Published on:
April 27, 2017

by: Guest

Requirements for the Z Visa/ Foreign Expert Permit to Teach in China

This April a number of provincial visa office briefings have been held throughout China and there have been some changes in the requirements for the Z Visa/ Foreign Expert Permit to Teach in China. The new requirements (in most provinces) for teachers to secure a work ‘z’ visa from their employer school are as follows:

  • A passport from a native English speaking country: UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa
  • At least a Bachelor’s degree – authenticated by Chinese Embassy or Consulate.
  • Police clearance (DBS check, FBI check, etc) – authenticated by the Chinese Embassy or Consulate.
  • If the candidate is a licensed teacher in the mother country, no prior experience is required;
  • If the candidate has a TEFL/TESOL certificate, no prior experience is required;
  • If the candidate majors in Education / English Language Teaching for their Bachelor’s degree, no work experience is required.
  • If the candidate does not have a TEFL/TESOL certificate, then the two-year working experience related to Teaching is required. A reference letter to evidence this experience is required
  • A medical check

Foreign Expert Permit to Teach in China

After the candidate gets their z visa from Chinese Embassy or Consulate, subsequent to the visa application process, the above original documents should be taken to China in order to get the Foreign Expert Work Permit.

So the good news is that in many cases, if you hold a teaching related degree or have a few years of teaching experience, a TEFL/ TESOL certification is no longer required.

The authentication process does add another step of bureaucracy, however the majority of schools will reimburse any costs associated with this process, and it’s not too difficult! For further step-by-step details on how to notarise and authenticate documents, check out our Resources page here.

Of course there may be anomalies to this guidance on a provincial level, and regulations do frequently change, so if you have any questions please contact Opportunity China for further guidance.

 

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One response to “Requirements for the Z Visa/ Foreign Expert Permit to Teach in China”

  1. Annie says:

    I have posted my notarised and legalised copies of teaching certificate and BA certificate to the University in China who have invited me to work there. These have been forwarded to the Foreign Expert Bureau in Henan. Will I need to have these documents to hand when applying for my z visa in London? By the way, my police check (CRB ) is currently being notarised and Henan Foreign Expert Bureau will accept an electronic copy of this. I was rejected initially because I didn’t get CRB certificate legalised.