Before you start

A Beijing employer willing to sponsor — there is no self-sponsored work permit outside the new K visa route
Degree certificate and criminal record certificate, notarised and then apostilled (China acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention in November 2023)
A passport with sufficient validity and blank pages
A Beijing address evidenced by a lease, with a landlord willing to attend the police station

Step-by-step

1
Employer files for the Notification Letter
Filed online through the national work permit system, which classifies you Category A, B or C on the points table. A is high-end talent, outside quota and age limits, with permits of up to five years. B is the ordinary professional tier. C is quota-controlled. Ask which tier is being applied for before it is filed.
Via employerWho: Your employer2–6 weeks
2
Apply for the Z visa at a Chinese mission abroad
This cannot be done inside China, and a tourist L visa cannot be converted into work status here. Fees are set by nationality reciprocity and vary widely.
In personWho: You1–3 weeks
3
Register at your neighbourhood police station within 24 hours of moving in
Take passport, visa, lease and your landlord — most Beijing stations want the landlord's ID and the property ownership certificate. You leave with a temporary residence registration slip. Hotels do this automatically; private flats do not.
In personWho: YouWithin 24 hours of moving in
4
Collect the physical work permit card
The employer completes the work permit application after entry and the card is issued, generally expected within about fifteen days. You are not lawfully working until it exists.
Via employerWho: Your employerWithin ~15 days of entry
5
Apply for the residence permit within 30 days of entry
At the Beijing Exit–Entry Administration, with passport, work permit, registration slip, medical certificate, photographs and employer documents. Fees are charged on validity: roughly RMB 400 under a year, RMB 800 for one to three years, RMB 1,000 for three to five. Processing is about fifteen working days.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days of entry
6
Re-register after every move, and ask about trips abroad
A change of address means a new registration slip, always. Some Beijing stations also expect re-registration after re-entering China from abroad. Practice differs by district and asking your own station once removes the ambiguity permanently.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with Z visa
Notification Letter, then the Foreigner's Work Permit card
Notarised and apostilled degree and criminal record certificates
Medical examination certificate from a designated Beijing facility
Lease plus the landlord's property ownership certificate and ID
Temporary residence registration slip

Things most newcomers don’t know

Beijing asks for the registration slip at points where other cities do not.

The 24-hour registration rule is national law, but enforcement across China is uneven. In the capital the slip is a routinely requested document — at the residence permit application and renewal, at some bank branches, and occasionally during neighbourhood checks. People who moved from a second-tier city where nobody ever asked arrive expecting the same, and get stuck at a counter. Keep the slip with your passport and re-issue it every time you move.

Source: Exit and Entry Administration Law, Article 39

The points table awards points for where in China you work, and Beijing is not the generous option.

The national A/B/C table gives extra weight to employment in western and north-eastern China and calibrates salary points against the local average wage. A high local average wage means a higher salary is needed for the same points, so the same person can score meaningfully better in Chengdu or Xi'an than in Beijing or Shanghai. If you are marginal between B and A, this is worth knowing before the employer files — and it is not something HR will raise.

Source: Service System for Foreigners Working in China

Zhongguancun runs its own recommendation channel toward permanent residence.

China's national permanent residence tracks are narrow and slow. Beijing's Zhongguancun science park is one of a small number of designated zones that can recommend qualifying foreign talent for permanent residence, alongside Shanghai's Lin-gang area and the Greater Bay Area cities. The criteria are set locally and change, so the practical step is to ask the park administration or your employer's government affairs team directly rather than to rely on any published summary.

Source: National Immigration Administration

The K visa exists but does not remove the residence permit or the registration.

The K visa for young science and technology talent came into force on 1 October 2025 under State Council Order No. 814 and is the first Chinese category that requires no Chinese sponsor. It is genuinely new and several implementing details were still unpublished well into 2026. Whatever visa gets you in, staying still means a residence permit within 30 days and a police registration within 24 hours — the K visa changes who can apply, not what you owe once you land.

Source: gov.cn / State Council Order No. 814

Common mistakes to avoid

Never registering at the neighbourhood police station after moving into a private flat.
Assuming the Z visa is permission to reside and missing the 30-day residence permit deadline.
Letting the employer file Category B without asking whether Category A is available.
Arriving without an apostille on the degree and criminal record certificates.
Moving flat within Beijing and not obtaining a fresh registration slip.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.