The materials required to apply for an extension of a foreigner’s work visa (i.e. work permit and residence permit) may vary depending on the region, individual situation, and specific visa type. The following are common material requirements in general:
Work permit extension:
1. Application Form for Extension of Work Permit to China: Fill out and print online, with the applicant signing and affixing the employer’s official seal;
2. Employment contract or employment certificate: Provide a Chinese contract, which should be signed by the applicant and stamped with the company seal, and cannot be altered;
3. Visa or valid residence permit: passport (or international travel document), entry signature page, or residence permit information page;
4. Foreigner’s work permit: including the front and back of the work permit and the QR code information scanning page;
Other materials:
1. If the laws and regulations of our country require pre-approval from the industry regulatory department, the approval document from the industry regulatory department must be provided;
2. For those who are transferred to new positions within the same unit, including those who are promoted from professional positions to administrative management positions, a certificate of job change should be submitted for extension;
3. For those who are transferred to a new position (occupation), they should reapply for a foreigner’s work permit in China;
4. For those applying for extension as foreign high-end talents (Class A), corresponding proof materials must be submitted;
5. All original paper materials and Chinese translations should be uploaded electronically to the processing system.
Residence permit extension:
1. A valid passport or other international travel document;
2. Application Form for Foreigners’ Visa Documents;
3. Photos;
4. The latest original temporary accommodation registration form;
5. Work permit certificate;
6. Proof letter issued by the employer.
If there are accompanying family members, each family member needs to prepare a set of materials. For parent-child relationships, a birth certificate is required, for spousal relationships, a marriage certificate is required, and for kinship relationships, a proof of kinship is required. All certificates must be authenticated by the Chinese embassy or consulate and translated and stamped with the company seal.
It is recommended to consult the local public security immigration management agency or relevant government departments in advance to ensure that all necessary materials are prepared and to understand the specific processing procedures and requirements. At the same time, it is important to apply for extensions on time to avoid unnecessary trouble caused by expired work visas.
In addition, for some universities or special units, there may be specific internal procedures and material requirements. For example, at Tsinghua University, if the work permit of foreign personnel needs to be extended, they must submit an application for extension to the International Office 90 days before the expiration date (the contract extension of foreign personnel needs to be reviewed by the school’s personnel department). The specific business processing procedures and required documents can be found in the campus intranet information.
