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，implement aid or cooperative projects in China.
1. Please provide the following documents:
(1) Original passport remaining to be valid for at least 6 months from the date of application with at least 2 blank visa pages (it should be valid for at least 18 months if the period of stay in China is more than one year).
(2) One completed Visa Application Form (e-Form / Download) with a recently-taken colorful passport photo (48mm*33mm) stuck on it. 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:
(A) Foreigners who are engaged by the Chinese government, state agencies or public institutions to come to China to take up employment as professional or managerial personnel should provide:
1. Permit for Foreign Experts Working in China issued by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (original and copy); and
2. Invitation Letter of Duly Authorized Unit or Confirmation Letter of Invitation issued by an authorized Chinese unit (original and copy).
(B) 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);
(C) Chief representative or representative of foreign offices resident in China should provide:
1. The registration certificate of resident representative offices 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; and
2. Invitation Letter of Duly Authorized Unit or Confirmation Letter of Invitation issued by an authorized Chinese unit.
(D) Personnel who come to China to implement aid or cooperative projects should provide:
1. Bilateral or multilateral agreement between the Chinese Government and foreign government or international organization, for cooperation and exchange; and
2. Invitation Letter of Duly Authorized Unit or Confirmation Letter of Invitation issued by an authorized Chinese unit.
(E) Foreigners who come to China to work as experts, volunteers, charity staff, etc without pay or with pay provided by foreign organizations should provide an Invitation Letter of Duly Authorized Unit or Confirmation Letter of Invitation issued by an authorized Chinese unit.
(F) Personnel who come to China for commercial performance should provide:
1. Approval document (also copy) issued by the Ministry of Culture;and
2. An invitation letter issued by the Ministry of Culture or the foreign affairs office of related province, autonomous region and municipality directly under the Central Government (original).
(G) Foreign working personnel of foreign cultural centers in China should provide Confirmation of Working Personnel Appointed by the government of the sending state issued by the Foreign Cultural Liaison Office of the Chinese Cultural ministry, and invitation letter.
(H) Personnel other than those mentioned above should provide:
1. The Employment License for Foreigners issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security; and
2. Alien Employment License of the People's Republic of China issued by an authorized Chinese unit (original and copy).
(I) Accompanying family dependents of personnel working in China should provide a visa notification issued by the authorized Chinese unit and proof of kinship, e.g. marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc., and a copy of the Z-visa as well as Residence Permit.
(4) Applicant who will stay in China for more than 6 months shall provide a Physical Examination Record for Foreigner with blood test.
(5) A Canadian applicant born in china who applies for a Chinese visa with a Canadian passport for the first time is required to provide his/her previous Chinese passport, if not the first time, but with a new Canadian passport, please submit the previous Canadian passport and copies of Chinese visas records.
(6) A Chinese child born in Canada who applies for Chinese visa for the first time shall provide parent's permanent resident card or foreign passport and birth certificate(original and copy).
(7) Non-Canadian applicants should provide permanent resident card or work/ student visa of Canada.
(8) Applicants holding a new passport please provide previous passport and copies of Chinese visas records.
2. Method and Time for Submission of Application
(1) Method: An applicant may submit his or her visa application to the Center in person or entrusts someone or a travel agency to submit on his or her behalf. You may book in advance via the Center's website for submission. If you apply visas by post, please check Section ‘ Instructions for application by post ’. You may be required to go to the Chinese Consulate-General for an interview if the Chinese Consulate-General deems it necessary.
(2) Visa processing time: Regular visa processing time needs four working days. The Center offers express service or urgent service. For express service, visas will be ready for collection on the third working day. For urgent service, visas will be ready for collection on the second working day (applications should be submitted before 12:00 pm). For post service, the approximate turnaround time is 2 weeks.
3. Visa fee, period of validity and duration of stay
(1) Pay visa fees and service fees when collecting passport;
(2) Please pay cash /debit card when making payment;
(3) Schedule of visa Fees and Service Fees;
(4) Z-visa issued by the Chinese Consulate-General is usually with a single entry, valid for three months and with no duration of stay（that is 000 day of stay）. Holders of work visa should go through the formalities for a residence permit at a local public security authority within 30 days 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;
(5) 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;
(6) Whether a visa is to be issued or not to be issued, and what type of visa to be issued shall be decided by Consular Officers in the light of China’s relevant laws and regulations.
4. Please note：
(1) Please apply for a visa about one month in advance of your intended date of entry into China, and do not apply three months earlier than your intended date of entry into China. You should take upon yourself any consequences resulting from your failure to submit visa application at an appropriate time, which may lead to either your already issued visa becoming expired or it would be too late to get a visa before your planned departure date.
(2) The visa application form should be fully filled in 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. Once submitted, the visa application can not be corrected or cancelled. No visa application documents will be returned, please copy it yourself in advance if necessary. The service fee will be charged by the CVASC regardless of the outcome of the visa application.
(3) Consular Officers may request an applicant to provide additional supporting documents when called for. The applicant should submit them as soon as possible.
