China's Foreign Work Permit: How the Employer Application to Onboarding Process Fits Together

What actually happens, in order

If you are planning to work in mainland China for more than 90 days, the process is a relay between your employer and two government systems: the foreign work permit system (run by human resources authorities) and the immigration system (run by public security exit-entry authorities). Neither side alone gets you legally working. The employer submits the work-permit application first.

Here is the sequence as the current rules describe it:

1. Your employer files the work permit application through the national work-in-China management service system. Since 1 December 2024, applications, extensions, changes and cancellations are handled entirely online, and the entrant no longer needs to apply for a separate physical foreigner work permit card. (MOHRSS notice 人社部发〔2024〕75号, effective 2024-12-01)
2. You receive a Foreigner Work Permit Notice (外国人工作许可通知). This is the document you use to apply for a Z visa.
3. You apply for a Z visa at a Chinese embassy or consulate abroad, presenting the work permit notice.
4. You enter China on the Z visa. If your visa states that you must obtain a residence permit, you have 30 days from entry to apply. (Exit and Entry Administration Law, Art. 30)
5. You apply to the public security exit-entry authority for a work-type residence permit, using either the work permit notice or an electronic social security card loaded with the permit information. (MOHRSS notice)

The law requires both a work permit and a work-type residence permit to work legally in China. (Exit and Entry Administration Law, Art. 41) The 2024 change removed the separate physical work permit card step after arrival, but it did not remove the residence permit requirement.

Why your employer must file first

The work permit application is an employer action. The national guide for business expatriates states that employers file through the work-in-China management service system on the national human resources and social security government service platform. (State Council guide, 2025 edition)

This means the practical starting point is not your visa application — it is your employer's registration and filing in that system. Nothing in the supplied sources specifies processing times, so treat any timeline you hear as employer-specific or local-office-specific rather than a national rule.

The 90-day dividing line

The State Council guide separates two paths:

• Planning to work 90 days or fewer: the guide describes a Z visa path distinct from the longer-stay route.
• Planning to work more than 90 days: the guide describes applying for a work-type residence permit after entry.

(State Council guide, 2025 edition)

The supplied evidence does not detail the full procedure for the 90-days-or-fewer category beyond noting that it is handled differently. If your assignment falls into that bracket, ask the employer and the local work-permit authority which sub-path applies. Do not assume the standard Z-visa-then-residence-permit sequence is identical.

What changed on 1 December 2024

Before that date, many localities required a physical foreigner work permit card collected in person after arrival. The 2024 MOHRSS notice changed this:

• Work permit applications, extensions, changes and cancellations are now fully online.
• Entrants no longer need to apply for a separate physical work permit card after entry.
• The work permit notice or an electronic social security card carrying the permit information serves as the credential for the residence permit application.

(MOHRSS notice)

Older guides — including some still-published municipal pages — may describe in-person card collection or on-site steps that are no longer part of the national process. The Beijing portal's work permit page, for example, still lists categories (high-end talent, professional talent, other foreigners) as local entry points, but it is a local example, not a national procedure template. (Beijing portal)

The 30-day clock after entry

Article 30 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law requires that a foreigner whose visa indicates a residence permit is needed must apply within 30 days of entry. (NIA law text)

This is a legal deadline, not a suggestion. Missing the statutory filing deadline creates a compliance problem; the sources here do not establish an automatic loss of status on day 31. The practical implication: have your documents ready before you land, and confirm the receiving public security exit-entry office for your intended place of residence. The supplied sources do not list office locations or document checklists — those are local variables.

What varies by location

The national framework is consistent, but these elements are local:

• Which office processes your residence permit — confirm the receiving office for your intended place of residence; the national notice also refers to the public security department at the work location.
• Document checklists — the national notice describes the legal basis, not the specific forms each local exit-entry office may request.
• Work permit category — the Beijing portal shows that high-end talent, professional talent and other foreigners follow separate local guidance tracks. (Beijing portal) Other cities may provide different local application instructions.

What the sources do not answer

The supplied evidence does not cover:

• Processing times at any stage.
• Fees for any application.
• Specific document lists for the work permit notice or residence permit.
• The full procedure for the 90-days-or-fewer category.
• Whether your specific nationality, profession or employer type affects eligibility.

For these, the competent authorities are the local science and technology bureau (foreign experts office) for work permit questions and the local exit-entry administration for residence permit questions. Your employer's HR or legal team is the practical first contact, since they file the initial application.

Sources and verification

Source	What it supports
MOHRSS notice 人社部发〔2024〕75号, via Beijing Municipal Government	Online processing since 2024-12-01; no physical card after entry; work permit notice or electronic social security card for residence permit application
Exit and Entry Administration Law, National Immigration Administration	Art. 41 (work permit + residence permit required); Art. 30 (30-day application window)
State Council guide for business expatriates, 2025 edition	Employer files through national system; 90-day dividing line
Beijing portal work permit page	Local example of categorized guidance; not a national procedure

All URLs above are supplied official sources. No other external links are used. This article states official rules as published and marks practical suggestions as such; it does not constitute legal advice. For your specific situation, consult the local authorities named above or qualified counsel.