How close are you, or your foreign staff, to needing to renew their China work visa (permit)?
If you answered soon then this blog post is for you! Read on to find out why a change in regulations affects you...
Mark February 28th In Your Diary
As of February 28th, China work visa renewals must be submitted a minimum of 30 days before its expiry.
This is to give enough time to process the renewal application.
Bearing in mind that it takes around 27 working days to actually process the renewal, as this includes renewing the work permit, residence permit, and, possibly, registering online for the company (if this has not yet happened), it would be prudent to be aiming to start the process 2 or 3 months before expiry in order to meet the deadline.
What Happens If I Miss The Deadline?
Good question.
The foreign individual in question will not be able to renew the work visa. Instead, you will have to go through the work visa application from scratch once again.
Now that it has become more complex to gain a work visa in China, this is a daunting prospect, not to mention potentially quite expensive and time-consuming!
This would mean obtaining the following again:
- Notarized university degree
- Proof of employment
- Medical test
- Criminal record check
Depending on the current situation it's also possible that the individual would have to go back to their home country, or at least abroad, to get the Z bridging visa in order to make the new application.
HR Teams Take Note!
To reiterate, aim to be starting your (or your foreign staff's) visa renewal process around 3 months before they expire to be sure that you will have enough to have it all submitted 30 days before expiry.
Do you need help with HR and visa applications for your company in China? Contact us, we can help, and you might be surprised how much peace of mind you gain by working with specialists to handle them.
If you're thinking about working in China, make sure to download our free comprehensive Work Visa for China Checklist!