How Long Does It Take to Get a Chinese Work Permit in 2023?

If you are plan­ning to work in Chi­na in 2023, you need to obtain a Chi­nese work per­mit and a work-type res­i­dence per­mit. These are the legal doc­u­ments that allow you to stay and work in Chi­na legal­ly. How­ev­er, get­ting a Chi­nese work per­mit is not a sim­ple or quick process. It involves many steps, doc­u­ments, and author­i­ties. In this arti­cle, we will explain how long it takes to get a Chi­nese work per­mit in 2023, what are the require­ments and pro­ce­dures, and what are some tips and best prac­tices to speed up the process.

What is a Chinese Work Permit?

A Chi­nese work per­mit is a cer­tifi­cate issued by the Min­istry of Human Resources and Social Secu­ri­ty of Chi­na (MOHRSS) that grants for­eign nation­als the right to work in Chi­na. It is also known as the For­eign­er’s Work Per­mit (FWP) or the Noti­fi­ca­tion Let­ter of For­eign­er’s Work Per­mit (NLFWP). A Chi­nese work per­mit is valid for one to five years, depend­ing on the type and cat­e­go­ry of the for­eign work­er. There are three types of Chi­nese work per­mits: A, B, and C. Type A is for high-lev­el tal­ents, such as sci­en­tists, pro­fes­sors, or senior man­agers. Type B is for pro­fes­sion­al or skilled work­ers, such as engi­neers, teach­ers, or tech­ni­cians. Type C is for tem­po­rary or sea­son­al work­ers, such as interns, vol­un­teers, or performers.

What is a Work-type Residence Permit?

A work-type res­i­dence per­mit is a visa issued by the Exit and Entry Admin­is­tra­tion of the Pub­lic Secu­ri­ty Bureau (PSB) that allows for­eign nation­als to reside in Chi­na for work pur­pos­es. It is also known as the Z visa or the Res­i­dence Per­mit for For­eign­ers in Chi­na (RPFC). A work-type res­i­dence per­mit is valid for the same dura­tion as the Chi­nese work per­mit, but it can­not exceed five years. A work-type res­i­dence per­mit also serves as a mul­ti­ple-entry visa that allows for­eign nation­als to enter and exit Chi­na freely dur­ing its valid­i­ty period.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Chinese Work Permit in 2023?

The time it takes to get a Chi­nese work per­mit in 2023 depends on var­i­ous fac­tors, such as the type and cat­e­go­ry of the for­eign work­er, the indus­try and sec­tor they oper­ate in, the loca­tion they select, and the doc­u­ments they pre­pare. Gen­er­al­ly speak­ing, it can take any­where from one month to three months or more to com­plete the whole process. The fol­low­ing out­lines the typ­i­cal appli­ca­tion process for for­eign appli­cants who are not cur­rent­ly in China:

1. Apply for a Work Per­mit Notice: The first step is to apply for a Work Per­mit Notice from MOHRSS online through its For­eign­er’s Work Per­mit Man­age­ment Sys­tem (FWPMS). The appli­cant needs to sub­mit their per­son­al infor­ma­tion and scanned copies of their required doc­u­ments (such as pass­port, diplo­ma, health cer­tifi­cate, etc.) through FWPMS. The employ­er in Chi­na also needs to sub­mit their infor­ma­tion and doc­u­ments (such as busi­ness license, tax cer­tifi­cate, employ­ment con­tract, etc.) through FWPMS. The MOHRSS will review the appli­ca­tion and issue a Work Per­mit Notice with­in 10 work­ing days if approved.
2. Apply for a Z Visa: The sec­ond step is to apply for a Z visa from the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate in their home coun­try with their Work Per­mit Notice and oth­er required doc­u­ments (such as pass­port, visa appli­ca­tion form, pho­to, etc.). The Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate will review the appli­ca­tion and issue a Z visa with­in 5 work­ing days if approved.
3. Enter Chi­na: The third step is to enter Chi­na with their Z visa with­in 90 days of its issuance. The Z visa allows them to stay in Chi­na for up to 30 days from the date of entry.
4. Apply for a Work Per­mit Card: The fourth step is to apply for a Work Per­mit Card from MOHRSS with­in 30 days of enter­ing Chi­na. The appli­cant needs to sub­mit their orig­i­nal doc­u­ments (such as pass­port, diplo­ma, health cer­tifi­cate, etc.) and their bio­met­ric infor­ma­tion (such as fin­ger­prints and pho­to) at the local MOHRSS office. The MOHRSS will review the appli­ca­tion and issue a Work Per­mit Card with­in 5 work­ing days if approved.
5. Apply for a Res­i­dence Per­mit: The fifth step is to apply for a Res­i­dence Per­mit from PSB with­in 30 days of enter­ing Chi­na. The appli­cant needs to sub­mit their orig­i­nal doc­u­ments (such as pass­port, work per­mit card, accom­mo­da­tion reg­is­tra­tion form, etc.) at the local PSB office. The PSB will review the appli­ca­tion and issue a Res­i­dence Per­mit with­in 15 work­ing days if approved.

What are the Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Work Permit Application in 2023?

The require­ments and pro­ce­dures for Chi­nese work per­mit appli­ca­tion in 2023 vary depend­ing on the type and cat­e­go­ry of the for­eign work­er. The fol­low­ing are some gen­er­al require­ments and pro­ce­dures that apply to most for­eign workers:

• Basic Require­ments: To apply for a Chi­nese work per­mit, for­eign nation­als must meet cer­tain basic require­ments. They should: Pos­sess the nec­es­sary skills and have at least two years of pro­fes­sion­al work expe­ri­ence that align with the rel­e­vant job vacan­cy. Have a clean crim­i­nal record, which can be ver­i­fied through a back­ground check issued by their home coun­try. Secure a job offer from a Chi­nese employ­er. Pos­sess a valid pass­port and/​or any oth­er manda­to­ry inter­na­tion­al trav­el certificates.
• Cat­e­go­ry Require­ments: To apply for a Chi­nese work per­mit, for­eign nation­als must also meet cer­tain cat­e­go­ry require­ments based on their type of work per­mit (A, B, or C). They should: Obtain a cer­tain score on the For­eign­er’s Work Per­mit Points Sys­tem, which eval­u­ates their qual­i­fi­ca­tions, skills, salary, age, edu­ca­tion, etc. The min­i­mum score is 85 for type A, 60 for type B, and no score for type C. Pro­vide a cer­tifi­cate of no crim­i­nal record issued by their home coun­try or the coun­try where they have lived for more than one year in the past five years. Pro­vide a health cer­tifi­cate issued by an autho­rized med­ical insti­tu­tion in their home coun­try or Chi­na. Pro­vide an authen­ti­cat­ed diplo­ma or degree cer­tifi­cate issued by their home coun­try or an inter­na­tion­al orga­ni­za­tion. Pro­vide a proof of work expe­ri­ence issued by their pre­vi­ous employer(s) or rel­e­vant authority.
• Indus­try Require­ments: To apply for a Chi­nese work per­mit, for­eign nation­als may also need to meet cer­tain indus­try require­ments based on their indus­try or sec­tor they oper­ate in (such as edu­ca­tion, cul­ture, sports, etc.). They should: Pro­vide a pro­fes­sion­al qual­i­fi­ca­tion cer­tifi­cate or license issued by their home coun­try or an inter­na­tion­al orga­ni­za­tion. Pro­vide a proof of lan­guage pro­fi­cien­cy or lev­el test issued by their home coun­try or an inter­na­tion­al orga­ni­za­tion. Pro­vide a let­ter of rec­om­men­da­tion or approval issued by their employ­er or rel­e­vant author­i­ty in China.
• Doc­u­ment Require­ments: To apply for a Chi­nese work per­mit, for­eign nation­als need to pre­pare and sub­mit var­i­ous doc­u­ments at dif­fer­ent stages of the appli­ca­tion process. They should: Pre­pare the orig­i­nal and pho­to­copy of their pass­port and visa appli­ca­tion form for the Z visa appli­ca­tion. Pre­pare the orig­i­nal and pho­to­copy of their pass­port, diplo­ma, health cer­tifi­cate, work expe­ri­ence proof, crim­i­nal record cer­tifi­cate, and oth­er required doc­u­ments for the work per­mit card appli­ca­tion. Pre­pare the orig­i­nal and pho­to­copy of their pass­port, work per­mit card, accom­mo­da­tion reg­is­tra­tion form, and oth­er required doc­u­ments for the res­i­dence per­mit application.
• Pro­ce­dure Require­ments: To apply for a Chi­nese work per­mit, for­eign nation­als need to fol­low cer­tain pro­ce­dures at dif­fer­ent stages of the appli­ca­tion process. They should: Reg­is­ter and log in to FWPMS online to fill out and sub­mit their per­son­al infor­ma­tion and scanned copies of their required doc­u­ments. Wait for MOHRSS to review and approve their appli­ca­tion and issue a Work Per­mit Notice online. Print out the Work Per­mit Notice and bring it to the Chi­nese embassy or con­sulate in their home coun­try to apply for a Z visa. Enter Chi­na with their Z visa with­in 90 days of its issuance and stay in Chi­na for up to 30 days from the date of entry. Go to the local MOHRSS office to sub­mit their orig­i­nal doc­u­ments and bio­met­ric infor­ma­tion and apply for a Work Per­mit Card. Go to the local PSB office to sub­mit their orig­i­nal doc­u­ments and apply for a Res­i­dence Permit.

What are Some Tips and Best Practices to Speed Up the Process?

Get­ting a Chi­nese work per­mit can be a long and com­pli­cat­ed process that involves many steps, doc­u­ments, and author­i­ties. How­ev­er, there are some tips and best prac­tices that can help you speed up the process and avoid unnec­es­sary delays or mis­takes. Here are some of them:

• Plan Ahead: Before you start your appli­ca­tion process, you should plan ahead and do your research on the mar­ket size, demand, com­pe­ti­tion, trends, oppor­tu­ni­ties, and chal­lenges of your indus­try or sec­tor in Chi­na. You should also under­stand the legal, reg­u­la­to­ry, tax, and cul­tur­al envi­ron­ment of your tar­get region or city in Chi­na. You should also check the lat­est require­ments and pro­ce­dures for Chi­nese work per­mit appli­ca­tion on FWPMS web­site or con­tact your employ­er or agent in Chi­na for guidance.
• Find a Reli­able Employ­er or Agent: Find­ing a reli­able employ­er or agent in Chi­na can be a great way to speed up your appli­ca­tion process. A reli­able employ­er or agent can help you nav­i­gate the mar­ket entry process, pro­vide you with access to resources and net­works, share their exper­tise and expe­ri­ence, and reduce your risks and costs. You can find a reli­able employ­er or agent through var­i­ous chan­nels, such as 
• refer­rals, events, plat­forms, or agen­cies. How­ev­er, you need to be care­ful and dili­gent when choos­ing an employ­er or agent, as there may be poten­tial con­flicts of inter­est, hid­den agen­das, or legal disputes.
• Pre­pare Your Doc­u­ments Care­ful­ly: Prepar­ing your doc­u­ments care­ful­ly is cru­cial for your appli­ca­tion process. You should make sure that your doc­u­ments are com­plete, accu­rate, and con­sis­tent. You should also make sure that your doc­u­ments are authen­ti­cat­ed, trans­lat­ed, and nota­rized if required. You should also make copies of your doc­u­ments and keep them safe. You should also check the valid­i­ty and expi­ra­tion date of your doc­u­ments and renew them if necessary.
• Fol­low the Instruc­tions and Dead­lines: Fol­low­ing the instruc­tions and dead­lines is essen­tial for your appli­ca­tion process. You should fol­low the instruc­tions and guide­lines pro­vid­ed by FWPMS, MOHRSS, PSB, and oth­er author­i­ties. You should also fol­low the dead­lines and time lim­its for each stage of the appli­ca­tion process. You should also keep track of your appli­ca­tion sta­tus and progress online or offline. You should also com­mu­ni­cate and coöper­ate with your employ­er or agent in Chi­na and pro­vide them with any infor­ma­tion or doc­u­ments they need.
• Be Flex­i­ble and Adapt­able: Being flex­i­ble and adapt­able is impor­tant for your appli­ca­tion process. You should be pre­pared for any changes or updates in the require­ments or pro­ce­dures for Chi­nese work per­mit appli­ca­tion. You should also be pre­pared for any delays or dif­fi­cul­ties that may arise dur­ing the appli­ca­tion process. You should also be open-mind­ed and will­ing to learn from your mis­takes and feed­back. You should also be cre­ative and inno­v­a­tive in find­ing solu­tions and opportunities.

Conclusion

Get­ting a Chi­nese work per­mit in 2023 can be a reward­ing and prof­itable ven­ture if you are pre­pared and com­mit­ted. Chi­na offers many advan­tages and ben­e­fits for for­eign work­ers who want to tap into its huge mar­ket poten­tial and tech­no­log­i­cal advance­ment. How­ev­er, Chi­na also pos­es many chal­lenges and risks for for­eign work­ers who want to enter its com­plex and com­pet­i­tive busi­ness envi­ron­ment. There­fore, you need to know how long it takes to get a Chi­nese work per­mit in 2023, what are the require­ments and pro­ce­dures, and what are some tips and best prac­tices to speed up the process. You also need to fol­low some tips and best prac­tices that can help you suc­ceed in this dynam­ic and diverse country.

FAQs about Getting a Chinese Work Permit in 2023

Here are some fre­quent­ly asked ques­tions and answers about get­ting a Chi­nese work per­mit in 2023:

Sources

• Work Per­mit In Chi­na – A Com­plete Guide | Multiplier
• Work Visa in Chi­na: Full 2023 Guide | HROne
• Require­ments and Pro­ce­dures for Chi­nese Visa Appli­ca­tion (Updat­ed in March ‚2023) | Embassy of the Peo­ple’s Repub­lic of Chi­na in the Unit­ed States of America
• For­eign­er Res­i­dence Per­mit In Chi­na 2023: Full Guide | HROne