How do you apply for a residence permit in China in 2026?

Your Chinese employer first obtains a Notification Letter for Foreigner's Work Permit. You use that letter to get a Z visa at a Chinese embassy or consulate abroad, then enter mainland China. For work planned for more than 90 days, the employer must help you obtain the Foreigner's Work Permit itself within 30 days of entry. Only then does the work-type residence permit application make sense as the stay document that replaces the short entry visa window.

Other lawful routes exist. An X visa supports study. Q and S visas cover family reunion or private affairs. An R visa targets high-level talent. Those paths still end at Exit-Entry Administration for a matching residence permit when you need to stay beyond a short visa. They do not replace the work-permit sequence if your real purpose is employment.

Before you book the Exit-Entry appointment, register your address. Hotels usually file for you. Private housing means a police station, foreigners service station, or local online WeChat channel within 24 hours of arrival at that address. Keep the registration form: residence permit counters expect it.

Apply in person at the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ where you live. NIA guidance lists a valid passport or other travel document, a completed foreigner visa or residence application form, a recent ID photo to the published size, supporting documents for the reason of stay (work contract and work permit materials for a work-type permit), and any other procedures your city desk requires. High-level talent, minors under 16, people over 60, or applicants with certain disabilities may sometimes use an authorised filer; everyone else should plan to appear themselves.

The MOFCOM guide states the hard clock: if you entered on a visa and plan to work and live in China, apply for the residence permit within 30 days of entry. Later, extend at least 30 days before the permit expires. If your passport number or other permit details change, apply for an information change within 10 days. For city-level desks and photo rules, use NIA's "Services" guides and the 12367 hotline rather than informal social posts.

English at the counter is uneven outside international cities such as Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen. Bring a Mandarin-speaking colleague when you can. City choice still matters for housing and commute after the stamp; see Where to live in China once the legal path is clear.