If you are not included in the Foreigner Point Scoring System, your employer can apply for a Notification Letter of Foreigner's Work Permit before you enter China according to the following steps. This manual is applicable for clauses 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of "Foreign Talents (Class B)" as described in Classification Standard for Foreigners Working in China.


1. "Foreigner's Work Permit" application form (1 paper/electronic copy)

Log in http://fwp.safea.gov.cn/ to fill in the "Foreigner's Work Permit" application form online. After filling in the online form and printing a hard copy, the applicant should sign the (photocopied or faxed) form, have it affixed with their employer's authorizing department's official seal, and upload it to the system. Original copy is required, either in hard or soft copy.

Note: The employer's official seal includes the legal name seal, as well as the official seals of foreign affairs, personnel affairs, or labor contract administration institutions that have been registered in the system for authorization.

2. Work qualification certification document(s)

Proof of work experience related to current employment should be issued by a former employer of the applicant. It should include the applicant's position, duration of employment, and tasks or projects completed by the applicant. It must be affixed with the former employer's official seal or signed by the responsible authority, and a contact person with a valid phone number or e-mail must be supplied for verification purposes.

3. One copy of the original highest-level educational certificate/diploma or other approval document certifying the applicant's professional qualifications.

For those who have obtained their highest educational degree abroad, this document must be certified by a Chinese embassy or consulate abroad, or by the embassy or consulate of the country where the applicant's certificate was issued, or by China's academic degree certification bodies. For those who obtained their highest degree in Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan, such certificates must be notarized by China's academic degree certification bodies or by local notary bodies. If you obtained your highest degree in China, you only need to supply the original document. According to China's laws and regulations, the relevant professional authorities should review and approve work qualifications in advance. If the applicant already possesses relevant approved work qualifications for China, the approval document issued by the competent authority or the professional qualification certificate should be provided.

4. An original copy (paper/electronic) showing proof of no criminal records

The document should be issued by the police department, security department, court, or other departments of the applicant's country of nationality or habitual residence, and certified by a Chinese embassy or consulate, or that country's embassy or consulate in China. A criminal record check issued by Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan should be notarized by notary bodies of those locations respectively.

Habitual residence refers to the country or region where the applicant has lived for at least one consecutive year after leaving the country of his/her nationality, excluding China. The date of issue for the document must be within the past six months. Note: An affidavit of no criminal record is not accepted. Criminal record checks provided by diplomatic embassies (including the country's embassy or consulate in China) can be accepted directly without verification.

5. An original copy (paper / electronic) for the "Physical examination report"

(1) A Verification Certificate of Physical Examination Records of Overseas Personnel or the Certificate of Health Examination issued by the Inspection and Quarantine Institutions of China, or the physical examination report issued by an overseas health and medical institution and accepted by the Inspection and Quarantine Institutions of China can be accepted. Any health certificate must have been issued within the past six months. If the report cannot be presented, your employer may provide a letter of commitment on health.

(2) The list of overseas health and medical institutions approved by Chinese inspection and quarantine institutions can be found on the website of local embassies and consulates abroad. The commitment system can be adopted prior to entry. When applying for a Foreigner's Work Permit after entry, the Verification Certificate of Physical Examination Records of Overseas Personnel or the Certificate of Health Examination issued by the Inspection and Quarantine Institutions of China has to be provided.

6. An original paper (paper/electronic) for the employment contract or certificate of employment (including dispatch letters from transnational corporations)

The applicant should provide an unaltered employment contract in Chinese which the applicant has signed and the employer has affixed with their official seal. The standard employers and those with no bad credit record for three consecutive years as identified by the permit-granting body can provide employment certificates if it cannot provide employment contracts before entry, and submit employment contracts when applying for the Work Permit for Foreigners of the People's Republic of China after entry. The content must be consistent and in cases of inconsistency, other than a pay raise or promotion of position, a new work permit application is required.

Note: Employment contracts and employment certificates (including dispatch letters from transnational corporations) must include: work location, job description, wages or salary, duration of employment, position, and the seal (signature). The employment certificate is applicable to any personnel (i) who implements agreements and treaties between governments and international organizations; (ii) who is the chief representative or representative of various offices in China; (iii) who is an overseas contract service provider. The dispatch letter is applicable when the head offices of transnational corporations or regional headquarters dispatch senior management or professional technical personnel from overseas to serve in domestic subsidiaries or branch offices. Dispatch letters must be issued by the head office of the transnational corporation or the regional headquarters. If the aforementioned content is absent from employment certificates (including dispatch letters), additional certifying material (affixed with official seals) should be provided as a supplement. In the case that a transnational corporation's regional headquarters in China dispatch senior management or professional technical personnel from overseas to serve in domestic subsidiaries or branch offices, the dispatch letter and the employment contract signed by the regional headquarters in China should be submitted.

7. One electronic copy of the information page of the applicant's passport or other international travel documents

Note: The passport has to be valid for no less than 6 months.

8. One passport-style photo of the applicant taken within the past six months (no caps/hats should be worn).

The photo must have been taken within the past 6 months, with a white background and without borders. The applicant's facial features should be seen clearly. The photo must be clear and free of spots, flaws or ink defects. It must be made into a JPG document in the size range of 40K-120k, with a resolution no lower than 354(W)x472(H) pixels but no higher than 420(W)x560(H), and in 24-bit true color. 1 original copy in soft copy. Hats or headscarves are not recommended; however, if the applicant has to wear these for religious reasons, please ensure that they do not cover the entire face.

9. Original copies (paper/electronic) of certifications for any accompanying dependents

(1) Information pages from accompanying dependents' passports (or international travel documents)

(2) Certification of family relationships

For spouse—marriage certificate; for children—birth certificate or adoption certificate; for parents or parents-in-law—the applicant's birth certificate, marriage certificate, or a relevant notarial certificate.

(3) Physical examination reports (for accompanying family members aged 18 and above)

(4) Electronic photos

Note: Accompanying dependents could include the spouse, children under the age of 18, parents, and/or parents-in-law (Chinese family members are excluded). For any certifying materials not in Chinese, Chinese versions are required, and must be affixed with the employer's official seal.

10. Other materials.

All hard copy documents and documents translated into Chinese must be uploaded electronically in original color to the service system for foreigners working in China http://fwp.safea.gov.cn/. Materials should be uploaded in accordance with requirements.

All non-Chinese certification materials must be provided along with Chinese translations and stamped with the official seal of the employer (except for  passports or international travel certificates). The receiving authority or the decision-making authority may require the employer to submit a corrected version if there are any serious discrepancies between the Chinese translations and the original documents.

After obtaining the online pre-approval, please make an appointment in the system, and bring along your original application materials for on-site processing:

1. Beijing Overseas Talents Center (Beijing Foreign Experts and Foreigners Employment Affairs Center)

Acceptance address: No.1, Xisanhuan South Road, Fengtai District(Island A, Floor3, Beijing Municipal Government Service Center)

Working hours: Monday to Friday 9:00-12:00; 13:30-17:00

Telephone Number:(8610)89150841; (8610)89150842

Chaoyang Human Resources Public Service Center (Note: Only enterprises registered in Chaoyang District may apply at this center.)

Address: Tower A, Building 15, Courtyard 5, Jiangtai Road

Working hours: Monday to Friday 9:00-11:40; 13:00-16:40.

Telephone Number:(8610)57596100

Haidian Human Resources Public Service Center (Note: Only enterprises registered in Haidian District may apply at this center.)

Address: No. 73, Xisihuan North Road, Haidian District (Second Floor, Zhongguancun Human Resources Development Center, Haidian District, Human Resources Service Center)

Working hours: Monday to Friday 9:00-12:00; 13:30-17:00

Telephone Number:(8610)68940680

Shunyi District Human Resources and Social Security Bureau (Note: Only enterprises registered in Shunyi district may apply at this center.)

Address: No. 16, Cangshang Street, Shunyi District (East Hall, Third Floor, Shunyi Human Resources and Social Security Bureau)

Working hours: Monday to Friday 9:00-11:40; 13:30-16:40

Telephone Number:(8610)89446673

Tongzhou District Human Resources and Social Security Bureau (Note: Only enterprises registered in Tongzhou District may apply at this center.)

Address: First Floor, Tower A, Tongzhou Park, Beijing Human Resources Service Industrial Park, Building 1, Yard 11, Xinhua East Street, Tongzhou District

Working Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30-12:00; 13:00-17:00


  • Points for Attention
  • Timeline and Fees

1. Foreign Talents should be professionals who are urgently needed according to the requirements of their position and for China's economic and social development in line with the Guidance Catalogue of Foreigners Working in China. They should be 60 years old or younger, hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and have at least two years of relevant working experience. These requirements may be relaxed for those who are in particular demand, such as innovative entrepreneurial talents, professional and technical talents, or excellent foreign graduates, and should adhere to the points scoring system and intergovernmental protocols and agreements. For details, refer to the Classification Standard for Foreigners Working in China (for trial implementation).

2. During re-application, the applicant who has obtained the Foreigner's Work Permit is not required to resubmit the highest degree certificate again (the system can locate the corresponding certification materials which have been uploaded). If the position applied for is the same as the position approved for under the former work permit, the applicant is not required to submit any materials certifying work experience.

3. Any applicant who has changed their nationality since applying must re-apply for the Foreigner's Work Permit.

4. To see more about consular document authentication regulations, please visit http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/ or contact your responsible Chinese embassy or consulate.

5. "Overseas contract service providers" refers to the employees of overseas enterprises that have no commercial presence (i.e. legal business entity) in China but are engaged in substantial business activities abroad. They provide temporary services in China to carry out service contracts obtained from Chinese employers, and their remuneration comes from overseas employers. Service providers should have the necessary educational background, professional and technical qualifications for providing services. The number of service providers shall be determined based on the scale of tasks to be fulfilled according to the contract. In addition to all of the aforementioned materials, overseas contract providers applying for a work permit in China must also submit the service contract obtained in China (which should include both parties of the contract, work location, contract service details, applicant's position and job description, duration of work in China, and signature/seal page).

6. A foreign language teacher should be engaged in the teaching of their native language, and have obtained a bachelor's degree or above with at least two years' experience in language education. He or she who (i) has a bachelor's degree or above in education, language, or pedagogy, or (ii) has obtained a teacher qualification certificate in the host country, or (iii) has obtained any certificates of qualification for international language teaching such as the TEFL certificate, may be exempted from submitting a certificate of work experience.

7. "Approval documents issued by the responsible professional department" include representative certificate, doctor medical license, short-term medical practice license, employment certificate, and receipt forms for the temporary activities of NGOs abroad. "Professional qualification certificates" include chef certificates, athletic coach certificates etc.

8. Foreign talents who have obtained a PhD in the field related to their position can be exempted from submitting a certificate of work experience. International talents who graduated from graduate school within the past year and obtained a master's degree in a relevant major can be exempted submitting a certificate of working experience. Talents who fulfill this clause are categorized as "Other Foreigners" (Class C).

9. Those who have obtained global qualification certificates and 60 points in the score-based system for a relevant position can be exempted from submitting a certificate of working experience, but they must have their qualification certificates verified.

Note: Salary will be a supplementary item. If it is an applicant's first work permit application, a letter of commitment on the annual salary should be submitted. When it comes to re-application (including renewal or cancellation), a corresponding individual income tax record and a screenshot of a list of details about individual tax payments of the natural person should be submitted (affixed with an official seal).

10. Those who have already received a work permit notification but have not yet applied for the corresponding work permit should cancel the previous notification before re-application.

Pre-approval period: Three working days

Acceptance period: Eight working days (the page of the application results can be printed online)

Free of charge