Work Visa (Z-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who is to take up a post or employment in China and his or her accompanying family members, or to give commercial performances in China.

1. Checklist of documents required for application

(1) Original passport remaining to be valid for at least 6 months from the date of application and with sufficient blank visa pages. At least 18 months validity of the passport is required to remain if applicant intends to stay in China for more than one year.

(2) One completed visa application form with a recently-taken passport photo. All the items on the application form should be fully filled in with genuine information; if the applicant has a Chinese name, the Chinese name should be filled in; false or incomplete information and illegible characters may lead to refusal of a visa.

(3) Employment Approval Documents required:

(i) Applicants who come to China to take up employment as experts, scholars, teachers, managerial personnel and as personnel working in related state or local organizations should provide:

A) Confirmation Letter of Retaining Foreign Experts issued by the State Bureau of Foreign Experts (original);

B) Visa Notification issued by an authorized unit in China (original).

(ii)Foreign technical personnel who come to China for Offshore petroleum operations should provide:Letter of Invitation to Foreigners for Offshore Petroleum Operations in China issued by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (original);

(iii) Chief representative or representative of foreign offices resident in China should provide:

A) The registration certificate of resident representative office of foreign (regional) enterprises issued by related administrative department of industry and commerce; OR the approval document for the resident representative offices of foreign enterprises issued by related commercial departments.

B) Visa notification issued by an authorized unit in China (original).

(iv) Personnel who come to China to implement aid or technical cooperative projects should provide:

A) Bilateral or multilateral agreement between the Chinese Government and foreign government or international organization, for cooperation and exchange;

B) Visa notification issued by an authorized unit in China (original).

(v) Personnel who come to China for commercial performance should provide:

A) Approval document (also copy) issued by the Ministry of Culture or the Cultural Department of related province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government;

B) Visa notification issued by the Ministry of Culture or the foreign affairs office of related province, autonomous region and municipality directly under the Central Government.

(vi) Personnel other than those mentioned above should provide:

A) The Employment Permit for Foreigners issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security;

B) Visa notification issued by an authorized unit in China (original).

(vii) Accompanying family dependents of personnel working in China should provide related note, letter or visa notification issued by an authorized unit or documents proving their status as dependents.

2. Application procedure and processing time

(1) Application procedure

Book online appointment at the website of Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) and then submit application to CVASC. Application without appointment will not be accepted. For more information, please visit www.visaforchina.org.uk . CVASC accepts postal application.

(2) Processing time

Regular visa processing time is normally 4 working days. For example, applicants lodging applications on Monday will collect the visas on Thursday. Express visa processing time is normally 3 working days. Applicants requesting the express service must lodge visa applications at the CVASC counter before 12:00 noon, Monday to Friday.

3. Important notes

(1) Work visa issued is usually with a single entry, valid for 3 months and with no duration of stay(that is 000 day of stay). Holders of student visa should go through the procedure for a residence permit at a local public security bureau within 30 days (7days for technical personnel who come to China for Offshore petroleum operations) after entry into China to avoid illegal stay in China. The period of validity of the residence permit is its holder's duration of stay in China.

(2) Consular officers may request an applicant to provide additional supporting documents. The applicant should provide this as soon as possible.

(3) Whether a visa is to be issued or not, and what type of visa to be issued shall be decided by Consular officers in the light of China's relevant laws and regulations. Application may be refused without detailed explanation.

(4) The applicant should check all the information of the issued visa upon collection and if necessary raise queries at the same time. If there is no immediate query relating to the issued visa, the applicant is held responsible under any circumstances thereafter.

(5) The visa application form should be fully completed and signed by the applicant upon completion (application for an applicant under 18 years of age should be signed by one of his or her parents). Items which are not applicable should be filled in with N/A.

(6) Please be advised to apply for a visa about one month in advance of the intended date of entry into China. The applicant is held responsible for any consequences resulting from the failure to submit visa application at an appropriate time, which may lead to either the issued visa becoming expired or it would be too late to get a visa before the intended entry date.

(7) Consular officers decide on the visa's period of validity, duration of stay and number of entry in the light of China's laws and regulations.

4. Fees

(1) Please pay on collection.

(2) Chinese Visa Application Service Centre accepts cash or debit card for payment.

(3)Schedule of visa Fees and Service Fees (Unit: British Pound):

Notes:

1. Visa Fees are collected on behalf of the Chinese Embassy.

2. Application Service Fees are charged by the Centre.

3. The total amount of the fees to be paid by an applicant = visa fees + application service fees.