Visa & residence basics

Start with the main purpose of your visit. Common visa categories relevant to our clients include:

• L — Tourism: visiting China as a tourist.
• M — Business and trade: commercial visits such as sourcing and business negotiations.
• F — Exchanges and visits: exchanges, visits, study tours and similar activities.
• Z — Work: entering China for work, with the required work and residence procedures for your circumstances.
• X1 / X2 — Study: X1 is for study lasting more than 180 days; X2 is for study of up to 180 days.
• Q1 / Q2 — Family reunion and visits: joining or visiting qualifying family members who are Chinese citizens residing in China or foreign nationals with Chinese permanent residence. Q1 normally concerns long-term reunion; Q2 covers short family visits.
• S1 / S2 — Private affairs and family visits: qualifying family visits to foreigners working or studying in China, or other qualifying private affairs. S1 normally concerns long-term arrangements; S2 covers short visits.

This is an introduction to common categories, not a complete list. Your purpose, relationship where relevant, and intended length of stay determine which route to assess.

A visa category is not the same as permission to work. A business visa or ownership of a company does not by itself authorise employment in China.

A short visit usually serves a particular trip. Long-term residence requires an ongoing, qualifying reason to live in China.

A short visit might involve tourism, sourcing, business meetings or visiting family. You must observe the permitted stay under your visa or applicable visa-free arrangement. A visa with a long validity period or multiple entries does not automatically allow continuous residence.

If you plan to work, study or live with family in China on an ongoing basis, assess the appropriate residence route. If your visa requires a residence permit after arrival, you must apply within 30 days of entry.

Do not choose a route solely by counting whether your plans exceed 180 days. That boundary distinguishes some visa categories, but the appropriate arrangements also depend on your actual activities and eligibility.

Compare work, study and family residence routes →

Permission to enter, permission to live in China and permission to work are different things. These documents serve different purposes and do not replace one another.

• Visa: issued for a particular purpose of travel. It allows you to seek entry and stay according to its conditions, or complete the required residence formalities after arrival. Its validity is different from the permitted length of each visit.
• Work permit: authorises work under the approved conditions. It does not, by itself, give you permission to reside in China.
• Residence permit: allows you to reside in China for an approved period and purpose, such as work, study or family. A study or family-related residence permit does not give you unrestricted employment rights.

For the usual long-term employment route, you need both a valid work permit and a work-type residence permit.

Where does the Z visa fit in?

A Z visa is a visa for coming to China to work. For a typical long-term application from overseas, the process is:

1. Obtain the Notification Letter of Foreigner’s Work Permit.
2. Apply for a Z visa overseas and enter China.
3. Complete the work permit and work-type residence permit procedures after arrival. The residence permit application is normally required within 30 days of entry.

Receiving a Z visa does not mean all your long-term work and residence formalities are complete. People often call the whole arrangement a “work visa”, but the Z visa, work permit and work-type residence permit are separate documents.

Approved short-term work assignments have separate procedures. For example, certain approved assignments of up to 30 days do not require a work-type residence permit. The explanation above covers the usual long-term route.

No. A long-validity or multiple-entry visa does not automatically allow you to live in China continuously. Check three separate details:

• Validity: the deadline before which you may use the visa to enter China.
• Entries: how many times you may enter using that visa.
• Duration of each stay: how long you may remain after each entry.

For example, a visa valid for one year, with multiple entries and a 60-day stay per entry, does not allow one uninterrupted year in China. Each visit remains subject to the 60-day limit. If you need more time, apply for an appropriate extension before the permitted stay expires; approval is not automatic.

Visa validity can be longer than 180 days. The 180-day limit in the relevant law concerns the stay specified on a visa, not how long the visa remains valid for entry. Residence permits are also not defined simply as “anything over 180 days”: a work-type residence permit can be issued for as little as 90 days.

If your plan is to live in China on an ongoing basis, assess the residence route that matches your actual purpose. Multiple-entry business travel permission is not a substitute for residence or employment authorisation.