CHINA – Beijing Issues Three-Year Work Permits
At the end of December, the Beijing authorities announced that, in certain circumstances, alien employment permits may be issued with validity of up to three years, rather than the standard twelve months.
Who Qualifies?
Foreign national employees of Foreign Investment Companies, including China-Foreign Joint Ventures and Cooperation Projects and Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprises (WFOE), and Representative Offices, may be granted an initial or extension alien employment permit valid for up to three years, provided that certain supporting documents (see below) are valid for the requested period.
Further Details
The supporting documents which require sufficient validity include the employment contract, the applicant’s passport and the employer’s business licence (or Industrial and Commercial Registration Certificate).
Note that residence permits in Beijing will continue to be issued for no longer than twelve months, and would therefore still need to be renewed annually for an assignee holding a multiple-year alien employment permit.
Action Items
- For qualifying alien employment permit initial or extension applications for assignments of longer than twelve months in Beijing, ensure that the relevant supporting documents have sufficient validity.
