your comment - sounds like you’ve had a much easier time! Which province did you apply to out of interest? I’m in Shenzhen but hear it differs depending on where you apply…
As to answer your question - the Z visa gives you single entry into China. To convert this into a multiple entry residency permit once I arrived I first had to have a full medical check. This included blood check (for HIV etc), physical exam, chest x-ray, ECG, ultra-sound, dental and eye checks. Then once I received the all clear I had to apply for a temporary residency permit (must be done within 15 days of entry). Next I will apply for the permanent residency permit (within 30 days) which will allow me to live in China officially (for 1 year) and come and go as many times as I like. For this I will have an interview at the police station - I’ll post here with an update next week.
Hope this helps!
Does the company in china needs original degrees and certificates ?
If possible, please reply on my email as well. Thanks
Hi tseeker - yes they require the original documents as well as legalized copies.
so you mailed your original docs by DHL or something ? wasn’t there a risk of losing them in mail or anything like that you know ?
I used DHL to mail them and then nervously watched the online tracker! So yes, it’s a risk but your only other option is to take them by hand (or try making some really convincing copies!).