China work permits: Categories A, B and C explained
Working in China legally requires two documents, not one. Here is how the A/B/C classification works, which category you fall into, and the deadline that catches new arrivals.
The single most expensive misunderstanding about working in China is thinking the work permit is the whole story. You need two documents: the Foreigner’s Work Permit and a work-type residence permit. Holding one without the other is not legal employment.
The three categories
Applicants are sorted into three tiers using a points system, the Catalogue of Guidance for Foreigners Working in China, labour market testing and quota management.
Category A — High-end foreign talents
Scientists, leading technical specialists, international entrepreneurs, and applicants who score highly enough on the work permit points table. Category A carries no restriction on age, educational background or years of experience. This is the fast lane and it is deliberately generous.
Category B — Foreign professionals
The category most people fall into. Requirements are concrete:
- A bachelor’s degree or above
- More than two years of relevant working experience
- Under 60 years of age
- A role that appears in the Catalogue of Guidance for Foreigners Working in China
Category C — Other foreigners
Applicants who meet labour market needs under national policy. This tier is quota-managed and is where seasonal and non-professional roles sit.
Two routes in
Before entry: your employer obtains a Notification Letter of Foreigner’s Work Permit, which you use to apply for the appropriate visa at a Chinese embassy or consulate, then convert after arrival.
After entry: if you already meet the conditions, the application can be filed inside China. Where it is approved domestically, the Work Permit is issued directly without a Notification Letter step.
A work permit is required for any employment exceeding 90 days.
The deadline that catches people
Once the work permit is issued, the work-type residence permit must be processed before your current visa or residence permit expires, at the exit-entry administration of the public security organ where your employer is located — not where you live, if those differ.
New arrivals on a work visa also have a separate 30-day clock from the date of entry to obtain the residence permit. Missing it is expensive and complicates future applications.
See where to go: Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen.
Working without both documents
Foreign citizens may work in China only after obtaining both the work permit and the residence permit. Working on a tourist or business visa, or on a study visa without separate authorisation, is unlawful employment — with consequences for both you and the employer.
Sources
- Beijing Municipal Government — Work Permit for foreigners
- Beijing Municipal Government — Foreign Professionals (Category B)
- Beijing Municipal Government — High-End Foreign Talents (Category A)
- Nanjing Municipal Government — FAQs on Foreigner’s Work Permit
Category criteria, quotas and local procedures change, and your employer’s location determines which authority handles your case. This page records what the official sources said on the verification date shown above; confirm with the local authority or your employer’s HR before acting.