Chinese Employment Z Visa Application
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, I am in the same process as you. My company provides all the documentation by DHL and then I will apply directly to CIBT. Please could you let me know if you experienced any difficulties with this? Thank you very much
Gonzalo
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!).
Hey!
The originals don’t have to be legalized. Just send the originals to your company in China. They will translate them into Chinese and legalize the translated copies. They will give the copies and the original (just for a check) to the Labour Bureau.
Hi Marc, thanks for your comment. I think it probably depends on where your applying from (home country) and where your applying to (province in China). For me applying from the UK to work in Shenzhen they definitely needed legalized copies of the original which had already been notarised. That was Aug 2008 so the rules may have already changed.
Either way it’s still a long and painful process!
As far as I know, even in Shenzhen, only the criminal record (“no crime certificate”) must be notarised in the home country. Other documents (university degree, recommendation letters etc.) are accepted without notarisation. But Labor Bureau and PSB want to see the original anyway (just for review), and the translation must be legalized of course. But the company can translate it in China, that is by far cheaper than doing it at home. The translation company must put their red stamp on it.
Just a remark in case somebody reads this blog entry as a walkthrough:
The procedure in Shenzhen is different from most other parts of China. You can enter China on another visa initially (tourist or business visa) and do all the paperwork on the spot (especially the health check which is much cheaper than in Europe). Just make sure the company starts to apply for “Alien Employment License” within 15 days of your entry. After issuing the notification letter, it is not necessary to leave the country and come back with a Z-visa (unlike most other parts of China). The process is “smoother” than in other parts of China, especially the very strict regulations in Beijing and Shanghai.
Marc, are you sure this is now the case? Last year what you describe was definitely impossible when I applied. I heard that they had tightened things up due to the Olympics so perhaps its relaxed now? Hope so…!
Before I was told on no uncertain terms that I had to apply for the Z visa from my home country and that it was impossible to do it within China / Hong Kong anymore. Also none of my documented needed translation – it was exactly as I outlined it in my post.
I wish the Chinese gov ran a site which explained exactly what is/isn’t necessary for all these procedures. Most of the embassy sites are woefully inadequate which is why it leads to so much discussion online.
Usually you definitely need a Z-Visa for initial entry (unless you are the CEO or other top manager). But there are special regulations applicable only in Shenzhen and some certain other parts of China. It might be due to the fact that SZ is a Special Economic Zone, not sure about that.
More information (in Chinese) here:
http://www.sz.gov.cn/ldshbzj/ywgz/swjy/200809/t20080909_35503.html
For a colleague who applied in Nanshan district it was exactly like this.
Further information about the special regulations in Shenzhen (in English):
http://english.dl.gov.cn/upload/file/1Procedures%20for%20Applying%20Employment%20Residence%20Certificates%20for%20Foreigners_1.doc
http://www.china.org.cn/living_in_china/employment/2006-10/17/content_1184404.htm
http://www.shenzhen.molss.gov.cn/main/UpFiles/Attach/6911/2008/10/16/1247323929.DOC
I applied for a Z-visa in shanghai and just sent my cv and copies of uni certificates etc. and they gave me the licence and invitation letter and voila! Z-visa o’clock.
I’m hoping obtaining the residence permit is just as swift!! haha
I will be applying for a Z-visa in the new year, to work in Beijing. I was wondering if anyone could share their experiences of the process following arrival in Beijing on the Z-visa.
Thanks.
Dear All,
I recently applied for a Z VISA by post trought CIBT. I must say that it was the easiest process I have ever seen (and I have done some travelling around
). It took 4 working days to have my passport and VISA back.
Basically, apart from the normal paperwork (photo, form, return prepaid envelope) I sent them the “alien employment permit” and a letter by the Shanghai local/regional government asking for a VISA to be issued.
Hope it helps
Thanks for the tip – sounds like things are a bit simpler than they were a year ago.
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