To work legally in China, regardless of your chosen profession, you need a Z Visa.While there are plenty of schools and recruiters out there reassuring job seekers that it's ok to teach on a business (M) or tourist (L) visa, doing so is illegal and extremely risky.

Even if you ignore the threat of fines and detention, there is no shortage of horror stories out there about teachers getting caught and deported.Our advice is to be smart, do your homework, and insist on a Z visa from your employer.

Only registered schools are authorized to provide Z visas to their teachers, so if you are speaking with a school that either says they can't or is giving you excuses, be very wary.After all, if they can't even guarantee your legal employment, how can they be trusted to live up to the rest of the contract?

Table of Contents

Overview of a Chinese Z Visa

The Z visa is the stepping stone to legally working in China.It's valid for 30 days upon entry to China.Once you have your Z Visa, you will need to register at the local police station, obtain a Work Certificate and finally, be granted a Residence Permit.Once you have your Residence Permit in your hand, you can officially stay and work in China.

Doesn't sound too bad, right?!

To obtain this work visa from China, you will first need to be offered a job.This will entitle you to a Work Permit, which you need to apply for the Z visa.The Work Permit itself should be arranged by your employer / school in China, who will be licensed to employ foreigners.Like we mentioned above, if your employer isn't offering a Z visa, they may not be an authorized registered school.It's worth looking elsewhere to teach if this is the case.

What Are the Requirements for a Z Visa?

To be eligible for a Z visa, you will need to meet the requirements to teach English which are set out by your school in China.While these requirements may differ from school to school, they tend to revolve around three main components:

A Bachelor's Degree in any subject
Two Years Work Experience or TEFL certificate (ideally 120 hours)
Native English Speaker

Applicants are also subject to the same retirement ages as Chinese workers: 60 for men and 55 for women.While these ages are still being revised, it will be more difficult to get a visa if you are older than that.

China Work Visa Process Summary

Despite what you may have heard, the visa process for those looking to teach in China is usually pretty straight forward.If we break it down, there are six steps you need to take.Two before you leave for China, the rest within 30 days of arriving there.While this may seem like a lot, rest assured that your school should be doing all the heavy lifting on your behalf.They will tell you what you need to do and assist you with it, guiding you through the process.

Where to Begin

Before you can depart for your new life in China, there are two important boxes to tick.Number one, obtain a Work Permit.Number two, get the Z visa.This then allows you to enter China.

Step One – Work Permit

The first step of the visa process is getting your Work Permit.For this to happen, you will need to have been offered a job.Your employer will ask you to send them a pretty large number of documents so that they can arrange the Work Permit. on your behalf.

This is the longest list of documents that you will need to submit throughout the process, so once this step is completed, the rest of the steps are somewhat easier!

These may vary between schools, but typically expect to send the following:

Scanned Copy of your Passport – a full two-page scan of the information and signature pages.Your passport must have at least one year of validity left
Resume / CV – this should clearly state your education and working background
Scanned Document Copies of the following:

Bachelor's degree certificate
Bachelor's degree transcripts
TEFL certificate

Photos – these must meet certain criteria regarding size and content, and have been taken in the last 6 months.
Medical Forms
Physical Examination form
Reference letter (if applicable)
Social Security Number (if from the US)
Background Check-this non-criminal background check (CBC) must be valid within 6 months of applying for your Work Permit.How to obtain one and get it authenticated will vary between countries:

US Citizens – FBI
UK Citizens – ACRO , DBS , Disclosure Scotland
Canada – RCMP
Australia – AFP

Document Authentication

There are currently two options for having your diploma authenticated:

Paper Authentication in your home county

A three- to four-step process that varies according to country but will normally include the following: notarized copy of the original diploma, authentication at the state level, authentication at a Chinese Embassy / Consulate, translation into Chinese.

Online Authentication in China

Your Diploma can also be authenticated via on online, one-step process with the Chinese Ministry of Education in Beijing.Applicants only need to submit a color scan of their highest diploma.An authentication document will be issued within 10-15 working days and can be sent directly to your future employer in China.

Once these documents have been sent over to your employer, they will organize to get your Work Permit processed.Be patient here, as generally it can anywhere up to 30 business days for the permit to be processed.Once it has been approved, you will be sent your Work Permit. You will then need this permit to apply for your Z visa.

Step Two – Z Visa application

One down, five to go! Up next is the Z visa.This requires much less documentation.First, complete the Chinese Working Visa Application Form online, then print it out, gather up the following documents and head to the Chinese Embassy / Consulate in your home country:

Completed visa application form
Work Permit
Passport
Passport photo

The Z visa should take around 3 – 7 days to process, but it can take longer.If you've got this far, you shouldn't have the visa rejected. You'll be notified once it has been processed so you can go collect it.

Alternatively, if you don't live near a Chinese Embassy / Consulate in your home country, then it is also quite common (and safe) to use an agency.For a fee, agencies apply for visas on your behalf and handle everything from submitting the paperwork to picking up the final result and mailing it back to you.

Another option for those already in Asia is applying for your Visa in Hong Kong.Reports vary on this option and it doesn't seem to always work for applicants, but still, if you are already in China or Hong Kong it's worth a shot to prevent either having to return to your country or pay for an agency.Make sure to ask your school if this is an option before deciding on it!

Z Visa Fees

The fee for the Z visa is the same as for other types of Chinese visas.Some schools may help with costs, but typically expect to pay the following for a single-entry Z visa:

US Citizens	Canadian Citizens	UK Citizens	Australian Citizens
USD 140	CAD 142	GBP 151	AUD 109.5

However you go about this step, once you have your Z visa in your passport you are ready to head off to China and start your ESL adventure!

In China

Congratulations! You've made it to China.You now have 30 days to turn your Z Visa into a residency permit (the Visa only gets you into China, the residency permit ensures you can stay) .As your Z visa is single-entry , you will not be able to leave China until you get your residency permit, but after that, you are free to exit and enter as often as you like.

Only four more steps to go before you are officially a Chinese resident! Plus, your school should continue to assist you through these next stages, so no need to worry.

Step Three – Registration

The first thing you must do upon landing in China, apart from grabbing some delicious noodles, is register at the local police station where you'll be staying.This needs to be done within 24 hours of your arrival, so our advice is to get it done ASAP.It's a pretty straightforward step – just take yourself and the following documents down to your local police station:

Passport
Housing contract
A copy of your Landlord's ID and their contact number

Step Four – Medical Check

It is highly likely that you will be required to take part in an in-country medical check within 30 days of your arrival in China.It should be organized by your employer and they should accompany you to the hospital.It's a pretty simple procedure and is nothing to worry about.You will need to bring the following documents with you to the medical check:

Passport
Photocopies of passport material pages (picture and information page, visa page, and entry stamp page)
5 passport-style photos (your employer may organize for these to be taken)
Medical check fee, approx 400RMB – in some cases your employer will pay

The follow-up Health Certificate can take a couple of working days to process and all being well, your employer should register this with the authorities.

Step Five – Work Certificate

You're almost there! Next up is the Work Certificate, which you will need to apply for your Residence Permit. Your employer should assist you with this.Expect to submit the following documents:

Passport
One photo
Medical Check (if applicable)
Police Registration form (from your arrival in China)

Generally, the Work Certificate will take around 5 days to process but may take longer.

Step Six – Residency Permit

The end is now in sight as you finally complete the last step of the visa journey. Again, your employer should assist you with this.

To apply for your Residence Permit, you must appear in person at your local Public Security Bureau (PBS) .Remember, you need to have applied for this Residency Permit within 30 days of your arrival in China.This is important.

Bring yourself and the following to the PBS:

Passport (this will be kept by the PBS for the processing period)
Work Certificate
Police Registration form
Medical check
Resident Permit application forms
One photo

Expect the processing time of the Residence Permit to be approx 10 – 15 days, depending on the city you're applying in.You don't need the Residence Permit in your hand before your 30 days is up, but you need to have applied for it.

As soon as you have that Residence Permit in your hands, you can breathe a sigh of relief.Go and get yourself a glass of Sake and soak up the feeling of officially being a resident of China.This permit allows you to legally teach in China , move around the country and travel in and out of the country as you like.China is now your oyster.

For more answers to your questions please visit our forum.

6 painless steps to obtain a visa for China