Guide to Change
of the Work Permit
for Foreigners
I. Law Bases
1. Administrative License Law of the People’s Republic of China.
2. Article 41 under the Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China: Foreigners who work in China shall obtain work permits and work-type residence permits in accordance with relevant regulations. No entities or individuals shall employ foreigners who have no work permits or work-type residence permits.
3. Article 7 under The Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners: To apply for the R visa, the applicant shall meet the qualifications and requirements set by the competent authorities of the Chinese government for inviting persons of high talent or urgently needed specialists, and the applicant shall, in accordance with relevant provisions, submit the relevant certification documents; To apply for the Z visa, the applicant shall, in accordance with relevant provisions, submit the work permit and other certification documents.
Article 16: To apply for a work-type residence permit, the applicant shall submit such certification documents as a work permit; in the case of a person of high talent who is needed or, a specialist who is urgently needed, by the State, the applicant shall submit relevant certification documents in accordance with relevant provisions.
4. Letter of Opinions on the Integration of Work Permit for Foreigners by the Office for Administrative Examination and Approval System Reform under State (SGBH < 2015>No.95).
II. Requirements for Documents Provided
1. All paper versions of original documents and the translated versions must be electronically uploaded to the Service System for Foreigners Working in China.
2. Non-Chinese credentials shall be translated into Chinese and stamped with the official seal of the employer (except for passports and international travel certificates).
3. No paper documents shall be submitted for verification.
III. Documents Required
Documents required for name change:
1. Application Form for Change of Foreigner’s WorkPermit: Fill in the online application – print it out – send to the applicant for signing-stamp it with the seal-upload it to the system.
2. Passport or international travel certificate: Information page of the passport or of the international travel certificate.
3. Valid residence permit: Information page of the residence permit.
4. Information page of the previous passport (or the international travel certificate).
5. Other credentials for name change.
6. Other documents: Documents provided as required by the reception authority or the decision-making authority.
IV. Documents required for change of passport number
1. Application Form for Change of Foreigner’s WorkPermit: Fill in the online application – print it out – send to the applicant for signing-stamp it with the seal-upload it to the system.
2. Passport or international travel certificate: Information page of the passport or of the international travel certificate.
3. Valid residence permit: Information page of the residence permit.
4. Information page of the previous passport (or the international travel certificate).
5. If the passport is lost, a loss confirmation shall be provided.
6. Other documents: Documents provided as required by the reception authority or the decision-making authority.
V. Documents required for title change
1. Application Form for Change of Foreigner’s Work Permit: Fill in the online application – print it out – send to the applicant for signing-stamp it with the employer’s seal – upload it to the system.
2. Employment contract or employment certificate: Contract in Chinese, employment certificate, or dispatch letter.
3. A letter of change application (specifying the reason of change, the new title, etc, and stamped by the employer) and relevant credentials: where there are otherwise different provisions in any relevant law or regulation of the state, such provisions shall apply.
4. Other documents: Documents provided as required by the reception authority or the decision-making authority.
5. Note: Title change refers to the transfer or promotion between positions related to the job content.
VI . Documents required for category change
1. Application Form for Change of Foreigner’s Work Permit: Fill in the online application – print it out – send to the applicant for signing-stamp it with the employer’s seal – upload it to the system.
2. Credentials of category change:To change the category into Foreign High-end Talents (Category A), the relevant certificates shall be submitted
3. Other documents: Documents provided as required by the reception authority or the decision-making authority.
VII . Notes
1. In the event of change in the applicant’s personal information (such as name, passport number, title, and category) or other information, an application shall be submitted within ten working days from the date of the confirmation of change.
2. The employer shall take the Work Permit for Foreigners and the printed electronic receipt to the reception authority within ten days from the date on which the permit is approved: If the information on the two sides of the Work Permit for Foreigners is changed, the previous Work Permit for Foreigners shall be returned to the reception authority and a new one shall be received; if the information which is not shown on the sides of the Work Permit for Foreigners is changed, the chip information shall be updated.
3. Policy Release
For policies, guides, and some sample forms and commitments for Foreigner’s Work Permit in China please refer to the website of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs at http://shafea.sh.gov.cn and the website of Shanghai R&D Public Service Platform at http://www.sgst.cn
4. Those professional service agencies authorized with the procedure of application, extension changing, cancellation, or re-submission shall submit the Letter of Authorization of the employer, in which the authorized entity, the authorized person and his / her ID number and telephone number, and the authorized matters shall be clearly specified. That is, the professional service agency, the authorized person and the corresponding authorized matters shall be clearly specified.
VIII. Examination & Approval Period
1. Five working days (for preliminary review and reception, after the complete and qualified documents are submitted).
2. Review period: Five working days (from the day when the documents are accepted online).
In case of special circumstances requiring an extension of time limit, the reception authority or the decision-making authority shall handle the matter as appropriate.
IX . Reception way and time
Reception way
1. Reception at the window
Reception Department: Shanghai R&D Public Service Platform (Shanghai Scientific and Technological Talents Development Center / Shanghai Service Center for Foreigners Working in China)
Address: 1F 77 Meiyuan Road Jing’an District, 3F 1500 Minsheng Road Pudong New Area.
For other sites, please refer to the list of names and addresses of the handling authorities (at the website of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs http://shafea.sh.gov.cn and the website of Shanghai R& D Public Service Platform http://www.sgst.cn)
2. Online reception
Please directly access to the Service System for Foreigners Working in China https://fwp.safea.gov.cn; or access to it via the government affairs service platform of the Ministry of Science and Technology at https://fuwu.most.gov.cn
Reception time
Window reception time:
Monday – Thursday: 9:00 – 11:30, 13:30 – 17:00
Friday: 9:00 – 11:30, 13:30 – 15:00
Number taking time:
Monday – Thursday: 8:45 – 11:15, 13:15 – 16:45
Friday: 8:45 – 11:15, 13:15 – 14:45
*This Instruction is made and executed in both Chinese and English. In case of any discrepancy between the two languages, Chinese version shall prevail.
Source: Guide to Change of the Work Permit for Foreigners No.5
Shanghai Public Security Bureau Exit-Entry Management Bureau (1500 Minsheng Rd, Pudong, Shanghai, China)