Does anyone have any experience with foreigner work permits? I was told by the visa people that since I am married to a Chinese I need to set up a business -I don't think they meant the 300K kind- and then apply for a foreigner work permit -which is NOT a z-visa- and then I would be allowed to work for my/our company. Never heard about being allowed to work like that without a z-visa in China so I inquired with my country's trade commission in China and they basically said the same thing. Of course the local government employees around here hadn't a clue what we were on about when we told them which leaves us kinda stranded (we got the usual "click" when we asked them to call Kunming or Beijing for information -God forbid they should actually have to do some work or independent thinking- so that didn't get us far. Anyone?

My buddy up in Beijing did an independent WOFE thing (or is it WFOE). Cost about USD 10k (CNY 10万) - but that was 2-3 years ago. As a "CEO"/owner - he sponsored himself.

There's a law firm that advertises on here occasionally - although an accountant is the better choice as you'll have to pay monthly/quarterly/annual taxes AND you'll need a business address - at a place that's zoned for biz. Most people use a temp biz address then switch to their home after the mythical (never sighted) inspectors show up - check the door sign, then vamoose. To cut costs, you MAY be able to share an office (cubicle) at someone else's space (for a minor fee perhaps?).

The accountant also will file your taxes etc - just remember to NEVER NEVER EVER trust them with ANYTHING money related - given an opportunity to steal - it'll probably happen.

Work permit is one thing, Z ("Work") visa is another one. Work permit allows you to work in China, Z visa (actually "Resident permit") enables you to live in China. It is almost impossible to get your Z visa without having a work permit. However, if previously you were employed by a company, you might probably never have heard about your work permit: your company was just keeping the document (which is the way it works in China, since they have to show it in case of inspection, and since you need it for nothing else than to get your Z visa).

Here, you need to set up your company, to employ yourself, provide the administration the relevant documents so that they can issue you a work permit. Then, this work permit will allow you to apply for a Z Resident permit (Z visa).

Actually, the Z visa is a 30 visa that allows you to enter China and get a residence permit for working. Z visas are obtained outside of China; your home country, Hong Kong, etc.

I worked in China for eight years on one Z visa that I got in Hong Kong and it expired in Sept, 2002. Each subsequent year, I was issued a new residence permit (first a book, later, a permit (a sticker) was inserted in my passport).

When my passport expired and was replaced, I had to carry both the old and new passport until a new residence permit was indicated in the new passport.

The residence permit stated the reason I was allowed to stay in China. The reasons were: "work" or "teach."

When the school declined to give me a new contract because of age, I could have got a job in Beijing and continued working. I decided to become a student. I had to leave China and get a tourist visa.

I entered on a tourist visa and the school obtained a residence permit, same form as the earlier residence permits, except the reason now was "study."

This is my 10th year, one Z visa, one tourist visa, and 10 residence permits and I have never seen a "work permit" nor a "student visa."

I suspect the "work permit" is part of the bureaucratic process required to get the residence permit that allows you to work, sign work contracts, get paid and pay taxes. Employees, like teachers, will never see the "work permit" unless it is part of the documents you use to get a Z visa.

If you have a business, or work for a business, I guess you will need to get "work permit" from what ever government bureau issues them.

Bear in mind, the above is is history. Change is pretty constant in China.

@dan
@tianli is right - if you don't already have a Z VISA (working visa). If you already have a company to work for - you can "try" to get the company (aka wife) to use the company's docs to apply for a Z visa for you.

1. FIRST you will need the working PERMIT. Forgot where to apply for that stuff - but you need permission to work in China.

2. SECOND - after you get the WORK PERMIT - it's usually a brown booklet which the gov stamps, THEN you can apply for the Z visa. It's not really necessary to leave the country - you can usually pay an "extra" fee and the public security/immigration will take care of getting all the stamps done legally. If they don't know how to do this - ask to speak to their supervisor, as it's not a normal thing and the front desk zombies are only trained to do one thing - don't get upset - just ask to speak to the supervisor - they MUST ask the supervisor to come downstairs.

Good luck and enjoy. Hopefully - if you've been here 5+ years consistently and are married to a local - you can change your permit to the famed "green card" which carries longer renewal time frames (circa 5+years) - although you will still need to apply for the annual work permit - not sure - haven't navigated that path yet.