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Step 1: Background check | Step 2: Notarization | Step 3: Legalize and Authenticate | Step 4: Invitation Letter | Step 5: PU Letter | Step 6: Apply for Z Visa | Step 7: Flights

If you’re a teacher, ESL or otherwise, and you’re looking to teach abroad, you may have considered China. China has a plethora of teaching positions and options all over the country. Compared to other countries and those in Southeast Asia, jobs here will generally offer a very competitive salary that’s hard to beat. China will be my third country to live and teach in, it has proved to be the most complicated to prepare and apply for. I found the process to be very specific in its requirements but most information online was quite vague. I wish I had a post like this one directing me in the steps needed to apply for a z-visa.

Forewarning, my experience and the information in this post took place during COVID, from September 2020 to September 2021. Things may change and I encourage you to do your own research as well. The general requirements will most likely remain the same, but due to COVID the processing times were extremely slow and delayed. 

I’m from the United States and my partner is from the UK, so I will break down the process in each place.

Notarization and Authentication Services

Teaching Nomad will be referenced in this post - Teaching Nomad is an online company that provides various services for teachers abroad in the US. They offer a full package, specific to China, to handle the processes of everything - a background check, notarization, legalization and authentication of all legal documents. After attempting to complete each process on my own, I decided to save myself the hassle. I highly recommend using them. It was easy and they handled everything. This service takes approximately 3-5 weeks. 

In the UK, a similar service and one that my partner used was Hague Apostille. They also provide a specific package for all of China’s requirements. This service takes approximately 4-5 weeks.

Using these services may cost more than doing it yourself, but I genuinely found it worth the money.

So let’s say you’ve just accepted a job teaching in China, Congratulations! 

Step 1: Obtain a Criminal Background Check

In the US: This background check can be either local, state or federal. Ask your employer what they require. If it is from your local or state police station, it must be notarized by the police at the time they run it. Obtaining a federal background check will require fingerprints.

Apply for a federal background check here

Instead of obtaining it on your own, you can also use a third party company such as Teaching Nomad. I obtained a state-level background check through Teaching Nomad. This is an optional addition to their authentication process. I was out of the country and in the UK at the time, so completing a background check with fingerprints or in person was not possible.

In the UK: This is simple in the UK, you can apply for a background check online through DBS. You receive a paper copy in the mail and it takes about 2 weeks.

  Request a criminal background check on DBS here.

** The background check cannot be older than 6 months.

Step 2: Notarize all Legal Documents 

The most important documents needed are: Degree/ Diploma, teaching certificate and a recent background check. You can notarize either the original document or have official copies notarized. Either way, the original documents must be present at notarization and all other processes.  

The documents MUST be notarized in the country they were issued or the country of the company that issued the document. 

For example if my diploma is from a university in the UK, it must be notarized in the UK. This was an issue for my partner and myself; I obtained my TEFL certification in Thailand and he obtained his in Vietnam through an Australian company. Because of this, our certificates could be considered ‘Thai documents’ and ‘Australian documents’. This would require sending these off to each separate country to be notarized. That meant extra time and money- a big pain in the you know what.  Due to this issue, my partner decided to take another online TEFL course, gained a new certification that was issued in the UK and he carried on. So double check this and it’s something to be aware of. Some services notarizing the document can work around this, Teaching Nomad was able to process my TEFL certificate with no issues.

In the US:  If doing it on your own, you will need to take all three documents to a Secretary of State office. You will need each document to be notarized individually and grouped together with an embossed seal. For convenience, I used Teaching Nomad. Being in the UK at the time, I needed to send my documents via mail to Teaching Nomad.

In the UK: A notarization can be obtained by a solicitor. You would need to contact one individually or via a company locally or within the country. Again, each individual document must be notarized and grouped together. Hague Apostille also offers this service.

Step 3: Legalize and Authenticate

Now that all three documents are notarized, they must be legalized and authenticated at a Chinese Embassy. This whole process is essentially proving that the documents are legitimate both in the eyes of where they are issued and in the eyes of the Chinese government. 

In the US: You can apply your documents on your own to the nearest Chinese Embassy. You can go to the Chinese Embassy website and fill out any forms required and send in your documents. Some may request in person appointments. I would contact or email the embassy nearest to you for specific requirements. Again, I used Teaching Nomad for Steps 1 -3. 

In the UK: If doing it on your own you will take your notarized documents to a Chinese Embassy. This will be either via mail or an in person appointment. Contact the nearest Chinese Embassy for further details and requirements. Hague Apostille offers services for this step as well. My partner used Hague Apostille for Steps 1 -3. 

Step 4: Invitation Letter

Once you have received your authenticated documents back, you can send all PDF scans to your employer. The next few steps will be on their end. Your employer will now apply for an invitation letter by submitting your documents to the government. This may have been an extra step due to COVID restrictions. Once this was granted, we also received a work permit and an Explanation Letter. The Explanation Letter is explaining why it is necessary for us to enter the country. This document will be needed when you apply for your visa. 

Step 5: PU Letter

After a first invitation letter has been granted, your employer will now apply for the official invitation letter, or PU Letter. This is the Chinese government approving your eligibility and documents to come and work in the country. This step was delayed the longest. Due to COVID, the government would intermittently put holds on issuing any PU Letters. 

Steps 4 and 5 are all done within China and in your employer’s hands. This is where you wait. 

*2022 UPDATE - NO MORE PU LETTER*

As of 2022, China is no longer requiring a PU Letter as a part of this process this would mean skipping Step 5, woo hoo! Just to be safe, I would confirm this with your employer.

Step 6: Applying for Z Visa

Once you have finally received your PU Letter, you can apply for a Z Visa at the Chinese Embassy. Communicate with the embassy and they will instruct you on what documents to provide. 

In the US: Due to COVID, applying for a Z Visa was not done in person. Pre-COVID, you would make an appointment at a Chinese Embassy and go in person to apply. I’m originally from Michigan and was home at this time, so this was done at the Chicago Chinese Consulate. I applied for my Z Visa via mail. The Visa cost me $140 + a $5 mailing service fee. On the Chinese Embassy website, you will fill out and sign the application form, COVA. I then mailed in and submitted: A money order for $145, a signed COVA (visa application form), my passport, work permit, PU Letter, Explanation Letter, a copy of my driver’s license and a pre-paid and self addressed return envelope. They use this envelope to mail your passport back to you. The processing time took about 3 weeks and I received my passport back in the mail, with the visa inside. 

In the UK:  Despite COVID, applying for a Visa in the UK means booking an appointment and attending a short application process in person. An application form is filled out via the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) website. They have a step by step guide here: https://bio.visaforchina.org/LON2_EN/

In short, you fill out the application form online, book an appointment and then take all of your documents to the center to process your visa. The cost was  £182.50, which included all service fees and tracked and insured postage back to your address. The process can be expedited for a fee but my partner’s application was on the 14th of September and his passport was returned to him on the 22nd of September. 

Step 7: Rejoice and book your tickets!

Once you’ve received your passport with the Visa inside, you can confidently enter the country- book dem tickets!

In the US: The actual visa printed in your passport will be categorized as an ‘F Visa’. Once you have entered the country, you will then convert this visa in the actual Z visa. Your employer should be in charge of this process and handle it for you.

In the UK: Chinese consulates in the UK can issue the Z visas straight away, what you have printed in your passport is what you’ll need. There will be no need for any conversions once you arrive.

So there you have it. It can be a daunting process and any mistake can delay the processing of your documents. I hope that this information can give some insight and clarification into the whole process. I highly recommend using a service such as Teaching Nomad or Hague Apostille, it saved us a lot of hassle and time in the long run. At the very least, be sure to ask questions and send emails! It helps to be in correspondence with the Chinese Embassies you are applying with. Good luck!

• Madeline
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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