Foreign experts who work in Guangzhou shall obtain the Work Permit for Foreign Experts Working in China (hereinafter referred to as the Work Permit), without which they can not be employed as foreign experts.
1. Application Requirements:
The foreign experts applying for work in Guangzhou shall abide by the relevant laws and regulations of China, be in good health, and have no criminal records. In addition, at least one of the following requirements must be satisfied:
1) They are foreign professional technicians or managers carrying out agreements and pacts between governments or international organizations or economic and trade contracts between China and a foreign country;
2) They are foreign professionals employed in such fields as education, scientific research, news media, publication, culture, art, health, and sports;
3) They are senior foreign professional technicians or managers employed in the enterprises in Guangzhou and are assuming the post of deputy manager or a higher post or will be treated the same as one of these;
4) They are long-term foreign experts in Guangzhou or those represented by foreign expert organizations or intermediary institutions approved by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs; or
5) They are foreign professional technicians or managers with an outstanding specialty directly needed in Guangzhou to be employed in such fields as technology, engineering, trade, finance, accounting, taxation affairs, and tourism.
For the 2nd and 3rd requirements, the foreign experts shall have a bachelor degree or higher and five years of work experience in the field (language teachers shall have a bachelor degree or higher degrees and two years of work experience in the field). In the 3rd requirement those “treated the same as [deputy manager or higher] need appropriate documentation from the employer in China.
Further interpretation of the requirements:
Concerning the first requirement, foreign experts shall submit the copies of the related project agreement or project approval documents.
Concerning the second requirement, foreign experts shall submit a copy of the Qualification Certificate for Employment of Foreign Cultural and Educational Experts or its serial number as well as the standard employment contract (printed officially by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs) entered into between the foreign experts and the employers. (The contract can be downloaded from the Download Section of this website).
Concerning the third requirement, the foreign experts shall submit a copy of the certificate of appointment, the employment contract, or the enterprise’s business license.
Concerning the fourth requirement, the foreign experts shall submit a copy of the approval documents issued by relevant foreign agency in China and a copy of the certificate of appointment as a foreign representative (or other legally valid dispatching documents).
Concerning the fifth requirement, foreign experts shall submit a copy of the employment agreement or contract.
2. Application Materials Required
1) The stamped Application Form for the Work Permit for Foreign Experts Working in China (this can be downloaded from the Download Section of this website);
2) Resume (including education and work experience);
3) A copy of the documentation of highest university degree attained or a copy of the certification of specialty qualification;
4) A medical certificate issued by foreign health institutions designated by China’s embassy and consulate or issued by the health and quarantine department authorized and certified by the Chinese government; and
5) The employment agreement or contract.
3. Procedures and Processing Time
1) Acceptance
a. Only application materials prepared in a complete and full manner abiding by the relevant laws and regulations will be accepted.
b. The applicant will be allowed to correct the mistakes in the application materials on the spot. For incomplete application materials or materials in conflicts with the relevant laws and regulations, the applicant will be given a written notice of lacking materials at once or within five days; if no notice is given, the application will be officially accepted on the date when the materials are received.
c. For rejected applications (incomplete or improperly completed), the applicants will be notified of the reason.
2) Inspection and approval
Decisions regarding approval will be made within 20 working days after the inspection steps have been completed in accordance with the relevant regulations. Under special circumstances, a ten-working-day extension is permissible if it is granted by the leaders of the relevant administrative department. The applicant will be notified of the reason for the extension.
If the approval is granted, the Work Permit (printed officially by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs) will be issued to the applicant and sealed with stamp of the Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs of Guangdong Province.
No administrative permission by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs will be granted if any of the following circumstances occur:
a. The application materials provided are incomplete or do not conform to the relevant laws and regulations or no steps are taken to correct the documents after notification;
b. False information is provided;
c. The applicants are not qualified to be foreign experts; or
d. There are other circumstances, for which the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs deems it not appropriate for the applicant to obtain the Work Permit.
4. Application for Work Visa (Z)
The foreign experts planning to work in Guangzhou shall apply for the Work Visa (Z). Required documents are: the original Work Permit, the visa notification letter/telegraph provided by Foreign Affairs Office of Guangzhou Municipality, and valid passport. If the Work Visa (Z) is issued the applicant, the China embassy in foreign countries will keep the original Work Permit, whereas the employers will keep a copy of it.
5. Application for Foreign Expert Card
1) The employer of those foreign experts who have obtained the Work Permit and Work Visa (Z) within 15 days of entering China shall go to Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs of Guangzhou to obtain the Foreign Expert Certificate. Required documents are: a copy of the application materials relevant for applying for the Work Permit or a copy of the Work Permit, the original and a copy of the expert’s passport, and two recent one-inch bare-headed chromo-photographs.
2) For those who have worked in Guangzhou but need to change the working place or for those who, due to special circumstances, have failed to obtain the Work Permit before coming to China, the employer shall apply for the Foreign Expert Certificate from the Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs of Guangzhou within 15 days after changing the working place or coming to China. For the detailed procedures and the required materials, please refer to this website, where you can find how to apply for the Foreign Expert Certificate for foreign experts who failed to obtain the Work Permit.
6. Miscellaneous
Having obtained the Foreign Expert Certificate, the foreign experts who will work in Guangzhou shall go to the Department of Exit and Entry in Guangzhou (No. 155, Building 6, Jiefang Nan Road) to handle the relevant residence procedures in China.
Notes: For those who apply for visa notification letter/telegraph for the Work Permit, please contact Liao Xiaofeng who is in charge of passports in the Foreign Affairs Office of the Guangzhou Municipal Government.
Tel: 83172462
Address: Room 502, Building 5, Guangren Lu
Materials required: the original (will be returned to the applicant after inspection) and a copy of the Work Permit and a copy of valid passport.
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