China has many schools that hire foreign teachers: international schools, private bilingual schools, universities and language training centres. Whatever the school, the legal steps are the same. Your employer applies for a work permit for you, you get a work visa, and after you arrive you get a residence permit.
This guide explains those steps, the rules for language teachers, the documents you need and the main types of employer. It is general information for teachers from any country. Rules were checked on official Chinese government pages in October 2026. Most official texts are in Chinese, and the English wording here is our own translation. Mainland China’s rules do not apply in Hong Kong, which has its own system.
The law: work permit and residence permit
China’s Exit and Entry Administration Law says that foreigners who work in China “shall obtain work permits and work-type residence permits”, and that no one may employ a foreigner without them (Article 41). Working without these documents, or outside the scope of your work permit, is “unlawful employment” (Article 43) (National Immigration Administration).
The penalties are serious (Article 80):
- A foreigner who works illegally can be fined RMB 5,000 to 20,000. In serious cases, they can also be detained for 5 to 15 days.
- An employer can be fined RMB 10,000 for each foreigner it employs illegally, up to RMB 100,000.
So do not start work on a tourist, business or student visa. A real employer applies for your work permit before you travel.
The work permit and its three classes
Since 1 April 2017, China has one system for all foreign workers, the Foreigner’s Work Permit. It was set up by a joint notice of the foreign experts administration, the human resources ministry, the foreign ministry and the public security ministry (document 外专发〔2017〕40号) (notice, in Chinese). The system has two documents:
- the Notification Letter of Foreigner’s Work Permit, which you use to apply for your visa, and
- the Foreigner’s Work Permit card, which you collect after you arrive.
The notice sorts foreign workers into three classes:
| Class | Who | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A: high-end talent | Scientists, leading experts, people on national talent lists, or people with 85 points or more | No limits on age, degree or experience |
| B: professional talent | Bachelor’s degree and 2 years of relevant experience; foreign language teachers are a named group in this class | Age 60 or under, with some exceptions |
| C: other foreign workers | Others who meet labour market needs, short-term work of 90 days or less, and quota schemes such as interns | Set by national policy |
Most foreign teachers apply in class B. The basic conditions for every applicant are: “at least 18 years old, in good health, no criminal record”, a confirmed employer in China, and the skills or knowledge the job needs (work permit service guide). The service guide gives the class B age limit as “not more than 60”, and says the limits on age, degree or experience can be relaxed for some groups, such as excellent foreign graduates.
The rule for foreign language teachers
The 2017 notice has one rule just for foreign language teachers (外国语言教学人员). In our translation:
- They should “in principle” teach the native language of their own country.
- They need a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- They need 2 years or more of language teaching experience.
- The experience is not needed if they have a bachelor’s or higher degree in education, languages or teacher training, a teaching certificate from their own country, or an accepted international language-teaching certificate.
The notice does not say which international certificates are accepted, or how many hours they need. If you plan to use a TEFL or CELTA certificate instead of 2 years of experience, ask the employer to confirm that the local work permit office accepts it. Our TEFL and CELTA guide explains these certificates.
Teachers of subjects other than languages, such as maths or science at an international school, apply under the general class B rule: a bachelor’s degree and 2 years of relevant experience.
The documents you need
The service guide lists the documents for a work permit of more than 90 days. The main ones for a teacher are:
| Document | What the service guide says |
|---|---|
| Highest degree certificate | If you got it abroad, it must be verified by a Chinese embassy or consulate, by your country’s embassy in China, or by China’s degree verification body. |
| Criminal record certificate | Issued by the police, security or court authorities of your country of nationality or of your place of habitual residence, and issued within 6 months. A statement you sign yourself is not accepted. |
| Health certificate | From a Chinese health and quarantine authority, or from an overseas medical institution it recognises, issued within 6 months. Before entry you can give a written promise instead, then give a Chinese health check certificate when you collect the work permit card. |
| Proof of experience | For example, letters from past employers. |
| Contract | Your employment contract or appointment letter. |
Your “place of habitual residence” is the last country outside your country of nationality where you lived for one year or more without a break. Time in China does not count. So if you have lived in a third country for a year or more, you may need a criminal record certificate from that country too.
Authentication or apostille
The service guide says foreign documents must be authenticated by a Chinese embassy or consulate. This changed in late 2023. China joined the Apostille Convention, and it came into force on 7 November 2023. From that date, Chinese embassies and consulates in the US stopped consular authentication, and US documents “only need to apply for a U.S. apostille” (Chinese Embassy in the US). The same applies to other countries that are part of the Convention. If your country is not, ask the Chinese embassy or consulate what it needs. Your employer will also tell you what the local office accepts.
The steps, from offer to residence permit
- The employer applies online. It submits your application in the Foreigner’s Work Management Service System. The office pre-checks the materials within 5 working days (service guide).
- You get the Notification Letter. When the application is approved, the system issues the Notification Letter of Foreigner’s Work Permit.
- You apply for a Z visa. You take the Notification Letter to a Chinese embassy or consulate. The Chinese Embassy in the UK says the Z visa is for people who work in China, and that the Notification Letter is the document needed for work of more than 90 days (Chinese Embassy in the UK).
- You collect the work permit card. Within 15 days of entering China, you apply for the Foreigner’s Work Permit card. The office checks your original documents and decides within 10 working days.
- You apply for a residence permit. Within 30 days of entering China, you apply at the exit and entry office of the local public security bureau (Article 30 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law). Z visa holders give their work permit and a letter from the employer (National Immigration Administration).
The Exit and Entry Administration Law says a work-type residence permit is valid for 90 days to 5 years. The National Immigration Administration says it may be issued for up to 5 years to high-level talent and urgently needed professionals, up to 2 years to people who work for registered employers with a good record, and up to 1 year to others. The residence permit fee is CNY 400 for up to 1 year, CNY 800 for 1 to 3 years and CNY 1,000 for 3 to 5 years (checked October 2026). Ask your employer who pays it.
Types of employer
Schools for children of foreign personnel
Many of the schools that call themselves “international schools” in China are, in law, schools for children of foreign personnel (外籍人员子女学校). The Ministry of Education’s 1995 interim measures set the rules (Ministry of Education, in Chinese):
- They may enrol only children of foreign nationals who hold residence permits in China. They may not enrol the children of Chinese citizens.
- They teach up to secondary level.
- They choose their own curriculum, textbooks and teaching plans.
- They hire foreign staff under the normal rules for foreigners working in China.
The Ministry of Education published a list of 116 approved schools of this type in March 2017 (Ministry of Education). The list has not been updated on that page since, so a newer school may not appear on it. Ask the school to confirm its approval.
Private and bilingual schools
Many other private schools in China also use the words “international” or “bilingual”. They are a different kind of school, and the 1995 measures do not cover them. We did not find one official national rule for foreign teachers at these schools beyond the work permit rules above. Before you accept an offer, ask what kind of school it is, which curriculum it teaches, and whether it applies for your work permit itself.
Language training centres
Rules for training centres changed in 2021. A national policy issued by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council on 24 July 2021 (gov.cn, in Chinese) says:
- No new subject-based training institutions for students in compulsory education (grades 1 to 9) will be approved, and existing ones must register as non-profit.
- Subject-based training may not take place on public holidays, weekends or school holidays.
- Training institutions that hire foreigners in China must follow national rules, and they are “strictly prohibited” from hiring foreigners based outside China to give training.
- Providing overseas curricula is “strictly prohibited”.
A Ministry of Education notice of 28 July 2021 lists foreign languages (English, Japanese, Russian) among the subjects that count as subject-based training (Ministry of Education, in Chinese). So English classes for children in grades 1 to 9, outside school, fall under these limits. The policy text we read is about students in compulsory education; it does not set rules for adult classes.
If you are offered a job at a training centre, ask who the students are, when the classes take place, and whether the centre will apply for your work permit for that job. An offer to teach Chinese children online from outside China, for a training company, conflicts with the 2021 policy.
Before you accept an offer
- Check that the employer will apply for your work permit and that you will enter on a Z visa.
- Get your criminal record certificate close to the application date, because it must be issued within 6 months.
- Ask the employer which documents need an apostille or authentication.
- Find the job on the school’s own career site and apply there. On this board, every job links to the employer’s own page.
- Never pay anyone for a job offer or for work permit papers. See our guide to teacher recruitment scams.
Frequently asked questions
Can I teach in China on a tourist or business visa?
No. China’s Exit and Entry Administration Law says foreigners who work in China need a work permit and a work-type residence permit. Working without them is unlawful employment. A foreigner who works illegally can be fined RMB 5,000 to 20,000, and in serious cases detained for 5 to 15 days.
What degree and experience do I need to teach English in China?
The 2017 work permit notice says foreign language teachers need a bachelor’s degree and 2 years of language teaching experience. A degree in education, languages or teacher training, a teaching certificate from your own country, or an accepted international language-teaching certificate replaces the experience.
Is there an age limit for teaching in China?
The work permit service guide says every applicant must be at least 18. For class B, the class most foreign teachers apply in, it gives the age limit as not more than 60. It also says the limits on age, degree or experience can be relaxed for some groups.
Which criminal record certificate does China accept?
One issued by the police, security or court authorities of your country of nationality, or of the last country where you lived for one year or more. It must be issued within 6 months. A statement you sign yourself is not accepted. Documents from Apostille Convention countries need an apostille.
How long do I have to get a residence permit after I arrive?
You must apply within 30 days of entering China, at the exit and entry office of the local public security bureau. You also apply for the work permit card within 15 days of entry. A work-type residence permit is valid for 90 days to 5 years.
Can international schools in China teach Chinese children?
Not the schools for children of foreign personnel. Under the Ministry of Education’s 1995 interim measures, these schools may enrol only children of foreign nationals with residence permits in China, and may not enrol children of Chinese citizens. Other private schools that call themselves international or bilingual are a different kind of school.