After the first part regarding an FAQ on travel requirements to China, here comes a second part regarding another popular topic: China work visa.
1) How long in advance can I start the work permit and residence permit renewal?
You can start the process 3 months before the expiry date but at the very least 30 days in advance. Your work permit and residence permit new dates will start from your current expiry dates regardless but the sooner you start the renewal application the better: in case of a policy change, you will have sufficient time to adjust your application.
I highly suggest you in this case to:
- Check the QR code on your work permit card, and your residence permit validity dates. Set up an alarm on your mobile to remind you to start the renewal 3 months in advance.
- Check the expiry date of your passport, if there is less than 6 months left of validity, you need to start the renewal process of your passport ASAP as it takes more time than in the past (especially if your passport will be sent to your home country by your embassy for processing).
2) If I hold a work permit and a residence permit, what should my company declare regarding wages and income tax?
That depends on the work permit category:
- For Class A3: Gross salary should be at least 600K RMB/year.
- For Class B2 (Bachelor degree holder): Gross salary should be at least 400K RMB/year.
- For Class B4 (using a scoring system to achieve a score of 60), you get how many points from your salary and then you have to report proof of that salary amount. – 100% government review.
- For the rest of the Classes, for example, Class B1 – Bachelor with 2 years of professional experience, you should always declare your income and pay your income tax accordingly. The government will randomly check and verify that.
- For the owner/shareholder of the business, you must also report your salary, even your income is very little at first with a start-up business. For example:
- Report 5000 RMB/month of earnings = 0 taxes. -RIGHT way.
- Do not declare your salary and wages as nil. -WRONG way.
3) What shall I pay attention to when I want to change jobs, and transfer my work and resident permit from Company A to Company B?
You need to pay special attention to the following:
- Your personal documents (for example, the bachelor degree and authentication, the reference letter and police clearance) have already been in the government foreign work permit (FWP) system.
- Company A will rescind your work permit as required.
- Company B has already set up an account in the FWP system.
- DO NOT arbitrarily alter your work experience or job title, everything is already registered in the system.
When you quit company A (in addition to the cancellation of the work permit), you need to cancel your residence permit and get a 1-month stay permit or T-visa within 10 CALENDAR DAYS from the last working day or face a fine. If you make an error, your new work permit application will be delayed, which means your on-board date will be delayed. Confirm this in advance to ensure your application runs smoothly.
4) When do I need to update my temporary residence application?
You need to update your temporary residence form (also known as police registration) within 24 hours of moving to your home address or if you got a new passport.
If the residential address and passport number do not change, you may continue to use the old one but please make sure to confirm with your local police station first!
