Before you start

A Qingdao employer willing to sponsor — the only self-sponsored national route is the new K visa
Degree certificate and criminal record certificate, notarised then apostilled (China joined the Hague Apostille Convention in November 2023)
Passport with sufficient validity and blank pages
A Qingdao address with a landlord willing to attend the police station

Step-by-step

1
Employer files the Notification Letter
Filed online through the national work permit system, which classifies you A, B or C on the points table. Category 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 filed for.
Via employerWho: Your employer2–5 weeks
2
Apply for the Z visa at a Chinese mission abroad
Not possible from inside China, and a tourist L visa cannot be converted here. Fees are set by nationality reciprocity and vary widely.
In personWho: You1–3 weeks
3
Register at the neighbourhood police station within 24 hours of moving in
Passport, visa, lease and normally the landlord with their property ownership certificate. You leave with the temporary residence registration slip that every later step asks for.
In personWho: YouWithin 24 hours of moving in
4
Collect the physical work permit card
The employer completes the application after entry, 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 Qingdao Exit–Entry Administration, with passport, work permit, registration slip, medical certificate, photographs and employer documents. Fees roughly RMB 400 under a year, RMB 800 for one to three years, RMB 1,000 for three to five. About fifteen working days.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days of entry
6
Check that your permit is multi-entry if you travel to Korea or Japan often
Qingdao's proximity to Korea and Japan makes short business trips routine, and re-entering China requires a valid residence permit with the appropriate entry endorsement. Confirm this before your first trip rather than at a check-in desk.
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 facility
Lease plus the landlord's property ownership certificate and ID
Temporary residence registration slip

Things most newcomers don’t know

The points table calibrates salary against the local average wage, and Qingdao's is well below Shanghai's.

The national A/B/C table awards points for salary measured against the local average wage. Because Qingdao's average wage is substantially lower than Shanghai's or Beijing's, the same nominal salary earns more points here. For a mid-career engineer in a Korean or Japanese plant this can be the difference between Category B and Category A — a longer permit and a lighter process. Ask your employer to run the score before filing rather than after.

Source: Service System for Foreigners Working in China

The 24-hour police registration is national law, and manufacturing districts are where it slips.

Article 39 requires anyone staying outside a hotel to register within 24 hours. In Qingdao a great many foreign employees are initially housed in company accommodation or serviced apartments that handle it, and the obligation only becomes personal when they move into their own flat — often quietly, a year in. The slip is then requested at the next renewal and does not exist. Re-register every time you move, without exception.

Source: Exit and Entry Administration Law, Article 39

Qingdao's sub-provincial status means its municipal authorities have more room than a normal prefecture city.

Qingdao is one of a small number of Chinese cities with separate state planning status, which gives its municipal government economic planning authority closer to a province's than to an ordinary city's. In practice this shows up as locally-designed talent and investment measures that are set and revised by the municipality itself. They change, they are published in Chinese, and they are known to employers' government affairs teams — so ask rather than research.

Source: Qingdao Municipal People's Government

The K visa changes who may apply, not what you owe once you land.

The K visa for young science and technology talent took effect on 1 October 2025 under State Council Order No. 814 and requires no domestic sponsor — potentially relevant to Qingdao's marine science cluster. Several implementing details were still unpublished well into 2026. Whatever category admits you, staying means a residence permit within 30 days and a police registration within 24 hours.

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

Common mistakes to avoid

Moving out of company accommodation and never doing your own police registration.
Treating the Z visa as permission to reside and missing the 30-day deadline.
Letting the employer file Category B without asking for your points score.
Travelling to Korea or Japan without confirming your residence permit allows re-entry.
Arriving without an apostille on the degree and criminal record certificates.

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