China's Z visa and residence permit for Americans

The Z visa only gets you in the door. To work legally in Shanghai you need a work permit and a residence permit too, and the residence permit clock starts the day you land.

The short version

Every foreign employee in Shanghai needs a Foreigner's Work Permit, whatever their nationality or visa type [1].
Your employer applies first and gets you a Notification Letter of Foreigner's Work Permit. You use that letter to apply for a Z visa at a Chinese embassy or consulate [2].
Within 30 days of entering China, you apply for a residence permit at the exit-entry office of the public security bureau [2][3].
Permits valid for more than a year need a health check; in Shanghai that's at the Shanghai International Travel Healthcare Center [3][4].
China joined the Apostille Convention effective November 7, 2023 [6], so US documents like your degree and FBI background check generally need an apostille instead of the old embassy legalization chain.

USD conversions in this guide use the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of October 30, 2026 (USD 1 = CNY 6.6538).

How the pieces fit together

Back in the States, a job offer plus an I-9 is about it. In China, it's three separate documents from three different offices, and you need all of them before you start work [5].

Document	Who issues it	What it's for
Notification Letter of Foreigner's Work Permit	Shanghai's foreign expert and human resources authorities, applied for by your employer	Lets you apply for the Z visa [2]
Z visa	Chinese embassy or consulate in the US	Lets you enter China to take up the job [2]
Foreigner's Work Permit	The same work permit authorities, after you arrive	Lets you work for that employer [1][5]
Residence permit (work type)	Exit-Entry Administration of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau	Lets you live in China and travel in and out [3]

Work permits are tied to one employer and one contract. Contracts can run up to five years, and the permit becomes invalid when the contract ends [5]. Change jobs, and you start a new permit with the new employer.

China sorts work permit applicants into categories, from Category A for high-level talent to Category C for people filling more routine roles, and the category affects what your employer has to show. The Shanghai government's category guide wasn't loading when we checked, so ask your employer's HR team which category you're applying under and what it requires.

Step by step: from offer letter to residence permit

Gather and apostille your US documents (see the next section). Start this first, because it takes the longest.
Your employer applies for the work permit notice. You send scans of your documents, and HR files the application online.
Apply for the Z visa. Fill out the online visa application form, then submit your passport, photo and the Notification Letter to the Chinese embassy or consulate that covers your state [2]. Requirements vary by location, so check that consulate's own guidance [2].
Enter China and register your address. The State Department says you must register your stay within 24 hours of arrival, with your hotel or at the local police station [8]. Keep that registration form; you'll need it later.
Get the health check at the Shanghai International Travel Healthcare Center (details below) [4].
Finish the work permit. Your employer converts the notice into the actual Foreigner's Work Permit.
Apply for the residence permit within 30 days of entry. First applications are made in person at a Shanghai public security exit-entry office, after booking online [3][9]. Shanghai also lets applicants file with a letter of commitment and the work permit notice before the full work permit is issued, provided they finish the work permit within one month of getting the residence document [9].

Once the residence permit is issued, you can come and go on it without a new visa.

Fees for the residence permit

The Shanghai exit-entry office lists these fees for residence permits [3]:

Validity	Fee
Up to 1 year	CNY 400 (about USD 60)
1 to 3 years	CNY 800 (about USD 120)
3 to 5 years	CNY 1,000 (about USD 150)
Changing permit information	CNY 200 (about USD 30)

Adding an accompanying family member costs the fee at the same rate [3]. The main office is at No. 1500 Minsheng Road in Pudong, open Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except public holidays, with Saturdays for document drop-off only [3]. Once your application is accepted, a decision comes within 15 working days [9].

Documents from the US: apostille, not legalization

Until late 2023, using an American document in China meant a long chain of notary, state, State Department and Chinese consulate stamps. China's accession to the Hague Apostille Convention took effect on November 7, 2023 [6]. The US has been a member since 1981 [6]. For most US public documents, one apostille from the right US authority now does the job.

Documents employers typically ask for:

Your degree. Usually a notarized copy of your diploma, apostilled by the secretary of state of the state where it was notarized.
A criminal background check. Americans usually use an FBI Identity History Summary. The FBI charges USD 18, and if you apply online and get fingerprinted electronically at a participating US Post Office, results generally come within 48 hours [7]. Some employers accept a state-level check instead, so ask.
Proof of work experience, if your category requires it.
Your passport and photos that meet Chinese photo rules.

Federal documents, like the FBI check, are apostilled by the State Department's Office of Authentications. It charges USD 20 per document, works by mail only and quotes about four weeks of processing [10]. Documents issued or notarized at the state level go to that state's secretary of state.

Plan backward from your start date. Between the FBI check, the apostille and shipping, it's easy to burn six weeks. Employers often want background checks issued recently, so don't order it a year in advance either.

When you file in Shanghai, foreign-language documents must be translated into Chinese by a qualified translation provider and stamped by that provider. Self-translations aren't accepted [9].

The health check

If your residence permit will be valid for more than one year, you need a health certificate showing you don't have a serious mental disorder, tuberculosis or another infectious disease that poses a significant public health threat [3]. In Shanghai, that's done at the Shanghai International Travel Healthcare Center, No. 15 Jinbang Road, Changning District [4].

What to know, per the center's guide updated July 14, 2026 [4]:

Book at least two weeks ahead through the center's official WeChat account.
Morning sessions run 8 to 11 a.m., Monday to Friday, with extra slots on some afternoons and Saturdays.
Don't eat for five hours before the exam. Water is fine.
Bring your passport with copies of the photo page and visa, three 2-inch color photos without headwear, the printed application and consent forms, and for work, your employment documents from the foreign experts authority or your work permit.
Results are ready three working days after the exam, for pickup or courier delivery.

If you had a medical exam at an embassy-designated hospital abroad in the last six months, bring the original report, lab results and X-ray film for the center to review [4]. Our advice: just plan on doing the exam in Shanghai.

Family, renewals and staying legal

Family members can join you on family-related visas and residence permits tied to yours, but they can't work on that status [5]. A trailing spouse who wants a job needs their own work permit. Family members applying for a permit of more than one year also need the health check, with supporting documents from the person they're joining [4].

Annual inspection and renewals. The work permit has an annual inspection due within the 30 days before year-end, and missing it invalidates the permit [5]. Your employer should apply to extend the permit within 30 days before it expires, and after an extension you have 10 days to update your residence permit [5].

Penalties. Working without proper permits can bring fines of CNY 5,000 to 20,000 (about USD 750 to 3,000), and in serious cases 5 to 15 days of detention and an order to leave China [5].

Leaving a job. Your employer must cancel the work permit and notify the public security bureau, and your residence permit is affected too [5]. Don't assume you can stay on and job hunt; check your status right away.

The rest of the US side still applies: Uncle Sam taxes you on worldwide income, and our guide to Chinese taxes for Americans explains how the two systems fit. For questions about your specific case, a lawyer who handles Chinese immigration can check your situation, and members of our community group for Americans in China can tell you how long each step has been taking lately. Enroll in STEP with the US Consulate General in Shanghai once you arrive [8].

China's Z visa and residence permit: the steps from job offer to legal work