Home
> Service > Exit and entry
Procedures Regarding Entry of Foreigners to Complete Short-Term Work Tasks (Trial)

I. The entry of foreigners to complete short-term work tasks means that the foreigners enter the country due to the following events and stay for no more than 90 workdays:
(1) To complete work such as technology, scientific research, management, and guidance in the domestic cooperation partners;
(2) To conduct trial training (including coaches and athletes) in the domestic sports institutions;
(3) To shoot films (including advertising films and documentaries);
(4) To attend fashion shows (including car models, shooting of print advertisement, and the like);
(5) To engage in foreign-related commercial performances;
(6) To complete other circumstances as determined by Human Resources and Social Security Department
II. Short-term work tasks are not completed in the following situations:
(1) Personnel who purchase supporting maintenance, installation, commissioning, disassembly, guidance, and training of machinery equipment;
(2) Personnel who guide, supervise and inspect the projects won in the country;
(3) Personnel who are assigned to domestic branches, subsidiaries and representative offices to complete short-term work;
(4) Personnel who participate in sports events, (including athletes, coaches, team doctors, assistants, and other related personnel, and excluding personnel that hold with registration cards for the entry in accordance with requirements of international sports organizations and upon the approval of the competent authorities of our country);
(5) Volunteers who are engaged in unpaid work or paid by overseas institutions;
(6) Personnel who are not marked with “foreign-related commercial performances“ on the approval document by the competent culture department.
If there are situations of (1), (2), (3) and (4) and the duration of stay does not exceed 90 days, personnel shall apply for an M visa; If there are situations of (5) and (4) and the duration of stay does not exceed 90 days, personnel shall apply for an F visa;
III. All persons that are listed in Items (1), (2), (3) and (5) of Articles I and II and stay for more than 90 days each time in the country shall apply for relevant procedures in accordance with Regulations Regarding Employment Management of Foreigners in China. Persons shall engage in seasonal labor services and short-term labor services in the country in accordance with relevant regulations.
IV. Foreign artistic-cultural performance groups and individuals who conduct short-term commercial performances in the country shall hold Approval Documents and Short-Term Certificates of Employment in China (hereinafter referred to as Certificates of Employment) from the competent cultural authorities; and those who have completed other short-term work tasks in the country shall hold Alien Employment Permit (hereinafter referred to as Permit) and Certificates of Employment from Human Resources and Social Security Department.
Registration items in Certificates of Employment include: holder's nationality and name, working content, working place, working period, issuing date, and the like.
V. Short-term workers shall apply for the entry according to the following procedures:
(I) Application for an employment permit
1. Application for Permit and Certificates of Employment from Human Resources and Social Security Department
If the domestic cooperation partner intends to invite foreigners to enter the country for short-term work, they shall file an application for the provincial Human Resources and Social Security Departments or the prefecture-level Human Resources and Social Security Departments authorized by them, and submit the following supporting materials:
(1) Registration certificates and organization code (all which are copies) of the domestic cooperation partner;
(2) Sino-foreign cooperation agreements, project contracts, and the like;
(3) Intended resume of person for entry;
(4) Valid passport or other international travel documents (copies);
(5) Foreigners applying for completion of professional technical tasks shall provide relevant academic qualification certificates or technical (professional) qualification certificates in accordance with national regulations;
(6) Other supporting materials prescribed by the examination and approval authority.
Human Resources and Social Security Department shall issue Permits and Certificates of Employment for those who have clear, complete and reasonable reasons for short-term entry work and who have not violated national laws and regulations.
If the locations where foreigners enter the country to complete tasks include two or more provincial-level areas, relevant procedures shall be applied for the Human Resources and Social Security Department where the domestic cooperation partner is located.
The provincial human resources and social security departments shall submit “Form Regarding Short-Term Work Information of Foreigners” to Human Resources and Social Security Department in electronic file format before the entry of foreigners.
2 Application for approval documents and Certificates of Employment that are approved by the competent cultural authority
For the foreign artistic-cultural performance groups or the individuals who intend to enter the country for commercial performance, the performance organizer shall file an application for the competent cultural authority of the first performance location. The competent cultural department shall make decisions within 20 workdays from the acceptance date of the application in accordance with Regulations on Management of Commercial Performance and its implementation rules. The approved groups or individuals shall be marked with “foreign-related commercial performances” on the approval documents. The groups or individuals without being approved shall notify an applicant in writing and explain the reasons. Among them, the foreign artistic-cultural performance group and the individuals that intend to enter the country for commercial performances do not stay for more than 90 workdays, and the competent cultural department shall issue Certificates of Employment for them. For the increasing performance location listed in Certificates of Employment, the competent cultural authority of the increasing performance location will no longer issue Certificates of Employment.
The competent cultural authority of the performance location shall submit Form Regarding Performance Information of Foreigners to Ministry of Culture through a foreign-related commercial performance approval information publicity system before the foreign artistic-cultural performance groups and the individuals enter the country. The Ministry of Culture shall make a copy for the human resources and social security department in electronic file format.
For the foreign artistic-cultural performance groups and the individuals that enter the country for commercial performance and that intend to continue to perform short-term commercial performances after the completion of short-term tasks, the performance organizer shall again apply for Certificates of Employment from the competent cultural authority, but the working hours shall not exceed the valid permitted period of the stay or residence. The examination and approval procedures shall be transacted in accordance with relevant requirements of “Application for Approval Documents and Certificates of Employment from Competent Cultural Authority” in this procedure.
(II) Handling invitation letters or invitation confirmation letters
The employer holds Permits and Certificates of Employment to apply for invitation letters or invitation confirmation letters at the registration location or the authorized unit.
The performance organizer shall hold approval documents and Certificates of Employment to the foreign affairs department of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the government of the registration location or the first performance location, and apply for invitation confirmation letters from the authorized unit.
(III) Application for Z visa
Foreigners who are allowed to enter the country to complete short-term tasks shall apply for the Z visa from Chinese embassies or consulates in foreign countries, or other foreign agencies (hereinafter referred to as foreign visa agencies) entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The applicant shall provide the following supporting materials:
(1) Originals and copies of Permits (approval documents) and Certificates of Employment;
(2) Invitation letters or invitation confirmation letters from the authorized unit;
(3) Originals and copies of the passport or other international travel documents;
(4) Other materials required by the foreign visa authority.
The foreign visa authority will verify the originals of Permits (approval documents) and originals regarding Certificates of Employment, reserved for copies. When the working period in the approval does not exceed 30 workdays, the foreign visa authority shall issue a visa with a stay period of 30 workdays, and make a bilingual remark in the remark column: “Allowed to work only within the period of time indicated in the approval”; When the working period in the approval exceeds more than 30 workdays, the visa remark column shall transact the residence procedures indicated within 30 days after the entry.

Those who have a mutual visa-free agreement with China must obtain Certificates of Employment before entering the country and apply for the Z visa in the foreign visa authority of our country by holding the above-mentioned materials.
(IV) Handling residence permits for work
A short-term worker whose working period does not exceed 30 workdays shall work according to the working period indicated on Certificates of Employment and stay within the stay period indicated in the Z visa. A short-term worker whose working period exceeds 30 days shall work according to the working period indicated on Certificates of Employment, and shall go to the public security organ to apply for the residence permit with a stay period of 90 workdays by holding Certificates of Employment and the Z visa. Among them, the foreign artistic-cultural performance groups and the individuals may hold Certificates of Employment, the Z visa and other documents to go to the public security organ where the performance organizer is registered or where the first performance is located. Foreign actors who have obtained residence permits will not again transact the residence procedures when performing at other performance places in the country.
VI. Other matters
(I) When the foreigners who have obtained approval documents and Certificates of Employment cancel the work and do not enter the country, the performance organizer shall promptly notify the competent cultural department; When the foreigners who have obtained Permits and Certificate of Employment cancel the work and do not enter the country, the domestic cooperation partner shall promptly notify the examination and approval authority of Human Resources and Social Security Department.

(II) When the foreigners enter the country for completion of short-term tasks, their working periods shall not exceed the period specified in Certificates of Employment, and Certificates of Employment shall not be postponed upon expiration.

After the foreigners with Certificates of Employment complete short-term tasks, if their residence permits are within the validity period and they are employed by domestic employers, relevant procedures may be transacted in the country in accordance with relevant procedures of “Regulations on Management of Employment of Foreigners in China”.