Starting a Job in China: Your First-Month Work Permit, Residence Permit and Social Insurance Checklist

If you are starting a new job in mainland China, your first month’s administration has three deadlines measured from two different events. Your employer applies online for your Foreigner Work Permit (外国人工作许可证) within 15 days of your entry on a valid visa, in the case where you come to work in China for more than 90 days (科技部政务服务平台, 2017-04-19). If your visa states that a residence permit must be applied for after entry, you apply for a work-type residence permit within 30 days of the date you entered; working in China requires both a work permit and a work-type residence permit, and a work-type residence permit application after Z-visa entry must include the competent department’s work permit proof and a work unit proof letter (国家移民管理局, 2013-07-01 law / 2019-06-21 page; 国家移民管理局政务服务平台, checked 2026-09-28). Separately, your employer registers you for social insurance within 30 days of the date your employment certificate (就业证件) is handled (上海市人力资源和社会保障局转载, 办法 2011-10-15 施行 / 网页 2021-09-06).

The three steps and who is responsible

• Foreigner Work Permit — filed by your employer online, within 15 days of your entry with a valid visa, for the case of working in China more than 90 days. The FAQ directs readers to verify the specific application conditions against the competent department’s current service guide (科技部政务服务平台).
• Work-type residence permit — filed by you, within 30 days of entry if your visa indicates a residence permit is required. Article 41 requires a work permit and a work-type residence permit in order to work in China. For a work-type residence permit after Z-visa entry, the applicant must submit the competent department’s work permit proof and a work unit proof letter (国家移民管理局; 国家移民管理局政务服务平台).
• Social insurance registration — handled by your employer, within 30 days of the date your employment certificate is handled (上海市人力资源和社会保障局转载).

Why the current document names matter

In 2017, the two-certificate integration unified the former Foreigner Employment Permit (外国人就业证) and Foreign Expert Certificate (外国专家证) into the single Foreigner Work Permit (外国人工作许可证); the former permit notice became the Foreigner Work Permit Notice (外国人工作许可通知) (科技部政务服务平台). Do not use the old “外国人就业证” name for the current document, and do not assume the old name appears on current forms or guides.

The work permit step and the 15-day clock

The employer’s online application is set out for the case of working in China more than 90 days: within 15 days after entering with a valid visa, the employer applies online for the Foreigner Work Permit (科技部政务服务平台). Treat that 15-day period as the national FAQ’s rule for the more-than-90-days case, and confirm the current materials list locally, because the FAQ itself points to the competent department’s current service guide.

The cited national guidance does not state the procedure for an assignment that is not framed as “more than 90 days.” If your own case falls outside that framing, the uncertainty is real: ask the local competent department that handles the Foreigner Work Permit — the local science and technology / foreign expert administration — and check the current guide published on the 科技部政务服务平台.

The residence permit step and the 30-day clock

Article 30 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law provides that, where the visa specifies that a residence permit must be applied for after entry, the application is made within 30 days of the date of entry. Article 41 provides that a foreign national working in China must obtain a work permit and a work-type residence permit as prescribed (国家移民管理局). For a Z visa, the service guide requires submission of the competent department’s work permit proof and a work unit proof letter when applying for a work-type residence permit (国家移民管理局政务服务平台).

Because the Z-visa residence application depends on the work permit proof, the sequence runs: entry, then the employer’s work permit filing that produces the proof, then your residence permit application. The 30 days is counted from the date of entry, so practical tracking of your entry date and visa annotation matters.

Social insurance registration: a different 30-day clock

Article 4 of the Interim Measures on Participation of Foreigners Employed in China in Social Insurance provides that the employer handles social insurance registration for the foreign employee within 30 days of the date the employment certificate is handled (上海市人力资源和社会保障局转载). This clock is measured from the employment certificate, not from your entry date, so it can fall on a different day from the residence permit deadline.

Exception: Article 9 provides that persons from countries with a bilateral or multilateral social insurance agreement with China participate according to that agreement (same source). If you are a national of such a country, the agreement governs your participation; confirm its effect with the local human resources and social security bureau or social insurance agency.

Decision point: the measure uses the term “就业证件” (employment certificate). Because the 2017 integration replaced the former Foreigner Employment Permit with the Foreigner Work Permit, confirm locally which document is treated as the employment certificate for registration. Do not assume the old name still applies, and do not treat this as an individual determination.

Local and personal variables to check before you rely on this list

The national sources above set the deadlines, but applicant eligibility, required materials and local combined processing are checked against the competent department’s current list. The MOST FAQ directs verification against the current service guide (科技部政务服务平台), and the Shanghai reprint shows how a local human resources bureau publishes the national social insurance measure (上海市人力资源和社会保障局转载).

Personal variables that change the sequence are your visa type — for example, whether you entered on a Z visa, which brings the work permit proof requirement — the intended length of work, since the 15-day rule in the FAQ is stated for the more-than-90-days case, and whether your country has a social insurance agreement with China. Where a variable is not covered by the cited guidance, the competent authority is the relevant local issuing department: the local foreign expert / science and technology administration for the work permit, the local exit and entry administration for the residence permit, and the local human resources and social security bureau or social insurance agency for registration.

Salary, pay and tax: what this checklist does not cover

The official sources cited here cover the work permit, work-type residence permit and social insurance registration steps. It does not set out rules on salary, wage payment, individual income tax or employment-contract terms, so no determination on those is made here. For pay, tax and contract questions, ask your employer and the local tax and human resources authorities; the administration checklist above is not a substitute for that, and it does not cover your remuneration.

Sources and verification

Data as of 2026-09-28. Verify each step against the current official list, because the underlying sources carry earlier publication or page dates.

• 外国人来华工作许可常见问题解答V1.0 — 科技部政务服务平台（原国家外国专家局服务资料）, published 2017-04-19. Supports: the 2017 two-certificate integration and the document name changes; the more-than-90-days case with the employer’s online application within 15 days of entry on a valid visa; and the direction to check specific conditions against the current service guide. Official source
• 中华人民共和国出境入境管理法 — 国家移民管理局, law dated 2013-07-01, NIA page dated 2019-06-21. Supports: Article 41 (work permit and work-type residence permit required to work in China) and Article 30 (application within 30 days of entry where the visa requires a residence permit). Official source
• 外国人居留证件签发、延期、换发、补发服务指南 — 国家移民管理局政务服务平台, page update date not stated, checked 2026-09-28. Supports: Z-visa applicants for a work-type residence permit must submit the competent department’s work permit proof and a work unit proof letter. Official source
• 在中国境内就业的外国人参加社会保险暂行办法 — 上海市人力资源和社会保障局转载, national measure effective 2011-10-15, Shanghai page 2021-09-06. Supports: Article 4 (employer registers social insurance within 30 days of the employment certificate date) and Article 9 (participation under a bilateral or multilateral social insurance agreement follows that agreement). Official source