Founder working in their own WFOE
The legal representative still needs a permit to work in China.
Employment & immigration
China Work Permit & Residence Permit
A China company is not the same as the right to work in it. We file the notification letter, the work permit and the residence permit for foreign staff — including the founder — and quote each case per person.
Who needs this
Foreign staff hired by a China entity
Employment must sit under a registered employer with a permit quota.
Representative office chief representative
Chief representatives follow their own filing route and residence permit.
Talent categories A, B and C
Your category decides the evidence required and how fast the file moves — it is the single biggest driver of our quote.
| A — High-end talent | Exempt from age, degree and experience limits; fastest track and the lightest document set. |
|---|---|
| B — Professional talent | Bachelor's degree or above plus two years of relevant experience, normally under 60 years old. |
| C — Other personnel | Managed against local labour-market needs; some roles face quota limits and heavier checks. |
How the process runs
1
Employer account and pre-approval
The company registers in the national system and applies for the notification letter abroad.
2
Z visa and entry
The candidate takes the notification letter to a Chinese mission and enters on a work visa.
3
Work permit, then residence permit
After entry: medical check, the permit itself, then the residence permit at the entry-exit bureau.
Current processing times
The statutory limit is 20 working days with a 15-day service commitment; under the "one thing" reform the national average has fallen to 6 working days, and Shanghai files the permit, residence permit and social insurance registration together in 11. Plan one to two months end to end once documents exist.
Official charges
The work permit itself carries no government fee. Only the residence permit is charged: CNY 400 for under one year, 800 for one to three years, 1,000 for three to five, and CNY 200 per change. We pass these through at cost with receipts.
Documents, and what can be skipped
A standard file needs the application form, employment or appointment proof, highest degree or professional qualification, police clearance, medical check, passport and recent photos. Degree and police certificates issued abroad normally require notarisation plus an Apostille since China joined the Hague convention in November 2023.
One exemption is worth knowing: under 工商外企字〔2011〕187号, a foreign individual whose passport has already been confirmed by China's immigration authorities with a completed visa and entry record does not have to submit notarised or legalised identity documents — a signed copy consistent with the original is accepted. A Chinese translation is still required. Counter practice on how recent the entry record must be varies, so we confirm with the local authority before promising a filing date.
If you are already in China on a valid entry or residence record, tell us at the start — it usually removes the most expensive and slowest part of the file.
Questions we get asked
No. Owning a WFOE gives you the right to invest, not the right to work. Working in China — including for your own company — requires a work permit and a matching residence permit, otherwise it counts as illegal employment for both you and the employer.
The statutory limit is 20 working days with a 15-day commitment; the national average is now around 6 working days and Shanghai files permit, residence permit and social insurance in one 11-day process. Permits run up to five years and should be renewed before expiry — we track the date and prepare the renewal, which costs less than a new application.
The permit must be cancelled and the residence permit dealt with; a new employer cannot simply inherit the old file. Leaving the cancellation open exposes the company, so we close it as part of the offboarding and keep the paperwork for the record.
Tell us who needs to work in China
Send the role, the nationality and which documents already exist. We confirm the category, the realistic timetable and a per-person price before anything is filed.