For many expats at this time of year, visa and work permit renewals are just around the corner. With China's new work permit policies, it is advisable to never leave this task to last minute.



If you happen to be renewing your work visa in China this year, make sure to gather all the relevant documents. As a reminder to both employers and employees, we’ve put together a list of what's needed:





Application Form for Extension of Work Permit for Foreigners to China (Foreigners' Work Management Service System in China)



Employment contract or certificate of employment, including job title, work location, responsibilities, salary, contract duration, insurance terms and other necessary contents (if applicable) and stamped with the official company stamp.



Applicant's passport or international travel document



Visa/valid residence permit (visa page, entry stamp page and residence permit information page)



Original Document of Foreigner Work Permit





Note: If there are no extenuating circumstances, the online application approval time is 5 working days. After this, you will need to manually submit your original documents to your local Ministry of Foreign Affairs counter and wait another 10 working days before acceptance.





[IMPORTANT NOTE] all work permit renewal applications must be submitted 30 days prior to the expiration of the current permit.









Changing to a new employer in China?

If you are planning to change jobs, you will need to know how to transfer your work visa to your new employer.