Has anyone recently renewed work and residence permits? I would love to know more or less how long the process takes. Thanks!

1-3 months, depending on your ability to assemble all the required documents and physical exam, then have each individual document authenticated and the copies notarized step by step until you have the entire package finally authenticated and notarized by the highest authority in your government (USA is the US State Dept), then have that entire package authenticated by the Chinese Embassy in your home country.

If the rules change - add another 3-6 months for randomly created rules.

‘Renewal’ process is simple. Submit papers no less than 30 days before expiry. All the hard work was done first time round. Just don’t let it expire. No embassy involvement required. Several years since I last needed a medical.

Thanks. We plan to travel out of country during the time that our residence permits expire. Does anyone know how long before the expiry date one can start the process of renewal? We want to start as early as possible, since we need our passports for travelling.

The only information you can truly rely on if you don't have direct help from an employer, is directly from the PSB. In Kunming they are on Tuodong Lu - runs parallel to DongFeng Donglu, very near to the Sports Stadium and Swimming Pool. The visa section for non-Chinese is on one of the upper floors (5th. Floor?). Go there knowing exactly what you want to achieve along with dates etc. I found them helpful and friendly and language is not a problem. I think a lot of people experience the issue of visa renewal clashing with international travel plans.

Foreigners Visas at PSB Exit Entry Bureau - 3F.

You may begin visa renewal process immediately - but remember - the expiration date starts 12 months after your new visa is issued, unless you can secure multi-year work visas.

Yes. The 12 month expiration is the key point.

Thanks, everyone!

Before renewing the residence permit, you have to renew your work permit, which is done at the Foreign Experts Bureau. See how much they are willing to process applications in advance. They have a massive backlog trying to deal with the new requirements and application program. I put my papers in two months before expiration, and I didn't get them back until a week before my residence permit expired.

I did mine recently, the actual process took less than 2 weeks but then they hold your passport for twenty days. If you can provide proof of travel they'll often release it early