Key practical points:
• The system is unified and sorts workers into three tiers: A for high-end talent, B for professionals, C for other/quota categories.
• Your tier is set by a points assessment weighing degree, experience, age, salary, language and more.
• You apply online; after approval you first receive a Work Permit Notification, then the physical card.
• You usually need a university degree and relevant work experience appropriate to your job.
• A clean criminal-record certificate and a health check are required, authenticated/legalized as needed.
• The permit is tied to your employer and role; changing companies requires updating the permit.
• The work permit is a key step before or alongside obtaining a work residence permit.
💼 Work permits
Foreigner's Work Permit (A/B/C) · Yalla China
外国人来华工作许可 / Foreigner's Work Permit system (A/B/C classification)
✅ Effective: 2017-04-01
📝 Overview
China's unified foreigner work-permit system, which classifies workers into tiers A, B, and C using a points-based assessment.
This is general information only, not legal advice. For your specific case, consult a licensed lawyer.
📜 The law text / key provisions
💬 Practical reading
💬 This is a general reading/opinion for orientation — not the official legal text nor legal advice.
In practice, the tier you fall into (A, B, or C) affects how smooth your process is and sometimes the duration and benefits, so it helps to know your points early. Get your degree and police-clearance certificate legalized well ahead of time, as this takes a while. Remember the permit is tied to your company, so if you change jobs you must legally update everything before starting. This is general orientation, not formal legal advice.
📎 Official source
State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs / Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (mohrss.gov.cn)
🕒 Updated: 16 March 2026