How to Apply for a Working Visa in China
- 1). Apply for and obtain employment with a Chinese company or institution.
- 2). Instruct the Chinese company to issue you a visa notification, stating your qualifications as well as the nature and scope of your employment.
- 3). Instruct the Chinese company or institution to obtain a Work Permit for Aliens on your behalf from the Chinese Labor Ministry, or a Foreign Expert's License from the Chinese Foreign Expert Bureau.
Upon obtaining either of these documents, have the Chinese company send you both the original and a photocopy of the Work Permit or License. - 4). Download a Visa Application Form from the home page of the Embassy of China in Washington, D.C. (see Resource section).
- 5). Complete the form by typing your information directly into the form. Since you cannot save the information entered in the form, print the completed application.
- 6). Have a two-inch-by-two-inch photo taken of you. The photo can be color or black and white.
- 7). Staple or glue the photo on your completed application form.
- 8). Pay the Z visa processing fee, which as of July 2010 was USD $130 for U.S. citizens and USD $30 for other nationals. You can pay the fee by using a cashier’s check, money order or check; you may also use a MasterCard or Visa debit or credit card. If you use a cashier’s check or money order, it must be made payable to “Chinese Embassy.”
- 9). Locate the consular district that has jurisdiction over your area by visiting the “Embassy and Consulates General of the People's Republic of China” page (see Resource section) and then finding the list of consular offices and the states they govern under the map.
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Visit the home page of your specific consular district by clicking on the consular name. Copy the address and hours of operation of the consular district from their home page. - 11
Go to the consular district during the hours of operation and submit your documents. You do not need to schedule an appointment to visit Chinese consular offices. If the Chinese consular officer processing your case believes that your documents provide sufficient grounds for approval, he will provide you with a pickup slip indicating the date when you should return to the consular office to get your Z visa. Generally, it takes four business days to process Z visas.