The Complete Guide to Getting a Chinese Z Work Visa

Getting a Chinese Z Work Visa for English Teachers

If you’re thinking on teaching English in China, you’re going to need to apply to get a Chinese Z Work Visa. Any teaching program is going to assist you through this process, but it’s always good to know the step-by-step process, how long it takes, and how much it costs. Here's your complete guide to getting your Chinese Z Work Visa.

Note: This is U.S.-centered because that's where I'm from and that's my experience getting the Z Visa. Everything applies to whichever country you're from, but the processes will be slightly different. 

 The Z Visa Requirements

Estimated Amount of Time Needed

5-6 months before your arrival date in China will give you plenty of time to complete everything, including your TEFL. If you already have your TEFL done, and can get a doctor's appointment quickly, then you could get everything done in an even shorter period of time. Bear in mind that your program also has to spend time getting a work permit, but all in all 5 months should be fine. 

Pre-Departure Checklist

Arrival Checklist

Total Costs

The Z Visa is not the cheapest visa out there; however, many programs will reimburse you for a portion, if not all, of your predeparture costs. The program I did, EF English First, reimbursed me for all of my costs upon passing 2-month probation. This includes your visa fees, medical fees, transportation to/from the consulate, your background check and authentication fees, and potentially other fees that you had to pay if it's related to obtaining the Z Visa. You just need to keep a copy of your receipts and you can submit them for reimbursement while in China. 

A Breakdown of the Pre-Departure Process

1. You’ve Been Accepted by a Job!

First things first, you need to have a job lined up in China before embarking on getting a Z Visa. Your job needs to sponsor you, so there’s no sense starting this process before making sure that you have a job lined up.  

2. Get your TEFL

Some programs (like English First) will pay upfront for your TEFL and enroll you in the class. They’ll also give you a specific deadline on when it needs to be completed.

If your program doesn’t do this, or will reimburse you later, then you need to sign up for your TEFL as soon as possible and get it done. Remember that you need to choose the 120-hour TEFL option, which is lengthier than the other options. 

3. Get Your Medical Check Done

Some people can get a doctor’s appointment within a week, others not so much. I scheduled mine the minute I was accepted by my job because I was scheduled to go to China about 5 months from my acceptance date. My appointment was a month after I scheduled it. 

Use the Medical Check Form

You need to print off the required medical check form, and paste a recent passport photo of yourself in the top right-hand corner of the page. The form needs to be filled out in a particular way. Otherwise, the Chinese government may not accept it. Print out a sample form for your doctor to look at. I did not write my section in all caps, and it was fine. Make sure the doctor puts in "healthy, fit for work" above his/her signature on page 2. 

You need to get an EKG, a chest x-ray, blood work, and a general physical (eye exam, height and weight, etc). The doctor needs to put his/her company’s stamp both next to her signature as well as over the glued photo of you. Every question needs to be answered: don't leave any blank. You will also need to attach your X Ray and blood work results.

Also, side note: I was worried that my doctor writing 20/20 for my vision would be a problem, since my vision is slightly worse than that (she did do the eye exam, so I guess I got 20/20 but I know my eyesight is worse than before). However, it was no problem that my vision test at my medical check in China was slightly different. They're looking for serious contagious diseases, not to see if your eyesight is 20/20 or 20/30. 

Here's an example of my form:

4. Get a Local Background Check Done

Note: this does not need to be a state or federal background check, although either of those would work. It should be easy (and cheaper) to get a local background check, but sometimes cities can make it complicated. In Milwaukee, for example, you have to go to Open Records to get a background check and pay a nominal fee. You can’t just show up at any police station and get it done (and sometimes they won’t know where you have to go). However, you can also just go to a town outside where you live and get it done – it doesn’t have to match your current address. 

Make sure the background check says “no criminal records found,”or something very similar to that, and that they have signed and sealed the background check. 

5. Get Your Degree and Background Check Authenticated

My program made this really easy for me: they just had me mail them these two documents with the two application forms, and then they took care of it. They even provided me with the FedEx label to mail the documents. They mailed my degree back to me in about 5-6 weeks, and then sent the rest directly to China, so I didn't even have to worry about bringing the documents with me. The application forms can be found here. Remember that hand-written forms will not be accepted. 

If you don’t have this option, you’ll need to get your documents notarized, get them authenticated by the Department of State, and then also authenticated by the Chinese Embassy. For detailed information on what each state needs and the process, check out the Chinese Embassy's website. You’ll have to go back to the consulate to pick up your authenticated documents when they’re ready (usually 4 business days) and pay the fee, which is $20 per document. 

6. Send Your Company Your Work Permit Signature Page 

+ any other additional information that they need. My program had me sign a condensed contract, and give them information on where I’ve lived and what schools I went to. The signature page is also needed for the work permit, which basically states that you will abide by Chinese law. Your company should send you the form to sign. 

7. Wait For Your Work Permit

 Once you send your program all the documents they need you to (which will be all of the above documents, plus an initial signed contract and perhaps some other documents) than you have to wait for them to do their end of the work and get you a work permit from China. 

Once you receive your work permit, you can go ahead and apply for your Z Visa.

8. Apply for Your Z Visa

This is the easiest part, so yay! Here you just need to fill out the application form, bring all the relevant documents to the consulate, and give them your passport. You then pick up your passport with your temporary entry sticker in there about 4 days later (and pay the visa fee). Keep in mind that you have to enter China within 30 days after your temporary entry is issued, so don’t apply too early for this. You will still need to apply for your residency permit upon arrival in China. 

What to Bring to the Consulate:

The Application Form

While filling out the application form, it’s safer to fill it out in all capital letters as the directions state, although from my understanding most consulates don’t care. I even forgot to answer one of the questions and they just had me write in the answer. But of course it’s always better to be safe than sorry, especially if you have to travel far to get to the consulate.

Also, remember to write N/A if the question isn't applicable to you: never leave any blanks.

Additional Information You Need for the Application Form: 

Going to the Consulate

I went to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago, so I can only speak for their policies. They require fingerprinting, which they do on sight while you're at the window and it's very quick. They also have a copier and a passport photo booth for anyone who forgot to do either of these things (I forgot to bring a copy of my passport, so I made a copy there – it takes coins and dollar bills).

I did not need to schedule an appointment beforehand: I just arrived, told the security guard I was there to apply for a visa, and took a corresponding ticket. The earlier you get there, the less you’ll have to wait. When picking up my passport, I just stood in the line for pick-up and paid at the desk with credit card – this wait was much shorter than the wait to apply for the visa. My visa was ready 4 days after I submitted all of my documents, and they gave me a courtesy call to say that it was ready. If you have to take work off, I suggest requesting off the 4^thor 5^thday after you’ve submitted everything. 

Upon Arrival in China

Once you arrive in China, if your program’s any good they’ll take care of most of the in-country process for you. It's mostly re-gathering up your papers and submitting them to the authorities in China.

1. Get Another Medical Check

Yep, that’s right. China requires another medical check, this time around in China. There are centers that are designated for this, so it’s incredibly efficient. You may feel like cattle being herded through the centers and poked and prodded, but at least you get out of there quickly. 

They’ll do pretty much everything that you had to do back in your home country (EKG, chest X-ray, eye exam, blood work, etc), but here they also do a urine sample and an ultrasound to check out your organs. Nothing states that they’re drug-testing you, but you’re in China so they could drug test you if they wanted to. I honestly have no idea if they did or not. 

2. Register With the Local Police

If you’re put up in a hotel for a while, the hotel will register you while you stay there. However, once you move out and into your apartment, you’ll need to register your address with the local police. Inquire where the local police station is and go there for a visit – you’ll need your passport and your apartment lease. If you have someone who can call the day before and say you’re coming, do that. From my experience, there was only one officer in charge of handling foreigners, and I had to wait for almost an hour for him to arrive. The police officer will type in some information on his computer, take some photos, and that’s that. You’re also supposed to re-register with the local police station whenever you leave the country. 

3. Apply & Do an Interview for Your Residency Permit

Here is where you’ll need pretty much all of your documents (which includes the registration form with the local police). Your program should’ve already gotten you your work certificate. You’ll need to fill out another application form and bring it with you as well. The interview isn’t really an interview – the police officer just types in some more information, reviews all of your documents, takes your passport, takes another photo of you, and then puts your passport in an envelope to get the residency permit sticker put inside of it. Usually it takes about one week to a week and a half to get your passport back.

You’ll also get a temporary piece of paper that you can use if you plan to travel within China during the time that they have your passport. 

 You've Done It!

Finally, you’re finished! That’s all for the Z work visa process! You officially have your visa and won’t have to worry about anything until your visa is almost up. At that point, you'll either have to renew it or switch it to a stay permit if you’re leaving. But, don’t worry about that just yet – you have at least 10 months to enjoy without having to think about visas at all.